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Check out our Care and Maintenance guides under the Resources section.

Cosmos offers a huge variety of Natural Stones. Click Granite, Marble, Quartzite, Onyx, Schist, Soap Stone or Semi-Precious to see our natural stone offerings.

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Natural stone can be used in numerous applications, both on the interior and exterior of your home. They can be used as counter tops in kitchens, bars, laundry rooms, vanity tops in bathrooms, tabletops, flooring, walkways, building facades, interior wall cladding, fireplace surrounds, accent walls, stairs – landings and risers, patios, etc.

Stone prices vary largely, and this is mostly to do with the location and size of the stone quarries. Remote or smaller quarries mean that they are harder to get to and harder to quarry which leads to a scarcity of product and surge in pricing. Other factors could be the mineral content in the stone and the cost of logistics in bringing the product to you.

Kitchen and bar counters are commonly exposed to liquids like water, milk, juices, wine or other alcohol, acidic substances like citrus vegetables, some fruits, acetic acid as well as sharp utensils, all of which can damage any countertop. However, Granite is one of the strongest and most dense stones in nature with high tolerance to heat and tension due to which it is resistant to etching, staining and absorption making it one of the top choices for use in kitchens and bars. Click Granite to see our huge collection of this Natural Stone.

No, you will ruin your knives. Quartz is much harder than steel and should not be used as a cutting surface. You must use a cutting board that is appropriate for your cutting tools.

No, you must use a trivet or hot pad to ensure protection for any countertop surface from heated cookware. You cannot put hot pots directly on the surface. No countertop material is completely unaffected by direct heat.

Cosmos Quartz counters do not require to be sealed.

Cosmos Quartz counters do not require to be sealed.

Yes, your Cosmos Quartz purchase is covered with an industry leading 10-year product warranty.

Porcelain tiles are made up of 50% feldspar and are fired at a much higher temperatures than regular ceramic tiles. This makes porcelain tile harder and denser than other tile products. Because of its highly durable make-up, porcelain tile is more resistant to scratches and can withstand temperature extremes. Also, because porcelain is non-porous, it is very stain resistant, has very low water absorption ratings (Less than 0.5%) and can be used for interior and exterior applications as well as heavy-use and commercial areas.

Unglazed porcelain tiles are a solid color all the way through the tile body and do not have a top glaze. These tiles are generally referred to as through body or full body tiles. They are typically denser and more durable than glazed tiles and also have good slip resistance. However, they do need to be sealed to avoid staining. These tiles are especially good for high traffic areas due to their ability to withstand wear and tear.

Grout joints are an aesthetic preference. The general trend has been to use thin grout joints that are 1/8” to 3/16” with a 1/4” joint being the optimal size for a layout with multiple tile sizes. An important factor to remember when deciding grout joint size is that the bigger joints attract more dirt and tend to crack versus thin joints.

Tile is usually referred to by its nominal size, not its actual size. During the firing process, ceramic tile will shrink, on average, by about 10% in size. For example, a 12” by 12” floor tile will actually measure 11-7/8 inches square. Currently, the most popular ceramic floor tile are the larger sized tiles such as 13” by 13”, 16” by 16”, 18” by 18” and 36” by 36” sizes.

Rectified tiles have all the edges mechanically finished to achieve a more precise facial dimension. Rectified tiles can have smaller grout joints thus needing lesser amounts of grout and can be more aesthetically pleasing.