Materials and finishes
Plain-English reference sheets on the materials we are asked to specify and the finishes that go on them: stone and worktops, metal, timber, glass and fabric, with the codes and colour references that describe them. Each sheet also sits in its own area of the library, and every one has a free A4 factsheet.
Stone types, finishes, sealing, sampling, edges and worktop materials compared. Begin with natural stone finishes, then stone types, then worktop materials.
Natural stone finishes: polished, honed, flamed
Eight stone finishes drawn as swatches, with look, grip, marks and care notes, and wording to specify a finish.
Types of natural stone for interiors
Seven natural stones drawn as swatches, what each is made of, where each suits, and wording to specify one by name and test result.
Worktop materials compared: stone, quartz, sintered
Seven worktop surfaces compared on declared properties, silica and test methods, with wording to ask for the data.
Engineered stone and silica: what specifiers should ask
What HSE's 2026 engineered stone guidance says, which materials carry silica, eight questions for fabricators and specification wording.
Natural stone flooring specification: size and bedding
Stone floor formats, 20 mm thickness, the bed drawn in section, joint widths, movement joints, and the standards that changed in 2024.
Underfloor heating under wood and stone
Underfloor heating under wood and stone: the temperature limits, four commissioning sequences side by side, which floors suit, and wording.
Stone and timber in wet areas: bathrooms, spas, pools
Four kinds of wet from dry to poolside, what stone and timber sources say about each, a wet-room floor in section, and specification wording.
Stone sample, slab and book-match approval
Slabs sawn in order and laid as book, slip and four-way matches, with the approval path and wording to stop a different lot arriving.
Wood flooring and stone glossary A to Z
A labelled board and joint, then 44 flooring and stone terms defined with their sources and traps.
Sealing, staining and etching of stone: what a sealer does
Stain and etch are different faults: what an impregnator does and does not do, which stones etch, and a cleaning regime to agree.
Ten common stone specification mistakes
Ten gaps in stone specifications, what each causes and the wording that closes it, with a model clause.
Marble names decoded: Carrara, Calacatta, Statuario
What Carrara, Calacatta, Statuario and Arabescato each pin down, the substitution traps, and wording that ties an order to a slab.
Edge profiles for stone and solid-surface tops
Eight edge profiles drawn through a 30 mm top at one scale, four build-ups, what to ask a partner, and specification wording.
Responsible sourcing of natural stone: what the papers show
Where each document attaches along a stone's route from quarry to site, and what it can and cannot show.
Stone worktop thickness, overhang and support
How thickness, overhang and cut-outs change the load on a stone worktop, the weights and the tipping check, and what the fabricator must confirm in writing.
How to compare floor EPDs: timber, stone, resin
Seven checks before two floor EPDs can sit in one table, the module and biogenic carbon traps, and a worksheet.
Recycled glass and resin composite worktops compared
Recycled glass in cement or resin, and timber chips in resin: what each is, how the binder decides heat and care, with questions and paste-in wording.
Table top thickness, overhang and span by material
How thickness, span and overhang change sag and stress, weights of tops by material, the tipping check, and what to ask the workshop for.
Surface finishes and the codes that name them: plating, anodising, PVD and powder coat, ironmongery and stainless finish codes, patination, colour references, and timber lacquer, oil and sheen levels.
Stainless steel finish codes: 2B, BA, No.4, mirror
EN 10088-2 codes against trade names, what each finish does to light, where each suits, and wording that fixes the finish.
Timber floor finishes compared: oil, UV oil, lacquer
Hardwax oil, UV oil and 2-pack lacquer: where each sits, what the data sheets say, and how each is refreshed.
Dyed veneer: lightfastness and colour matching
Dyed and reconstituted veneer: light exposure, dye lots and matching across a run.
Finishes on timber joinery: lacquer, oil, hardwax, paint
Lacquer, oil, hardwax oil, stain and paint compared, the surface tests named, sheen as a number, and specification wording.
Lacquer sheen levels and spray finish specification
A gloss-unit scale from dead matt to mirror, the three ISO 2813 angles, and a sample you can sign and keep.
Verre églomisé and gilded glass: specification
Reverse-gilded glass in section: the glass, size, leaf, paint and seal, in the order the artist works from the back.
Gilding on furniture and joinery: water, oil, care
Water and oil gilding on furniture and joinery: layers drawn, wear zones marked, grounds, sealing, site touch-up and paste-in wording.
Metal finishes for luminaires: brass, nickel, chrome, PVD
Brass, nickel, chrome, bronze, plated, PVD and lacquered finishes on light fittings: what stresses them, what wears first and what to ask.
Gilding and gold leaf on lighting: systems and care
Water, oil and imitation gilding compared, the layers drawn, carat and shade, sealing, humidity, heat, care and paste-in wording.
PVD coatings explained: thickness, colour and care
Thickness, hardness, colours, substrates, limits, care and specification wording for PVD coatings, with the sources named.
Lacquered vs unlacquered brass and copper: what to specify
Lacquered, unlacquered and waxed brass and copper compared: ageing, cleaning, how to put it right, where the evidence ends, and specification wording.
Plating and coating thickness in microns: what to specify
Plated, PVD, lacquer, anodised and galvanised finish thickness in micrometres, what sits beneath, polish-through, and specification wording.
Ironmongery finish codes decoded: SSS, PSS, SAA, PB, SC
Common hardware finish codes decoded, where makers' keys disagree, what sits behind each finish, and schedule wording.
Cleaning metal finishes: stainless, brass, PVD, powder coat
A care table for stainless, PVD, brass, bronze, powder coat and anodised metal, a cleaner chart and a handover table.
RAL, BS 4800 and NCS: colour and gloss references
RAL, BS 4800, BS 381C and NCS compared, how to name a colour completely, gloss in GU, and specification wording.
Metal finish sample approval and batch variation
A control sample with two limit samples, an approval checklist and record, and what batch tolerances the documents give.
Patination of brass, bronze, copper and steel
A four-step finish ladder from natural ageing to lacquer, what each asks in upkeep, steel finishes, and living-finish wording.
High-touch hospitality metal finishes: wear and cleaning
Fingerprints, wear, cleaning chemistry and refinish routes for door pulls, lift cars, rails and bar fronts, finish by finish, with the evidence gaps named.
Powder coating metalwork: schemes, thickness, pre-treatment
Which scheme covers which metal, the film thickness each asks for, pre-treatment, gloss and colour, and specification wording.
Pickling, passivation and electropolishing stainless
Four sections show what pickling, passivation and electropolishing do to a welded surface, plus an order of work, an iron checklist and wording.
Blackened, burnished and raw steel finishes
A four-step steel finish ladder drawn as layers, what oil, wax and lacquer ask of the owner, where it suits, and wording to paste in.
Metal finishes glossary A to Z
Six labelled finish swatches, then every common finish term defined with its code, its traps and its source.
Coloured stainless steel options compared
Six routes to coloured stainless steel side by side: how each is made, how it wears, whether it can be welded or repaired, and wording to specify it.
Powder coat vs wet paint on metalwork: when to use each
Four questions that lean towards powder or wet paint, a side-by-side table, example paint systems, and specification wording.
Corrosion categories C1 to C5 and coating durability
Categories C1 to CX, the four durability bands, the published building examples plotted by coating life, and specification wording.
Hot-dip galvanising for architectural steel
BS EN ISO 1461 thickness by steel thickness, the vent and drain holes every sealed section needs, and wording for galvanised and painted steel.
Anodising aluminium: classes, thickness, colour, variation
Anodised aluminium explained: film classes and thickness in micrometres, colour methods, alloy and weld effects, batch variation and wording.
Decorative plating: chrome, nickel, gold, REACH and wear
Chrome, nickel, gold, rose gold and black nickel plating: wear and repair, the nickel release rule and the chromium trioxide authorisation.
Real metal vs laminate and metal-effect finishes
Seven ways to get a metal face compared on weight, edge, repair, patina and fire class.
What a piece is made of: timber species and veneer, sheet materials, steel, stainless, aluminium, brass and bronze, fabric and leather, glass, terrazzo and seamless floors.
Terrazzo specification: cement, resin, strips and joints
Cement or resin, tile or in situ: the build-ups drawn side by side, chip sizes, divider strips, movement joints and wording.
Seamless floors compared: terrazzo, resin, microcement
Terrazzo, resin, microcement and polished concrete drawn at one scale, with what each asks of the slab and the joints.
Choosing timber species for floors: hardness and movement
Hardness and movement for twelve floor timbers on one chart, a movement estimate, a colour test and specification wording.
Leather for furniture: categories, finishes and tests
Five leather surfaces in section, a table of types, the tests to ask for under BS EN 13336:2022, hide sizes and yield, and wording to specify.
Outdoor timber durability for furniture
Five durability classes with example timbers, what the class does not tell you, and the end-grain, foot and fixing details that decide life outdoors.
Rattan, cane and woven panels: specification guide
Natural or polymer, weave scale, frame and room: how to specify rattan and cane panels.
Fabric families for upholstery: velvet, bouclé, linen
Velvet, bouclé, chenille, mohair and linen: how each behaves and what to specify.
Veneer specification: cuts, matches, backing, balance
Veneer cuts, book, slip and random matches, panel and sequence matching, backing and balance, with original drawings and paste-in wording.
Timber cuts explained: plain, quarter, rift, live sawn
Plain, quarter, rift and through-and-through sawn timber: ring angles, grain, movement, board width, and wording that fixes the cut.
MDF decoded: grades, myths, balancing and quotes
MDF grades compared, the common myths checked against data sheets, balancing, and why two MDF quotes differ.
Timber species for joinery: hardness, density, durability
Hardness, density, shrinkage and decay resistance for 18 joinery timbers from one named source, and what each number means.
Moulding materials compared: timber, MDF, plaster, PU
Six moulding materials compared in one table, how timbers differ in dent resistance, and what Approved Document B says about mouldings and fire.
Sheet materials selection chart for joinery
Nine sheet materials compared: what they are, the standards, data-sheet stiffness, damp and fire behaviour, and paste-in wording.
Murano glass colour: palette, matching and sign-off
The Murano colour range by colourant, why colour varies from piece to piece, and how to sign off a sample so production matches it.
Glass types for lit joinery, shelves and luminaires
Eight kinds of glass compared for lit shelves, doors and luminaires: how each breaks, heat near a lamp, section drawings, and safety-glazing sources with their status.
304 vs 316 stainless: hospitality, wet areas, coastal
304 or 316 by environment: a decision chart, the IMOA site score, hospitality finishes and paste-in specification wording.
Which metal for which environment: a selection matrix
Eight metals against six environments, from dry interior to indoor pool hall: a key, an honest caveat for each, and specification wording.
Types of steel for interiors and architectural metalwork
Stainless 304, 316, 430, 444 and duplex, mild steel and weathering steel: EN numbers, a grade table, a pitting-resistance ladder and specification wording.
Brass alloys explained: CW508L, CW614N and the rest
Eight brass alloys compared on copper and lead content, workability and use, with what the datasheets leave out and specification wording.
Bronze, copper and nickel silver: alloys, colour and use
Which copper alloys called bronze contain tin, six alloys compared on additions, colour words, hardness and use, and wording that names the metal.
Aluminium alloys for interiors: 6063, 5005, 6082 and 5251
Six aluminium alloys compared on strength, anodising and welding, the 6082 caution, anodising quality and specification wording.
Not sure what to specify?
Tell us the look, the use and the budget, and we will point you to the right material and finish, and to the sheet that explains it.
Start a conversation