They fall in love with a marble sample in a showroom, and then are surprised to find out that the tile installed in their new home looks different, or exhibits many different shades of the color they thought they were getting.  Are they wrong to be disappointed? No. Is there anything that can be done to ‘fix’ that tile installation? No again unfortunately, this is the way mother nature makes it.

 

So what to do? Depending upon what your desired aesthetic is, a natural material may or may not be your best choice. Because natural stone cannot be consistent by definition, those in search of consistency may want to consider manmade materials.  For solid surfaces like countertops, manmade products such as Silestone http://www.silestoneusa.com and CaesarStone http://www.caesarstone.com are interesting options, also commonly called quartz.  Both contain real stone chips, but are made in a factory and will look exactly like the showroom samples.  These products are just as durable as real stone, and carry robust warranties as well.  The catch is the price, which is often more than comparable natural stone.  

 

For tile installations, another option to consider is porcelain tile instead of natural stone.  Porcelain is also very durable, and often available for less money than comparable natural stone.  The only downside is aesthetic – even with thousands of available porcelain options, there is no way to perfectly mimic the appearance of natural stone.  

 

The last place to consider a manmade stone product is on the exterior of a home.  Products like El Dorado Stone http://www.eldoradostone.com/flashsite are actually made from concrete, then painted in a factory to match a specific style and color.  These architectural veneers are very consistent, both in size, texture, and color, and will match samples very closely. Again though, the downside is the price, which can be significantly more than natural stone veneer.  Also if chipped it shows the whitish cement color...not the painted color on the exterior.

 

They key to avoiding an unpleasant surprise during your project is to understand the nature of the materials you pick for your home.