Guides · Materials
Which stone can be used on a boat?
Any marble. There is no list of stones suited to boats and another of stones to avoid: the material you like can go on board. Every marble we work is protected against salt, and the treatment we apply lasts several years — it is refreshed every four or five, exactly as on land. The problem on a boat has never been which stone. It is how much it weighs.
The figure that stops projects
A solid marble slab 2 cm thick weighs about 54 kilos per square metre. On a top of four square metres that is more than two hundred kilos, in one place, on a hull where every kilo has been argued over.
That is why on many boats marble ends up left out, replaced by something that resembles it. The weight per square metre, and what has to carry it, are set out in the guide on how much a stone top weighs.
How we solve it
We supply lightweight slabs. The marble — real marble, cut from the block like all our other work — is bonded to a carbon or aluminium support.
The marble runs from 3 to 8 millimetres depending on the piece. The support is normally 5 millimetres, going to 8 where the load calls for it. The finished panel is therefore between one and one and a half centimetres.
The numbers that matter:
- solid slab, 2 cm — about 54 kg per square metre
- lightweight, 3 mm marble — about 8 kg per square metre
- lightweight, 8 mm marble — about 22 kg per square metre
With 3 millimetres of marble you are at a seventh of the weight. That four square metre top that weighed two hundred kilos weighs a little over thirty.
What does not change
On the surface nothing changes: what you see, touch and polish is marble, not an imitation. The veining is the block's, and as with all our work we look at the slabs against the light before cutting, to decide where the pattern runs.
The lightening concerns what sits underneath, and it allows intensive use: a top that lives through every season afloat, not a piece to be handled with care. On how stone holds up outdoors — sun, frost, salt air and polish — there is the guide on a marble table outdoors.
Not only at sea
We offer the lightweight build as a matter of course, not only for boats. Weight is a constraint on land too, and more often than people think: a large top to be carried to the third floor of a building with no lift, a shelf or a cladding resting on a light structure, a table two people have to be able to move without calling two more.
When you send us the dimensions of a piece, the lightweight option is one of the things we will talk to you about. It is not a separate product reserved for one sector: it is a way of building the slab, chosen according to where the slab ends up.
Where to start
With a drawing, even by hand. Tell us the dimensions, where the piece is to be fitted and whether you already have a stone in mind; if you do not, we will show you some. From there we come back with the quotation and with the right thickness for that use.
Start from our contact page. For yachts, hotels and project work the Contract page explains how we work; the pieces we make are in the works.
Frequently asked questions
Which marble can be used on a boat?
Any. There is no list of stones suited to boats and another of stones to avoid: every marble we work is protected against salt, and the treatment is refreshed every four or five years, exactly as on land.
How much does a lightweight slab weigh?
With 3 mm marble about 8 kg per square metre, with 8 mm marble about 22, against about 54 for a solid slab 2 cm thick.
How is a lightweight slab made?
Marble from 3 to 8 millimetres bonded to a carbon or aluminium support, normally 5 millimetres and going to 8 where the load calls for it. The finished panel is between one and one and a half centimetres.
Can you tell it apart from a solid slab?
On the surface, no: what you see, touch and polish is marble, not an imitation. The lightening concerns what sits underneath.
Is the lightweight build only for boats?
No. Weight is a constraint on land too: a large top to be carried to the third floor with no lift, a shelf or a cladding resting on a light structure, a table two people have to be able to move.
Ask for a quotation The contract division
The weights quoted are reference figures per square metre and vary with the density of the stone, the actual thickness and the type of support; the thickness of the marble and of the support is decided on the individual piece, according to the span, the supports and the intended use. None of the figures given constitutes a quotation, nor does it replace the structural check of the top and of what carries it.