Bathroom Tiles
For over 25 RMS Natural Stone and Ceramics have been supplying stone to Bathrooms across Australia. In that time RMS has partnered with many of the country’s leading designers and architects to supply award winning projects for our clients. Whether your bathroom renovation is a small re-fit or a large new-build, RMS has a reputation for supplying quality stone that will look fantastic and perform for years.
Choosing the Right Type of Stone for Your Bathroom
Supplying stone for bathroom requires a little more knowledge than just which stones look great. Some stones may be reactive with water and require special adhesives or sealants and some stone may absorb contaminants easily or show oxidisation of impurities which is part of the stone. While selection of colour is important it is equally important to get good information, so the stone not only looks great but performs flawlessly for years to come.
Whether your project requires stone cut in special shapes, standard size tiles, mosaics, or slab, RMS can offer the complete variety of products you need.
Marble
Marble has always exuded the feel of luxury and is common in high-end hotels across the world. It can be installed in tiles, mosaics or cut from slab and fixed in large panels. Whatever the format of the marble it is consistency and veining of the marble that can make or break the look. Marble is quarried into blocks of stone, and these are then cut to produce the format being used. Ensuring you get marble that all comes from one block of stone will mean the background colour and veining is all similar.
The most popular colours are the white marbles which may include grey veining, although marble is available in a variety of colours and many of the traditional marbles are in the beige or taupe tones.
Travertine
Travertine has been used for thousands of years as a building material and is a versatile and resilient stone for bathroom applications. Travertine is formed in mineral springs so was born in a wet environment and is a beautiful practical material for all areas of a bathroom.
The formation of Travertine creates natural holes in the stone, and these are normally filled for floors installations. Some people choose to leave the walls unfilled and create a cavern-like enclosure, or more often the walls are filled leaving an elegant, easy to maintain surface.
Like marble, selection of good consistent batches of travertine will give the best look. Travertine has been found in many countries, but todays architects and designers still seek the Italian Travertine for its superior strength and consistent colour.
Limestone
Limestone is a very broad range of materials varying from very light whites through to greys and dark charcoal. With such a broad range of colours the cut stone can differ greatly in its suitability for different applications.
Limestones are formed over long geologic time periods and, (apart from Travertine which is also a limestone) are formed when shelled animals like crustaceans from large through to microscopic size die and descend to an ocean floor where they are compacted over time.
Depending on the way the limestone was formed, and the original makeup of the stone, will determine how well a limestone will work in different applications. Some limestones can be very porous and require specific adhesives and sealers, while others can be harder than many marbles.
RMS carry many different limestones and can recommend the best package of products to make sure your limestone bathroom looks beautiful for years to come.
Granite
For many years granite was one of the most popular stones for bench tops and vanities. With a large variety of colours and shades granite has been quarried in many different countries and typically has a speckled appearance.
Granite is made up of very hard particles mixed together and can range from whites to greys and blacks. While overall being a hard material, some granites will have iron particles in the mix, so use in wet areas needs thought for the right mix of adhesives and sealers to ensure a long-term finish.
RMS can advise on the Granites that have been used successfully over a long time and would make good options for your bathroom.
Terrazzo
Terrazzo has been used from ancient times in Europe and the Middle East to create decorative surfaces and vivid images. Today’s Terrazzo is generally a mix of coloured stones mixed with a binder which can range from cements to porcelain. There has been a resurgence in the use of Terrazzo in residential applications for counter-tops and vanities as well as walls and floors.
RMS Marble offers a range of Terrazzo surfaces in both tile and slabs.
Mosaics
Today’s mosaics are an almost endless variety of shapes and colours that defies anyone from showcasing everything that the market offers. In Australia some shapes and colours have become popular and are often paired with their matching stones used in tile format.
RMS Marble carries a range of mosaics in the popular stones such as Carrara, Calacatta and Statuario as well as some of the blended combinations with accented colours. Visit the RMS Showroom to see the ranges available or discuss your requirements and RMS can custom order to suit your project.
Types of Bathroom Stone
Tastes in stone vary widely and homeowners as well as architects and designers are constantly looking for ways to enhance these frequently used spaces, to make them enjoyable but visually appealing.
Marbles, Travertines and limestones have been used to clad bathrooms for centuries. With the correct installation these perform wel,l however selection of the stone combined with the correct adhesives, grouts and sealer should be part of package when buying stone which will be installed in wet areas.
Stone Floor Tiles
The most Architecturally prestigious houses being built today almost always incorporate stone flooring in the design and looking back through time Stone floors have been a feature of most of our historically significant buildings.
Stone floors are a practical and cost-effective way to set the foundation for the rest of the interior finishes. With its ability to resist wear and perform with little maintenance, stone will last for decades and often remain as other finishes are replaced. Unlike many other flooring, good quality stone can easily be bought back to original condition by an experienced tradesperson when renovations are performed, or the property is put up for sale.
RMS carries a variety of stone flooring options in different sizes, finishes and colours. Our service can also select, process and supply stone that is selected by the designer/architect or client and have this shipped and delivered from quarries around the world.
Stone Wall Tiles
Typically used in bathrooms, stone wall tiles will often be the same material used for floors, however different stone walls tiles are sometimes used as features and highlights in niches and feature walls.
Stone wall tiles can either match the floor tile or may be a smaller complementary format for the wall.
RMS carry a range of Stone wall and floor tiles in different sizes, thickness, and colours.
Benchtops
Perhaps the most often place stone is installed is on the countertop surfaces. These countertops are cut from large slabs of stone and formed by a stonemason who will cut places for your sinks and taps as well as form the edge profile of your stone.
When designing a kitchen benchtop, it is important to consider the size of slabs available in your preferred material and understand each piece of stone will be different. Not all stone can be quarried into large pieces and normally the larger sizes will be more expensive. Stone is also a material that is graded at the quarries like diamonds, with the nicer looking material usually demanding higher prices.
Stone benches provide a beautiful practical surface to work on. Being a natural material stone will add character and pattern to the kitchen space providing a timeless backdrop to the food creations that emerge from the kitchen.
Stone Basins and Baths
What better compliment to a beautiful stone bathroom than a complimentary stone basin to sit on a stone vanity.
RMS Marble carry a range of hand-crafted stone basins in materials like Carrara and Statuario marble. With different shapes and sizes available, RMS can also have custom basins and stone baths manufactured and imported in your choice of material for our clients.
Stone Vanity Tops
The showpiece of many beautiful bathrooms is the vanity top crafted and prepared in natural stone. Whether it is complimenting the floor and wall tiles or contrasting in a different stone, a well-designed bathroom pivots around the stone on the vanity.
RMS Marble carry a variety of stone slabs in popular marbles like Carrara, Calacatta and Statuario, through to the more exotic or modern styles which can be fabricated into vanity tops.
Contact us today or Visit our Sydney Showroom
Our showroom and warehouse is located close to the city and has a large variety of stone products on show.
Call or visit us on-line to make a time to view the amazing variety of quality stone RMS has to offer.