Before you buy marble in El Deresa: 10 questions to ask any shop

Is the quote per linear or square metre, and at what width?

The most common reason two quotes disagree is that they are not in the same unit. Kitchen worktops, stairs and sills are usually priced per linear metre at a set width; floors and walls per square metre. A linear-metre figure at a narrower width cannot be compared with one at a wider width, even when the job is identical.

A good answer states four things in one line: the unit, the width the price assumes, the thickness and the finish. Ask for it in writing and compare quotes only when all four match. If you are unsure of your own measurements, start with our guide on how to measure.

Which grade or selection, and can I see the actual slabs?

Natural stone is sold in grades (first selection, second selection and so on) that differ in vein density, spots, filled areas and hairline fissures. The trade name alone does not tell you the grade, and a phone photo hides most of this. The slab you liked in a picture may not be the one that gets cut.

A good answer names the grade, shows you the slabs themselves in daylight, and writes the slab number or mark on the quote so your job is cut from that slab and no other. At Wesha you can visit the showroom and choose the slab your work will be cut from.

2 cm or 3 cm thick?

Thickness changes the price, the strength and the look of the edge at the same time. 2 cm slabs are common for kitchens and wall cladding, and the edge can be built up with a laminated strip to look thicker; 3 cm suits larger overhangs and stair treads that take daily footfall. The two also differ in how they are supported and jointed.

Ask: is this price for 2 or 3 cm? And if the edge looks thick, is it one slab or a laminated double edge? A good answer gives the thickness as a number and describes the edge exactly as it will be delivered. Our guide on thickness and edge profiles has the details.

What exactly is included?

The metre price alone does not tell you what you will pay in the end. Cutting, edge finishing, sink and hob cut-outs, upstands, transport, carrying up to your floor, installation, adhesive and sealer can each be inside the price at one shop and outside it at another, and both shops are being honest.

A good answer is a written quote with each item on its own line: what is included, what is added and how each addition is worked out. Ask about cut-outs specifically: are they charged per opening, and is the inside edge polished? Treat anything not written down as not included, and ask.

Who measures on site, and when?

The stone is cut to the final measurement, and a mistake there cannot be undone after cutting. So ask whether the shop measures itself or relies on your numbers, and who carries the cost if a measurement turns out wrong.

Timing matters as much as the person. A kitchen worktop is measured after the cabinets are fitted and levelled, not before; floors are measured after plastering is finished and the floor level is set. A good answer names who will come, at which stage of the finishing work, and confirms that nothing is cut before the site visit. At Wesha we measure on site before cutting.

How will the joints be planned, and where?

Any run longer than a slab needs a joint; that is normal. What matters is where it goes and how it is made. A joint through a sink or hob cut-out weakens the piece at its narrowest point, and a joint in the middle of a visible run draws the eye more than one at a corner.

Ask the shop to mark the joints on a sketch of the kitchen or floor before cutting, and to say how many pieces there will be. A good answer keeps joints away from cut-outs and explains how they will be filled and levelled so no lip is felt. For floors, ask about the laying direction and where cut tiles will fall.

How is waste calculated, and who keeps the leftovers?

Waste is a normal part of any stone job: the offcuts around openings, small pieces that cannot be used, and slabs opened so the best can be chosen. The problem is not that it exists but that it goes unmentioned. Some quotes build it into the metre price, some add it as a percentage, and some charge for whole slabs as bought.

Ask: is waste inside the price or added on top? On what quantity is it calculated? And who keeps the leftovers after installation? A good answer fixes the method in writing before work starts, and points out that larger offcuts can become a door threshold or a window sill instead of being thrown away.

How will the slabs be matched for colour and veins?

No two slabs of natural stone are identical, even from the same block. The beige of Galala shifts from slab to slab, the veins in imported marble change in density and direction, and granite varies in the size of its spots. Matching happens only when the shop picks adjacent slabs from the same block and sequence and lays them out before cutting.

Ask whether adjacent pieces will come from the same slab or block, and whether the veins can be arranged to continue across a joint. With quartz, ask for the same batch, since the colour can vary slightly between batches. A good answer shows you the slabs lined up side by side before anything is cut.

Is grinding and polishing after installation part of the job?

Marble floors are ground and polished after laying so the joints are levelled and small height differences between tiles disappear; without this step you feel the edges underfoot and see a line between every two tiles. Kitchen worktops, on the other hand, come polished from the slab; what needs polishing after cutting is the edges and the rims of the cut-outs.

Ask: is grinding after installation included, or is it another contractor's job? Does it cover the final polish and sealer? Who cleans up afterwards? A good answer separates grinding from installation in the quote, says when it happens, and states whether the exposed edge of the worktop will be polished after cutting or left as cut.

What should I send on WhatsApp to get a real quote?

A spoken quote is forgotten; a written one is what you compare and hold the shop to. To get one worth comparing, send: one or two photos of the space, your rough measurements, what it is for (kitchen, stairs, floor, sills), the stone you like if you have one, the thickness you prefer, and the floor number and whether there is a lift.

Then ask that the quote answer the nine questions above: unit and width, grade and slab number, thickness, what is included, when measuring happens, joints, waste, matching and polishing. At Wesha we reply with a written quote on WhatsApp and take the final measurement on site before cutting.