Natural Stone Baths Buying Guide

Adding a natural stone bath will dramatically improve the look of any bathroom setting, be it modern or traditionally influenced. They are truly stunning items and will give you a luxurious space to escape to and bathe after those long, tiring days.

Their beautiful designs are silky smooth to the touch and they often look like works of art; perfect for giving bathrooms the ultimate centrepiece! In this guide we'll uncover what they're all about, and why you should consider one.

What actually is a natural stone bath?

These baths are created using a mixture of natural stone and resin, which leaves a much more durable finish than standard acrylic baths. The thickness of these baths not only makes them great at keeping the water warmer for longer; but they are also quite straight forward to repair if they get scratched as the mark can simply be polished out (something you can't do with acrylic baths).

What styles are there?

There is an abundance of shapes and sizes available when it comes to choosing the right natural stone bath for your setting. If you're after a minimalist, modern aesthetic then you'll find all kinds of sleek, smooth options at your disposal, which is great for creating a true 'show home' feel to your bathroom. We find that oval and rectangular shaped baths are popular at the minute. There are single and double ended variants, as well as stunning traditionally influenced examples which are raised on ornamental legs for a wonderful look that will give your bathroom the ultimate centrepiece.

How are they made?

The process in which natural stone baths are made is quite complicated, so here's the condensed version:

To begin the process, a natural stone and mineral resin is processed which removes unwanted materials or contaminants. A special environment which has a high vacuum in order to remove any bubbles or blemishes then houses the resin, while a catalyst is placed into the mixture that hardens prior to being injected into a mould.

A large oven then heats this product, allowing it to dry for a long period so that everything sets properly. To finish, the bath is then thoroughly checked to ensure any faults or defects are removed by hand. This process can take up to 10 hours to complete so you know that what you're left with is a product of the highest possible quality.

Are they heavy?

Now as you have probably already guessed, a bath which is made from natural stone is not exactly going to be lightweight. The fact is that these items are very heavy, and will not be easy to manoeuvre into tricky to get to bathrooms. It's probably best to avoid installing one in an upstairs bathroom as they will only get even heavier with added water and the last thing you want is for it to come crashing through the ceiling! We recommend downstairs bathroom installations only here.

Which taps should I choose?

Depending on the type of natural stone bath you've chosen, there will be specific styles of taps which will provide a fitting complement.

Wall mounted taps

These taps simply attach to your wall and are positioned over the edge of the bathtub. Ideal if the edge of the bath doesn't feature pre drilled tap holes or if it's simply too thin to accommodate deck mounted versions.

Deck mounted taps

The standard way of installing taps is to mount them directly to the edge of your bathtub. Some natural stone baths will have tap holes already drilled into the deck, allowing them to easily accommodate a set of taps.

Freestanding taps

For a more designer look, adding a set of freestanding taps will really transform the overall feel of the bath, giving the room a bespoke feel in the process.