Yes — and we strongly encourage it. Samples are available on all products: open any product page and choose the sample option. Samples ship free anywhere in the continental United States.

Natural stone looks different under different lighting and next to different materials. Evaluating a sample in your actual space — against your cabinetry, countertops, and flooring — before committing to a full order prevents the vast majority of post-purchase disappointment with natural stone.

Samples ship free. You pay no shipping on sample orders within the continental United States. The price of each sample is shown on its product page when you choose the sample option.

Ordering a sample is not a commitment to place a full order.

Samples typically arrive in 2–7 business days within the continental United States, depending on where you are. You'll receive tracking by email when they ship.

For Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories, please contact us before ordering.

As many as you need to make a confident decision — there's no minimum or maximum. Most customers order their top two or three materials so they can compare them side by side in the room.

It will have the same character — it won't be a copy. A sample is one small piece of a material that varies from tile to tile and from lot to lot. It shows the general color, finish, and thickness, not every vein and shade you'll receive. Expect your order to include pieces that are lighter, darker, and more or less veined than your sample.

• Read our Shade & Color Variation Guide to understand the range to expect.
• For a large or color-critical project, call us before ordering and ask about the lot currently in stock.
• Order your full quantity at once so everything comes from the same lot wherever possible.

• Put it where it will live. Flat on the floor for floor tile, upright for walls. Look at it in morning light, evening light, and under your own fixtures.
• Set it against your fixed finishes — cabinets, countertops, existing flooring, paint.
• Wet it. Water shows how the color deepens in a shower or by a pool, and approximates the look of a color-enhancing sealer.
• Stress-test a corner. A drop of lemon juice and a drop of cooking oil left for a few minutes will show you how the stone etches and absorbs — useful, honest information for kitchens and baths.
• Feel the finish with a wet hand if traction matters.
• Compare candidates side by side rather than from memory.

Order 10–15% more than your measured square footage. Cuts, breakage, and pieces you set aside all come out of that margin.

• Floors: break the room into rectangles, multiply length × width (in feet) for each, and add them together.
• Walls and backsplashes: width × height for each surface. Subtract large openings such as windows and doors; ignore outlets and switches.
• Showers: measure each wall, the floor, the curb, and any niche or bench separately.
• Trims and moldings: measure in linear feet.
• Then add your overage (10–20%, see above) and round up to full boxes or sheets using the coverage listed for the product.

Our Tile Calculator does the arithmetic for you. Quantity estimates — ours or the calculator's — are estimates only, so have your installer confirm the final number before you order.

Yes — the Tile Calculator works out your square footage, tile count, and number of boxes. You can add multiple rooms and choose your installation pattern, and it adjusts the waste factor automatically. For complex projects, have your installer verify the quantity before ordering.

Whenever possible, we ship everything in a single order from the same production lot to keep color, shade, and pattern consistent. For very large orders, we verify lot availability before shipping and contact you if we anticipate any lot variance.

Usually yes, but we can't promise it will match. Stone from a later lot can differ in shade and veining from what you already have, and a quarry's output changes over time.

Before reordering, contact us with your original order number and we'll tell you what's currently available. The best protection is to order the full quantity up front and keep a box of leftovers for repairs.

Larger-format stone and porcelain doesn't travel safely in parcel boxes, so we ship it strapped to a pallet by freight — and a pallet shipment only makes sense above a certain quantity. The minimum exists so your tile arrives in one piece.

Samples and smaller formats such as mosaics aren't affected. If you're not sure whether a product has a minimum, call or chat with us before ordering.

Yes. We offer $200 off orders over $5,000 and free shipping on mosaics and moldings orders over $1,999. Promotions can't be combined unless we say otherwise.

For large commercial or multi-unit projects that need custom pricing, contact our team at 855-797-8453 or sales@tileandmosaicdepot.com. Trade members also receive preferred pricing across all products — apply for our Trade Program, it's free to join.

We keep substantial inventory on hand, and most in-stock orders ship within 1–3 business days. All products are sold subject to availability. If we can't fill your order as placed, we'll contact you promptly and offer a full refund or an alternative.

Working to a deadline? Call us to confirm stock for your quantity before you order.

Yes. Call 855-797-8453 Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–5:00 PM PST, or email sales@tileandmosaicdepot.com. To get an accurate quote quickly, send us the product names and sizes, your square footage, and the delivery ZIP code.

Changes and cancellations must be requested before the order ships. Call us right away at 855-797-8453 — we ship quickly, so the sooner the better. Once an order has shipped it can't be cancelled and goes through our standard return process, where applicable.

We're an online-only operation. No showroom means no showroom overhead — and that saving goes into more competitive pricing on premium natural stone.

Our sample program is designed to replace the showroom visit, and samples ship free. Hold the material in your own space, under your own lighting, next to your own finishes — with no obligation to place a full order.

Tell us about the project and we'll narrow it down with you — by phone at 855-797-8453 or live chat during business hours. We'll ask about five things: the application (floor, wall, outdoor, wet area), your climate (freeze-thaw risk), traffic level, how much maintenance you're comfortable with, and the look you're after.

The Where to Use It section below covers the most common applications, and our Shade & Color Variation Guide is worth reading before ordering any natural stone.

Most in-stock orders ship within 1–3 business days of order confirmation. After that, delivery typically takes 3–7 business days to most of the continental United States, depending on destination and carrier.

Pallet shipments travel by freight carrier and usually take a little longer than parcel orders. You'll receive tracking when your order ships.

We offer free shipping on mosaics and moldings orders over $1,999 within the continental United States, applied automatically at checkout. For other products, shipping is calculated at checkout from the order's weight, size, and destination — tile and stone are heavy, so the delivery ZIP code matters.

Samples ship free on all products to anywhere in the continental United States.

It depends on what you order and how much of it.

• Parcel: samples, mosaics, moldings, and other small formats usually ship in boxes with a parcel carrier.
• Freight (LTL): larger-format tile, pavers, pool coping, and bigger orders are stacked and strapped on a pallet and delivered by truck. Large pieces of stone are far safer travelling this way.

If your order is going by freight, see what to expect from a freight delivery.

We ship throughout the continental United States. For Hawaii, Alaska, or U.S. territories, contact us at 855-797-8453 or sales@tileandmosaicdepot.com for a shipping quote before placing your order.

• You'll get a call to schedule. The freight carrier contacts you to set a delivery appointment, so make sure the phone number and email on your order are correct.
• Someone needs to be there to receive and inspect the delivery. A missed appointment can mean a redelivery fee.
• Delivery is curbside. Freight drivers bring the pallet to the curb or the end of the driveway; they don't carry tile inside or unpack it.
• Tell us about access before your order ships — a narrow street, gated community, steep or gravel driveway, or no way to unload a pallet without a liftgate.
• Have help ready. A pallet of tile is very heavy. Plan to carry it in box by box.

1. Count the boxes or pallets against the delivery paperwork.
2. Walk around the shipment. Look for crushed corners, torn wrap, broken straps, a leaning stack, or the sound of loose pieces.
3. If anything looks wrong, open it and look while the driver is still there.
4. Write the damage on the carrier's delivery receipt before you sign — specifically, e.g. “2 boxes crushed, tile broken”.
5. Photograph the packaging and the tile, and keep the packaging.
6. Contact us within 48 hours.

• Note the damage on the carrier's delivery form before signing — this is essential for a freight claim.
• Take photos of the damaged packaging and tiles right away.
• Don't discard the packaging; it may be needed for the claim.
• Contact us within 48 hours of delivery at 855-797-8453 or sales@tileandmosaicdepot.com with your order number and photos.

We'll work with you to resolve it as quickly as possible, including replacing damaged tile where applicable.

Yes — you'll receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking when your order ships. Freight tracking updates less often than parcel tracking, so a day without a new scan is normal. For a status check, call us at 855-797-8453 with your order number.

• Once you've inspected the delivery, keep the tile in its original boxes, indoors and dry, on a flat and level surface.
• Keep the packaging dry. Wet cardboard and strapping can leave marks on light-colored stone.
• Store boxes the way they arrived and don't stack them higher than they were shipped.
• Bring the tile to room temperature before installation if it has been stored somewhere cold.

We accept returns on eligible items within 30 days of delivery.

• Tile must be unused, uninstalled, and in its original packaging.
• You need a return authorization from us before sending anything back.
• Return shipping is the customer's responsibility unless the return is due to our error or a product defect.

Full terms are on our Shipping & Returns page.

• Installed tile — once installed, tile is considered accepted.
• Custom or special orders — non-stock items ordered specifically for you.
• Clearance and final-sale items.
• Returns for natural variation — shade, color, veining, and tonal differences in natural stone are not defects.

No — once any tile has been installed, it is considered accepted and cannot be returned. This is consistent with industry standards established by the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) and the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA).

Inspect every tile before installation begins, and set aside any piece you're unsure about before the first one is set. Claims for defects can't be honored after installation has started.

Photography can't fully capture the depth, translucency, texture, and shade range of natural stone, and color shifts with monitor calibration and lighting. Those differences are not defects and are not grounds for return.

This is exactly why we recommend ordering samples first — samples ship free, and seeing the material in your own space is the only reliable way to confirm it meets your expectations. If you ordered without sampling and aren't happy with the appearance, contact us to talk through your options.

Things we'll put right (report them before installation):

• Tile broken or chipped in transit
• The wrong product, size, or finish
• Genuine manufacturing flaws

Natural characteristics of stone (not defects):

• Differences in shade, color, and veining between pieces
• Pits, voids, and factory fill in travertine
• Fissures and dry veins — natural lines in the stone that, unlike a crack, don't separate the surface
• Fossils, mineral deposits, and crystalline spots
• Small tolerances in size and thickness between pieces

Check the box labels against your order confirmation before anything is installed, then contact us right away with your order number and a photo of the labels. If the mistake is ours, you won't pay for the return shipping, and we'll work with you to get the right material to your project.

Unopened, unused tile in its original packaging can be returned within 30 days, subject to our return policy.

Before you send it back, consider keeping a box — especially of natural stone. Stone from the same quarry lot can be difficult or impossible to match later, and a few spare tiles are the difference between a seamless repair and a visible patch.

1. Contact us within 30 days of delivery at 855-797-8453 or sales@tileandmosaicdepot.com, with your order number.
2. We'll confirm eligibility and issue a return authorization with shipping instructions.
3. Pack the tile in its original packaging and ship it as instructed. Please don't send anything back without an authorization.

Not sure which way to go? See natural stone or porcelain.

Choose natural stone if you want a surface nobody else has, you like the way stone softens and develops patina with use, and you're comfortable sealing it and cleaning it with the right products.

Choose porcelain if you want the least maintenance, a consistent look from tile to tile, or you're tiling somewhere demanding — a freeze-thaw climate, a busy commercial floor, a household that won't baby the kitchen.

Many of the best projects use both: stone where it will be seen and appreciated, porcelain where it will be punished.

Natural stone is a geological material formed over millions of years. No two pieces are identical — veining, shading, texture, and mineral composition vary between tiles and between lots. Photography, monitor calibration, and lighting all change how stone appears on screen compared with in person.

Our photos show the general character of each material; they can't show every piece you'll receive. See the Shade & Color Variation Guide for a full explanation.

The V-scale is the tile industry's shorthand for how much color and pattern differ from one tile to the next within the same product.

All natural stone — marble, travertine, limestone, onyx, basalt — is inherently V3 or V4. Porcelain is typically V1–V2. More detail in our Shade & Color Variation Guide.

• Polished: a high-gloss, mirror-like surface that intensifies color and veining. Shows scratches, etching, and water spots more readily. Best on walls, low-traffic floors, and anywhere visual impact comes first.
• Honed: smooth and matte, with no reflective sheen. More forgiving of scratches and etching, which makes it the practical choice for bathroom floors and other hard-working surfaces.
• Tumbled: softly aged, with rounded edges and an organic texture. Common in travertine. Good traction — a favorite for pool decks, patios, and rustic interiors.
• Brushed: lightly textured with a soft, worn feel that sits between honed and tumbled. Hides wear well.
• Split-face: a rough, cleft surface used on ledger panels and wall cladding. For walls only.

The holes (voids) in travertine form naturally as the stone is created — they're a characteristic of the material, not a defect. Travertine comes two ways:

• Unfilled: natural voids left open for a rustic, organic look. Your installer can fill them with grout during installation for a cleaner finish.
• Filled: voids filled at the factory for a smoother surface. Generally preferred in kitchens and bathrooms, where it's easier to keep clean.

Fill can occasionally work loose over the years. That's normal maintenance — see repairing fill and chips.

Tile sizes are nominal — a “12×12” is a trade size, and the actual piece can measure slightly under or over. Natural stone is cut and calibrated to a tolerance, so small differences in length, width, and thickness between pieces and between lots are normal. They aren't defects.

Installers allow for this with the grout joint and the mortar bed. It's another reason not to mix tile from separate orders in one area, and to tell your installer the actual thickness before transitions and trims are planned.

Rectified tile has been mechanically ground after firing so every piece is the same size with crisp, square edges. That precision allows tighter, more uniform grout joints and a cleaner, more continuous look. It also asks more of the installer and the substrate: with tight joints, any unevenness shows.

Mosaics come mounted on mesh-backed sheets, typically around one square foot each — check the product page for the exact sheet size and coverage. Sheets are set like a single tile and can be cut through the mesh with a utility knife to fit edges and outlets.

Lay the sheets out before setting and mix them from different boxes so the natural variation is spread evenly and the seams between sheets disappear.

Yes. Stone floors have been walked on for centuries, and a well-installed one will outlast most things in the house. What changes with traffic is the surface, not the stone.

• For busy floors, choose a honed, brushed, or tumbled finish — wear blends in. Polished finishes show traffic paths over time.
• Use mats at exterior doors. Grit carried in on shoes is what scratches stone.
• Stay on top of sealing in kitchens and entries.
• If you want a surface that looks the same in ten years as on day one, porcelain is the most scratch- and stain-resistant option.

We source directly from quarries and manufacturers in the regions each material is known for — including marble from Italy and Turkey, travertine from Turkey and Mexico, limestone from Turkey and Portugal, and quartzite and granite from Brazil. Buying direct removes layers of distribution, which is how we keep prices competitive.

Want to know the origin of a specific product? Ask us.

Yes — stone showers are beautiful and last, provided they're built and looked after properly.

• Waterproofing does the work. Tile and grout are not waterproof. The shower needs a proper waterproofing membrane behind the tile and a correctly sloped floor.
• Choose the floor for grip. Mosaics and honed or tumbled finishes give better traction than polished stone, and small pieces follow the slope to the drain.
• Seal it, and re-seal more often than you would a dry wall.
• Keep it dry between uses. A squeegee and good ventilation prevent most problems. Some white marbles can darken or discolor if they stay wet constantly.
• Use pH-neutral cleaners only. Most soap-scum and mildew removers are acidic and will etch stone.

Want the look with almost no upkeep? Use porcelain.

DCOF (dynamic coefficient of friction) is the tile industry's measure of how much grip a surface gives a moving foot. The long-standing benchmark for level interior floors that get wet is a wet DCOF of 0.42 or higher. It's a minimum to consider, not a guarantee — footwear, water, soap, and slope all matter.

• Polished stone and glossy tile are slippery when wet. Keep them to walls and dry areas.
• Honed, brushed, tumbled, and textured finishes grip better.
• Mosaics add traction through their grout lines — which is why they're the standard for shower floors.
• Pool decks and exterior walkways need more traction than indoor floors. Look for a tumbled, textured, or outdoor-rated surface.

Slip-resistance data is listed in the product specifications where available. If you need a rating for a particular product, ask us.

Yes — many natural stones perform very well outdoors and around pools.

• Travertine: excellent for pool decks and coping in warm climates, and it stays comfortable under bare feet. Not recommended for freeze-thaw climates without proper sealing.
• Limestone: good for outdoor use in moderate climates. Needs sealing and re-sealing.
• Marble: suitable for some outdoor applications; avoid in freeze-thaw climates.
• Porcelain: excellent for all outdoor applications, including cold climates. Frost-resistant, no sealing.

Around pools, lighter stones stay cooler in the sun than dark ones, and a tumbled or textured finish gives wet feet something to grip. With a saltwater pool, seal coping and decking and rinse them with fresh water from time to time. For submerged or waterline areas, make sure the tile is rated for it — our pool collection is selected for this purpose.

Freeze-thaw damage happens when water gets into a material, freezes, and expands. The less water a tile absorbs, the better it copes.

• Porcelain absorbs almost no water (0.5% or less), which makes it the safest choice for exteriors in cold climates.
• Natural stone varies. Dense stones cope better than porous ones; travertine, limestone, and marble are best kept to climates without hard freezes.
• The installation matters as much as the tile. A well-drained base, correct slope, and full mortar coverage keep water from sitting under and inside the surface.
• Avoid rock-salt de-icers on natural stone. Use sand for traction instead.

Yes — they're among the best floor coverings for it. Stone and porcelain conduct heat efficiently and hold it well.

• Follow the heating system manufacturer's instructions for the build-up over the heating elements.
• Use a mortar rated for heated floors. An uncoupling membrane is often recommended.
• Let mortar and grout cure fully before switching the system on, then bring the temperature up gradually.

For backsplashes, it's one of the best uses of marble: high visual impact, little wear. Seal it — particularly behind the range, where grease lands — and wipe splashes rather than letting them sit.

On floors and work surfaces, go in with open eyes. Lemon, tomato, vinegar, and wine will etch marble, leaving dull marks a sealer can't prevent. A honed finish hides them far better than polished. Plenty of people love the lived-in patina that develops; if you'd rather it stayed pristine, choose porcelain for those surfaces.

Yes. Stone and porcelain are non-combustible and are widely used for fireplace surrounds and hearths. Follow the fireplace manufacturer's clearance requirements and your local code, and use a setting material rated for the temperatures involved. Tile isn't suitable inside the firebox itself.

Floor tile on walls: generally yes. Large or heavy pieces need a sound substrate and a mortar made for vertical work.

Wall tile on floors: not always. Some products — split-face ledger panels, certain delicate mosaics, onyx — are intended for walls or light use only. Check the recommended applications on the product page, or ask us.

It depends on the paver's thickness and what's underneath it. Pavers set over a compacted base are ideal for patios, walkways, and pool decks. Vehicle traffic is a different load: it calls for a thicker paver, or pavers set in mortar over a reinforced concrete slab, on a base designed for the weight.

Tell us what will be driving on it and we'll point you to suitable products — and have your contractor confirm the base design.

No — we're a tile and natural stone supplier and don't provide installation. We recommend a qualified professional tile installer with natural stone experience; the quality of the installation has as much effect on the result as the material.

When you're choosing one, ask to see finished stone projects, ask how they handle waterproofing and substrate preparation, and look for industry credentials such as NTCA membership or Certified Tile Installer (CTI) status.

A careful, well-prepared DIYer can do a good job on a backsplash or a small porcelain floor. We'd leave these to a professional: showers and other wet areas, large-format tile, natural stone floors, and anything outdoors. The cost of getting those wrong is far higher than the cost of the labor.

• Confirm the order is complete and the quantity is enough to finish the job.
• Open the boxes and inspect every piece for damage and defects.
• Blend tile from several boxes as you go, so variation is spread evenly across the whole area.
• Dry-lay the pattern, step back, and look at it as a whole before anything is set.
• Set aside pieces with unusual variation and use them for cuts and edges.
• Check the substrate for flatness, moisture, and suitability for the tile.

• Flat. Industry standards allow no more than 1/4" of variation in 10 feet for smaller tile, and 1/8" in 10 feet for large-format tile (any side 15" or longer). Flatten the floor first; don't try to fix it with mortar as you go.
• Stiff. Floors that flex crack tile and grout. Natural stone needs a floor roughly twice as stiff as ceramic does (L/720 versus L/360), which often means extra subfloor or framing.
• The right surface. Use a cement backer board, an uncoupling membrane, or a suitable underlayment over wood subfloors. Regular drywall is for dry walls only.
• Waterproofed in showers and other wet areas, with a membrane system behind the tile.
• Clean, sound, and cured. New concrete needs time to cure, and cracks need to be treated before tile goes over them.

• Use a polymer-modified thinset mortar, never organic mastic. Mastic can discolor light and translucent stone over time and doesn't belong in wet areas.
• Use white mortar for light and translucent stone — white marble and onyx especially. Gray mortar can shadow through.
• Use a large-and-heavy-tile mortar for big formats, and back-butter each piece as well as troweling the substrate.
• Aim for full coverage. The standard for natural stone is at least 95% mortar contact, with no voids at corners and edges.
• Check moisture-sensitive stones. Some stones, such as certain green marbles and resin-backed material, can warp or stain with water-based mortars and need an epoxy or rapid-setting product.

Have your installer confirm compatibility with the mortar manufacturer for your specific stone.

Joint width depends on how consistent the tile is in size, how big it is, and where it's going.

• Rectified tile and precisely cut stone: joints as tight as 1/16" are possible; 1/8" is more forgiving.
• Non-rectified natural stone: typically 1/8" to 3/16", to absorb natural size variation.
• Large-format tile (24×24 and larger): 1/8" minimum.
• Tumbled and chiseled-edge stone: wider joints suit the irregular edge.
• Outdoor and pool installations: generally wider joints, to allow for movement.

Never butt tiles tight together with no joint — tile needs room to move.

• Unsanded grout for joints of 1/8" or less, and for polished marble — sand can scratch a polished face.
• Sanded or high-performance cement grout for wider joints.
• Epoxy grout resists stains very well but can darken the edges of porous stone. Test it on a spare piece first.
• Seal the stone before grouting. It stops grout pigment soaking into the face of the tile and makes cleanup far easier.
• Be careful with contrast. Dark grout against white marble is the classic stain risk. Test on an offcut before committing.

• Limit the offset. For tile with a side longer than 18", industry standards call for an offset of no more than one-third (33%) rather than a half-brick pattern, unless the manufacturer says otherwise. Long tiles have a slight natural bow, and a 50% offset puts the highest point of one tile beside the lowest point of the next.
• Start from the center of the room, or the main sight line, so cuts at opposite walls are balanced.
• Avoid slivers. Adjust the layout so no cut is less than about half a tile where you can help it.
• Use a leveling system with large formats to keep edges flush.

• Use a wet saw with a diamond blade suited to the material — a blade made for porcelain for porcelain, one made for stone for stone.
• Score-and-snap cutters work on many porcelain and ceramic tiles, but not on natural stone.
• Use diamond core bits for holes, run slowly and kept wet.
• Finish exposed cut edges with a rubbing stone or diamond polishing pads.

Yes. Every tile installation moves with temperature and moisture, and it needs somewhere to go.

• Leave a gap at the perimeter — where tile meets walls, columns, and thresholds. Don't grout tight to the wall.
• Use flexible sealant, not grout, at changes of plane: inside corners, and where floor meets wall or tub.
• Large floors need soft joints across the field: typically every 20–25 feet indoors, and every 8–12 feet outdoors or anywhere in direct sun.

Missing movement joints are one of the most common causes of cracked and lifting tile.

Stone doesn't need an acclimation period the way hardwood does. It is good practice to bring the tile to room temperature first, especially if it's been stored somewhere very cold. Avoid installing over a substrate with an active moisture problem, or in temperatures below 50°F — both affect how the mortar bonds and cures.

Go by the data sheets for the mortar, grout, and sealer actually used — cure times vary a lot between products and with temperature and humidity. As a general guide:

• Grouting: usually about 24 hours after the tile is set.
• Light foot traffic: usually about 24 hours after grouting.
• Normal use and furniture: allow around 72 hours.
• Showers: allow several days after grouting and sealing before the first use.

California requires a warning on products that can expose people to listed substances. For tile and stone, that mainly concerns crystalline silica dust, which is created when these materials — and the mortars and grouts used with them — are cut, ground, or drilled. Working wet and wearing proper protection controls the exposure.

Full details are in our California Legal Notice & Proposition 65 page.

Yes — virtually all natural stone needs sealing. Stone is porous and will absorb stains, moisture, and chemicals if it's left unsealed.

• Seal before grouting, and again after grouting, during installation.
• Re-seal about once a year in high-use areas such as kitchens and shower floors.
• Re-seal every 1–2 years in lower-use areas such as bathroom walls and feature walls.
• Use a penetrating stone sealer, not a topical coating.

Porcelain tile doesn't need sealing.

Use the water test. Put a few drops of water on the stone in a spot that gets a lot of use and wait ten minutes.

• The water is still beaded on the surface: the sealer is doing its job.
• The stone has darkened where the water sat: it's absorbing, and it's time to re-seal.

Test the areas that work hardest — in front of the sink, the shower floor, the entry — rather than a corner nobody touches.

• Penetrating (impregnating) sealer: soaks in and protects from below the surface without changing how the stone looks. The right choice for almost every installation.
• Color-enhancing sealer: a penetrating sealer that also deepens color for a richer, “wet” look. Popular on tumbled travertine and darker stones. It's very hard to undo, so test it on a sample first.
• Topical coatings: sit on top as a film. We don't recommend them for natural stone — they can trap moisture, wear unevenly, peel, and turn slippery.

Use a pH-neutral stone cleaner, or a little mild dish soap in warm water. Wipe or mop with a soft cloth, then dry. For day-to-day upkeep, a damp cloth is enough.

• Never use vinegar, bleach, ammonia, acidic or “lime-removing” cleaners, or abrasive powders and pads. They permanently etch and dull stone.
• Wipe spills straight away — especially lemon juice, wine, coffee, and tomato.
• Sweep or dust-mop floors often. Grit is what scratches.
• Avoid steam mops on sealed stone; heat and pressure wear the sealer down.
• Use trivets and coasters on stone surfaces.

They're different problems with different fixes.

• An etch is a dull, lighter mark where an acid has reacted with the surface of the stone. It's physical damage to the finish, not something sitting in the stone. Marble, limestone, travertine, and onyx all etch. Sealer doesn't prevent it.
• A stain is a darker mark where something has soaked into the pores. Sealer does help prevent it.

Fixing an etch: light etching on polished marble can often be buffed out with a marble polishing powder. Deeper etching needs professional re-honing or re-polishing. On honed stone, etches are much less visible to begin with.

Stains are drawn out with a poultice — an absorbent paste left on the stain to pull it back out of the stone.

1. Mix the poultice to the thickness of peanut butter. For oil and grease, use baking soda and water. For coffee, tea, wine, and food stains on light stone, use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide (peroxide can lighten dark stone, so test first).
2. Spread it about 1/4" thick over the stain, cover with plastic wrap, and tape down the edges.
3. Leave it for 24–48 hours, then remove the plastic and let the paste dry out completely.
4. Lift it off, rinse with clean water, and dry. Stubborn stains may need a second round.

Rust stains need a poultice made specifically for rust on stone. Don't reach for an acid-based rust remover — it will etch. Re-seal the area once it's clean and dry.

• Squeegee the walls and floor after each use. It takes thirty seconds and prevents most soap scum and water spotting.
• Run the fan or leave the door open so the stone dries out between showers.
• Clean weekly with a pH-neutral stone cleaner. Skip conventional soap-scum, mildew, and hard-water removers — most are acidic.
• Re-seal more often than elsewhere, and use the water test on the floor to check.
• Inspect grout and sealant joints once or twice a year and repair any gaps promptly.

• Sweep regularly, and rinse with a hose to keep leaves and dirt from staining.
• For a deeper clean, use a stone-safe cleaner and a soft brush. If you pressure-wash, use low pressure and a wide fan tip, and keep the wand moving.
• Never acid-wash natural stone. Muriatic acid will damage it.
• Re-seal periodically; sun and weather wear sealer faster outdoors.
• Around saltwater pools, rinse coping and decking with fresh water from time to time.
• In winter, use sand for traction rather than rock-salt de-icers.

It's usually one of two things.

• Grout haze: a thin film of grout residue left after installation. It shows up as a dull, cloudy cast across the tile face. Remove it with a grout haze remover that's labelled safe for natural stone — standard haze removers are acidic and will etch marble, limestone, and travertine.
• Efflorescence: a white, powdery deposit of mineral salts carried to the surface by moisture as it evaporates. It's common on new and outdoor installations. Brush it off dry, and it often stops by itself as the installation dries out. If it keeps coming back, there's a moisture source that needs finding.

• Travertine fill that has worked loose can be refilled with matching grout or a travertine filler. It's routine maintenance.
• Small chips can be filled with color-matched epoxy or stone repair resin.
• Cracked tiles are best replaced — which is where the spare box you kept from the original order earns its place. A crack that runs across several tiles usually points to movement underneath, and that needs fixing first.

Porcelain is the easy one. Sweep or vacuum, then mop with a neutral cleaner and clean water. It doesn't need sealing.

• Avoid waxes, oil soaps, and “shine” products. They leave a film that attracts dirt and makes the floor look dull.
• Rinse after cleaning. Most “dirty-looking” porcelain is actually cleaner residue.
• Cement grout is porous even when the tile isn't. Sealing the grout lines keeps them looking clean.

Our Trade Program gives design and construction professionals preferred pricing, priority support, samples that ship free, and early access to new collections. It's free to join and open to interior designers, architects, general contractors, tile installers, custom home builders, property developers, and realtors.

Apply on the Trade Program page — approval takes 1–2 business days.

Nothing. There are no membership fees, no minimum order requirements, and no ongoing commitments. Apply, get approved, and start sourcing at trade pricing.

We review applications within 1–2 business days. Once approved, you'll receive an email confirmation with your trade account details and access to the trade pricing portal at sales.tileandmosaicdepot.com.

Sign in at sales.tileandmosaicdepot.com. If you're having trouble getting in, contact us at 855-797-8453 or sales@tileandmosaicdepot.com.

Yes. For commercial, hospitality, and multi-unit projects that need custom pricing, lot reservations, or specific delivery scheduling, contact our team directly at 855-797-8453 or sales@tileandmosaicdepot.com. We work with developers, architects, and hospitality groups on project-specific quotations.

Send the product names and sizes, square footage for each, the delivery location, and your timeline, and we can turn a quote around faster.

Product pages list technical data such as slip resistance, water absorption, and frost rating where available. If you need something for a submittal package that isn't on the page, ask us and we'll get you what's available for that product.