FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS /HELPFUL TOPICS
 
How can Marble Florida offer discount pricing for high quality products?
Marble Florida is the direct source for natural stone tiles and pavers. Our products are shipped directly from our quarry in Turkey to our Tampa warehouse so that we can give you factory direct pricing and save you thousands. We want you to enjoy the elegance and beauty of natural stone, knowing you never paid too much.
 
What should I do if I would like to use natural stone for my project but only have a small budget?
Our standard prices are not retail prices and can save you thousands but if you think you are still limited with your budget, we can still help. In addition to our discount pricing, please visit our Savings Center section on our website to review our current specials.
 
What kind of pavers should I use for my driveway?
We usually recommend our most popular size 6x12x 1 ¼” thickness for your driveway and definitely darker colors like our Mediterranean walnut or noce colors. Bigger sizes than 6x12 will have more breakage down the road unless you do special order pavers which are thicker than 1 ¼”. Usually most driveway pavers are honed & chiseled finish 6x12 pavers but you could also use tumbled ones.
 
The reason we recommend darker stone pavers is to minimize the appearance of tire marks and engine oil leaks. We also don’t recommend gold travertine pavers if you have a busy driveway. Most of the gold pavers have more breakage and visible stains because of its density & hardness as it is similar to limestone.
 
After your pavers are installed and at least one year later you may have some breakage or cracks but if you have good ground support then breakage should be minimal. We also recommend after final installation that you seal the stone as soon as possible and do the regular maintenance like sealing at least once a year and pressure washing it. And make sure you keep some extra pieces on the side you may need down the road for replacing the pavers that are broken.
 
What kind of pavers should I use for my pool deck?
When choosing pavers and copings for your pool deck, we recommend tumbled or at least brushed finish surfaces pavers and copings for safety reasons. Other products with a polished or honed surface can be very slippery when wet. Usually pavers come in 1 ¼” thickness but if you have a concrete surface you could use ½” tile for your pool decks. But it may cost you more because you have to use thin set instead of the sand setting materials.
 
We also recommend darker color natural stones for your pool decks like medium, walnut or noce colors. These colors are easy to keep clean and maintain. Also the lighter colors will reflect the sunlight and cause a glare. We want you to enjoy your pool deck and not worry about spilled drinks or anyone slipping and hurting themselves!
 
What kind of tile or pavers should I use if I have a Mediterranean house?
Using a tile for your house is personal taste and could be anything that you like but Marble Florida recommends our beige and darker color tile and pavers like walnut and noce colors.
 
What kind of tile or pavers should I use if I have a Modern house?
Again it is personal taste but we recommend our new material vein cut semi polished walnut tile. It is a unique product, offering a nice texture and elegant and modern polished finish.
 
I like the Versailed & French pattern but what if I only have a small area to tile? Marble Florida cares about each customer’s needs and keeping you happy is very important to us. That’s why we went the extra mile and we have our unique Small versailed&french pattern that is available for our customers. Instead of the standard 8x8/8x16/16x16/16x24 size, it comes available in 6x6/6x12/12x12/12x18. Its small pattern looks great on shower walls, pool patios, front porches, small area floors and can even be used beautifully in larger areas.
 
Can I use bigger size stone tiles on my shower walls?
Yes, we can customize your stone tile order as you request but we do recommend that you get advice from your contractor beforehand.
 
What can I use on my balcony or patios if I have an elevation issue?
Using thicker stone tiles or pavers on your balcony or second floor patios could be an issue because of the weight .That’s why we offer ½” thick stone tiles also available in the same finish as your pavers so when you look down from upstairs you can see your pool deck in the same finish and texture.
 
What finishes or sizes are popular for natural stone tiles and pavers and where can I use them?
 
Common natural stone tiles and pavers finishes: Honed, honed & filled, tumbled, polished, brushed, brushed & chiseled.
 
Popular sizes for tile: French Pattern,12x12,18x18 and 24x24 sizes and they come ½” thickness
 
Popular sizes for pavers: French pattern, 16x16,6x12 and they come 1 ¼” thickness
 
Popular size for driveway: mostly 6x12

You can use natural stone tiles and pavers for: Your pool decks, driveways, interior and exterior floors & walls, lanais, patios, shower walls, fireplaces, backsplashes, countertops and more.
 
What should I do if I have a big project and it is out of state?
Please let us know if you or your project is located out of state. We could save you more money by shipping containers of your material to the closest port available to your business or your jobsite. Marble Florida will even handle transportation logistics should you need any local deliveries from the port no matter where you are.
 
How much should I add for cuts and waste on the top of my total sq-ft of the project?
Each project could be different and we always tell our customers get an advice from their contractors. At Marble Florida we recommend (depending of how many cuts and the shape of your floor) you should add 5% for tile orders
 
With pavers because of the weight and nature of the item you will have more breakage than tile so at least you should add 10% extra for paver orders for your cuts and waste.
 
At Marble Florida, we stand behind the quality of our pavers and tiles and our packing is designed for minimum breakage. We ship our big size pavers always in the crates so you have minimum breakage. For example, you may get French pattern pavers on the pallets and you may save some money but to finish the job you will have to buy more pavers due to breakage so ultimately this will cost you more than crated pavers.
 
What kind of packing do you use and how are the products shipped out?
Usually most companies (including Marble Florida) ship materials on the pallets or in crates depending of the type of your order. The weight of the pallets and crates are usually 2000-3000 pounds but each order or material may change so please let us know if you need to know the weight of your order at the time you place an order with us.
 
How can I handle the shipment?
Because of the volume of our business we get good rates with several reliable trucking companies. So to save you money we can help you with shipping if you would like us to take care of that also. For mostly local jobsite deliveries we use flatbed trucks with a forklift so your materials can be placed curbside or around your house to make it easy for you.
 
Out of state we use mostly box trucks and you get the best deal business to business with loading dock available; if not sometimes for an extra charge lift gate delivery is available to our customers so please let us know if you need any shipping help.
 
What should I do if I receive my material and there is more breakage than usual?
Marble Florida will check each small or big order to make sure it is packed well and meets standard shipping procedures. After it leaves our warehouse please make your claims with the trucking company if you see any damaged materials and follow up your claim with the trucking company.