Marble and Granite for the North Coast and Outdoor Spaces

What the coast does to stone

On the North Coast, stone faces strong sun, salty air, humidity and people walking barefoot with wet feet. Sun heats dark surfaces and can fade some materials. Salt carried in sea air and pool water settles into pores and joints. Wet areas keep stone damp for long periods, and wind carries sand that scratches polished surfaces.

A stone that looks lovely in a city living room can be slippery, hot or hard to maintain on a terrace. Outdoor choices start from safety and comfort, then look.

Finishes that grip

Polished stone becomes slippery when wet, so outdoor floors, pool surrounds and outside steps need a textured finish. The texture also hides wear and salt marks better than a gloss.

• Flamed (مشعلل) — a flame opens the surface of granite into a rough, even texture with good grip
• Bush-hammered (مدقوق) — a hammered, pitted texture, often used on steps and paths
• Sandblasted (سفع رملي) — a fine, even roughness that keeps the colour slightly lighter
• Tumbled (أنتيك) — softened edges and a worn surface, popular on travertine around pools

Light colours stay cooler

Light colours reflect more sunlight and stay cooler underfoot than dark ones. Around pools and on open terraces where people walk barefoot, beige, cream, light grey and off-white stones are more comfortable in summer. Many stones also look a shade lighter after flaming or sandblasting, because the rough surface scatters the light.

Keep dark granites for shaded areas, borders and trims, or vertical surfaces where nobody walks.

Which stones suit outdoor spaces

Granite is hard and dense, and handles sun, salt and foot traffic well. That makes it a strong choice for outdoor steps, copings, entrances and driveways, especially with a flamed or bush-hammered finish.

Travertine and honed limestones are popular around pools and on terraces for their light colours and natural texture. They are softer and more porous, so they need sealing and gentle cleaning, and some softer limestones can wear in constant salt spray. Ask us which ones suit a sea-facing spot.

Avoid polished marble outdoors: it is slippery when wet, and rain, salt and acidic dirt dull it. Quartz is not for outdoor or sunny areas, because UV light can fade or yellow its resin, and quartz makers generally advise against outdoor use.

Pools, sealing and water details

Stone around a pool is splashed with treated water all day. Seal it with a penetrating sealer suited to outdoor and wet areas, choose one that does not make the surface slippery, and check it each season with a water-drop test.

Water also needs a way out. Outdoor floors should slope slightly away from the house and towards drains. Copings on walls and window sills should have a drip groove cut underneath near the front edge, so rainwater drips off instead of running back along the underside and staining the wall below.

• A rounded coping edge at the pool is kinder to hands and feet
• Seal both the stone and the joints near water, using a grout suited to wet areas
• Drip grooves under sills and copings
• Expansion joints on large sunny areas

Salt and white deposits

A white powder or crust on stone and joints is usually efflorescence: salts carried by water out of the mortar, the ground or the sea air, left behind when the water dries. It is a sign of moisture, not a fault in the stone.

Brush it off dry with a stiff brush rather than soaking it, and do not use acid cleaners on marble, travertine or limestone to remove it. If it keeps coming back, the moisture source needs finding, such as a leak, poor drainage or damp rising from below. Sea salt that settles on top of the stone is different: rinse it off with fresh water from time to time.