What is the difference between vein cut and cross cut?

It is the direction that the material is cut out of the quarry. If you cut the block of stone with the grain it will be considered vein cut which will show the layers of sediments and contain a left to right veining. If the block of stone is cut against the grain it is known as cross cut and may contain veining but will not usually be a left to right vein pattern.

Do I have to seal my stone?

Yes all natural stone must be sealed in order for liquids to not penetrate the surface and cause staining.

Can I use marble in my kitchen?

It is not recommended to use Marble in your kitchen due to the acidity in common everyday foods that are prepared. However due to aesthetics many customers desire a marble look over granite and need to be educated about the use of Marble in your kitchen environment. Please ask your salesperson for the pros/cons of using marble.

What are the differences between natural stone and porcelain?

Natural Stone is a product of nature and will contain natural variation, shading and crazing. Porcelain is a manmade tile containing a very low porosity if any. You will not get the great feeling of natural stone in porcelain.

What types of natural stone do you carry?

Here at Ollin we carry a wide variety of stones including marble, granite, Travertine, limestone, onyx, and soapstone in a variety of formats including slab and tile.

Where do you import your material from?

We believe in quality here at Ollin therefor we travel the world looking for high quality and unusual material. We import a majority of our material from Italy, Brazil, Israel and Egypt.

What selection/grade of material do you carry?

Being that we travel to the quarries and hand select our materials we are able to provide our customers with the highest quality natural stones available.

Do I have to buy a full slab?

Yes we sell full slabs only. We do have a small remnants area that we will be happy to show if you only need a small piece of stone.

What is a book match?

Book matching involves two slabs that are mirror images of each other. This helps when you have long counter runs that require a seam or transition in the construction.