Marble wall cladding

Slab sizes

A wall in 30 by 60 cm tiles has a joint every few centimetres. Slabs go up to about 3 m by 1.6 to 2 m, enough to do a shower wall in one piece. In our projects there's a column basin standing against a full Emperador wall.

Mirror-matched veins

Two slabs cut one after the other from the block carry nearly the same pattern. Laid side by side like an open book, the veins mirror across the joint. You need both slabs bought together and the layout planned before cutting. It works best with strongly veined marble such as Calacatta or Statuario.

Backlit onyx

Onyx at 2 cm lets light through. With LED panels behind it glows honey, green or white. It goes on a frame with room for the lights and access to them. It's softer than marble, so we put it where it won't get knocked.

Fixing

2 cm marble is about 54 kg per m², so a 2.4 by 1.2 m shower wall is over 150 kg. We use an adhesive made for natural stone on a flat, sound wall, with mechanical fixings on big or high panels. Old plaster on lath, common in Champagne village houses, can't carry it. A cement board or lined wall goes up first.

In the shower

Light marble can show water marks at the joints if the sealing isn't kept up. Hard water in the Aube leaves limescale, and descalers mark marble. Use a squeegee and a pH-neutral cleaner. On walls polished is fine and easier to wipe, unlike on a shower tray.

Openings and corners

Switches, windows, valves and niches are measured when we template and cut at the workshop. Niches are lined in the same stone with mitred edges. Outside corners are mitred or given a polished edge.

Other rooms

Chimney breasts, living room walls, the wall behind a range cooker as a full-height splashback, or round a fireplace. Call +33 7 45 20 76 39.