Natural stone tiles have become extremely popular in the last few years due, in no small part, to the rise in popularity of home improvement programs on TV. Our fascination with property and DIY has led to a predominantly higher number of people interested in decorating their homes with the best quality fixtures and fittings they can find. Stone tiles have become one of a number of elitist or superior quality furnishings that have endured the tough climate of the past 2 years and have maintained their popularity. Famous heroes will often be heard saying, ‘with great power, comes great responsibility’ and unfortunately this is also true of stone tiles and their suppliers – albeit the actual phrase is more like this ‘with great popularity, comes great numbers of immitations’ and it is this key point that we’ll be looking at in this article.

How can you tell a good quality natural stone tile from an immitation one?

Quality natural stone tiles can be measured by several intrinsic properties:

1. Solidity
   To take a definition right from the web itself, a “solid is one of the major states of matter. It is characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to changes of shape or volume.” In terms of stone tiles, this means it won’t be flimsy and will feel absolutely rigid. We’ve been known to demonstrate this to our customers with a simple experiment. The hammer drop experiment. In our showroom, we have plenty of space to actually drop a hammer onto our natural stone tiles. The result, as it should be with a real, high qulity natural stone, is that the stone will resist the impact of the hammer and leave no marks. If you’re not confident the stones you’re looking at could do this, always ask the sales assistant to prove claims of strength and natural solidity.
2. Water Absorption
   A real, quality natural stone tile will not absorb water at all. This is why our jerusalem stones prove forever popular for wet rooms, bathrooms, swimming pools, jacuzzis and even exterior stone walls. All of our high quality natural stone tiles will propell water completely, continuously and if you are considering buying some other ‘stone’ tiles, such as travertine or immitation stone, always make sure you ask about the water absorption rates, especially if you’re looking to tile your bathroom.
3. Resistance to Weather Factors
   This is a direct follow-on from the previous stone tile property. it’s not surprising to hear that a superior natural stone will be completely resistant to harsh weather conditions, particularly those suffered in the UK winter time or heavy rain seasons (all year?). Our quality jerusalem stone will resist harsh winds, icy rain and hot summers and any other natural stone you’re considering should be able to do the same. The best way to find out if the stone you’re looking at can do this is to simply ask the sales assistant for examples of where the stone was used externally. One telling sign might even be if they have any natural stone on display outside of their premises.

WHY CHOOSE JERUSALEM STONE
This elegant product, which is exceptionally hard and resistant to impact, is ideal for high traffic areas as well as spaces subject to domestic and commercial use. Its minimum water absorption, together with the fact that it is low-maintenance and easy to clean, makes it an ideal option for internal and external use.
Jerusalem Stone stands out for its aesthetical versatility and exclusive colours; this makes it perfect to create a wide range of designs that harmonise with other materials. The excellent finishes of Jerusalem stone, together with the fact that they are very simple to fit in with the surrounding environment, also form part of the long list of advantages of this luxurious product.

!