Marble table top made to your measurements

A marble table top for your own base or an old table

A marble table top is just the stone top, installed on a base or frame you already have. It can renew an old table, sit on a base you have chosen yourself or go on a new frame. You give us the measurements, and we cut the marble slab to them: rectangular, round, oval or another shape. You also choose the thickness, the edge profile and the finish. When the top is ready, we come and install it.

Every top is unique, for two reasons: it is made to your measurements, and marble is natural stone whose shade and veining change from slab to slab and even within one slab. The finished top will therefore not look exactly like a photo or another top. The stone comes from Iran, and the Iranian marble page explains what kinds of stone come from there.

Looking for a kitchen worktop? Worktops and islands have their own page: marble kitchen countertops.

How much does a marble slab weigh?

A marble slab weighs about 2.7 kg per square metre for every millimetre of thickness. A 2 cm slab, for example, weighs about 54 kg per square metre and a 3 cm slab about 81 kg. The figure comes from the density of marble, which is about 2.64-2.77 g/cm³ depending on the stone.

To work out the weight of your own top: length (m) × width (m) × thickness (mm) × 2.7 = weight in kilograms. The 160 × 80 cm top in the drawing, at 2 cm: 1.6 × 0.8 × 20 × 2.7 ≈ 69 kg. For a round top, the area is diameter (m) × diameter (m) × 0.785. The exact density of a stone is in its test report (standard EN 1936), and the real weight can differ from the table by a few per cent.

How thick should a marble table top be?

A 2 cm marble top is usually enough for a table; 3 cm is chosen when the top is large, the overhang long or you want a fully rounded edge. The Swedish stone industry federation recommends 20 mm stone for table tops and 30 mm for kitchen worktops. Long 2 cm slabs are more likely to break when handled.

Will your base carry a marble top? Overhang and support frame

The base has to carry the weight of the stone and support the top close enough to its edges. Check these before you order:

• Overhang. The stone should overhang the base or support frame by no more than about 20 cm on any side. For a thin 2 cm top the cautious limit without support is about 15 cm, and for 3 cm marble about 20-25 cm. The overhang should be no more than a third of the width of the top.
• Support frame. A top larger than about 60 × 60 cm needs a support structure underneath, such as a glulam board or a metal frame, unless the base supports the stone right to the edges.
• Load. Compare the weight in the table with the old top. A 160 × 80 cm frame, for example, will carry about 69 kg of 2 cm marble. An old base often copes with stone, but it always needs checking: the joints must be tight and the frame must not wobble.
• Flatness. Natural stone does not take bending well, so the top of the frame must be straight and level, so that the slab does not rest on just a few points.

Send a photo of the base and its outer measurements with your quote request, and we will tell you whether the frame will do as it is or needs a support frame.

How is a marble top fixed to the base?

A heavy stone top can rest on a sturdy frame under its own weight, and where needed it is fixed to the frame or support frame. If silicone is used, it must be neutral, not acetic, because acetic acid etches marble. We install the top ourselves, so all you need to do is tell us what the base is like.

Edge profiles: straight, bevelled, bullnose or mitred?

The edge affects the look, how easily the top chips and how thick the top appears. The drawing shows the four basic edges:

A mitred edge gives a thick-looking top without the full weight: a 200 × 100 cm top with an edge that looks 6 cm thick weighs about 121 kg mitred, where a solid 6 cm top would weigh about 324 kg. A mitre stands up to knocks better in 3 cm stone, because the tip of the joint is thinner in 2 cm stone. On a built-up (laminated) edge, a strip is glued under the top, which leaves a horizontal joint on the edge that can show in patterned stone.

Polished, honed or brushed marble?

Choose the finish by how the table will be used: a honed or brushed finish for a table in daily use, and a polished finish, which brings out colour and pattern most strongly, for a side or console table that sees less wear.

The same applies to colour and veining: stains show most easily on a light, even-coloured stone, and lively veining hides small marks. Iranian marbles include cream and ivory stones, beige with reddish and yellowish veins, silver grey and dark grey with white veins, and black, either with white veins or almost plain. Describe the look you want, and we will propose stones that match it. The guide to marble types and colours has more ideas.

Round, oval or free-form?

A marble top can be cut round, oval or to a free-form shape, and its size is limited only by the slab it is cut from. Round stone table tops are typically 80-140 cm across. Slabs are often about 240-250 cm long and 120-140 cm wide, so a round top cannot be wider than the slab. Tell us the shape and measurements you want, and we will tell you whether it can be cut from one slab. Sizing a dining table by the number of diners is covered on the marble dining table page.

Real marble or a marble-look slab?

Not everything sold as a marble slab is stone: in plastic wall panels, laminate, glass and ceramic slabs the marble is a printed pattern. Real stone can be told by:

• Weight. A real 2 cm marble slab weighs about 54 kg per square metre.
• Edge. In marble the pattern runs right through the stone. In a ceramic slab the body is often a different shade from the surface, and the difference shows on a bevel or a cut edge.
• Pattern. A printed pattern repeats: large marble-look ceramic slabs come in only a few versions of each design. In natural stone every slab is different.
• Coolness. Marble conducts heat more than ten times better than wood, so it feels cool to the touch. A ceramic surface feels cool too, though, so touch alone is not enough.

All the ways to tell are collected on the marble coffee table page.

How do you care for a marble table top?

Wash the top with mild washing-up liquid or stone soap and warm water, rinse and dry it. Blot spills straight away with a cloth, use coasters under glasses and a trivet under hot dishes, and avoid acidic or abrasive cleaners. Acids such as lemon, vinegar and wine etch a dull mark into marble, even on a sealed surface. Sealing (impregnating) slows down how fast stains soak in, and how often it is needed ranges from once a year to once in more than ten years, depending on the stone and the use. More detailed advice is in the guide to marble cleaning and care, and the reason acids affect marble is explained in marble properties.

What drives the price of a marble table top?

The price of a marble top depends above all on its area, thickness and the stone. Shape, edge, finish, any support frame and installation also play a part.

• Area and thickness. The amount of stone depends on the area and the thickness; a 3 cm top contains half as much stone again as a 2 cm top.
• Stone. Prices differ from one type of stone to another.
• Shape. Round and oval tops are cut from a rectangle. When a round top is cut from a square, about a fifth of the stone is left over. A free-form shape needs more machining.
• Edge and finish. Mitred and built-up edges take more work than a straight or bevelled edge.
• Support frame and installation. A large top may need a support frame and more people to carry it.

You get the price as a quote: request a quote.

How to order a marble table top

1. Measure the base: its outer measurements, its height and how far you want the top to overhang the edges of the frame. The measuring guide explains what to measure and how.
2. Send the measurements, a photo of the base, the shape, edge and style of stone you want through the quote request. The quote and the order confirmation state how and when you pay.
3. Making begins only after you have an order confirmation showing the measurements, stone, thickness, edges and any cut-outs. You check it and accept it in writing.
4. Making takes about 6 weeks. There are no ready-made tops in stock: each one is made to order to your measurements.
5. When the top is ready, we agree a day and come to install it on your base.

The steps are described in more detail on how to order.

Can a made-to-measure top be returned?

No, but your statutory rights still apply. Because the top is made to the measurements and shape you give us, the 14-day right of withdrawal under the Finnish Consumer Protection Act does not apply (chapter 6, section 16(1)(3)). You can still cancel the order before delivery: you then pay the costs already incurred that would otherwise be wasted, plus reasonable compensation (chapter 5, sections 25 and 28), and the earlier you cancel, the smaller the amount. If the top is faulty, you can always report it within at least two months of noticing the fault, and you choose whether it is repaired or replaced. Because we install the top ourselves, faulty installation also counts as a defect in the product. On top of the law, we do everything we can to make sure you are happy: if anything worries you, tell us. The details are in our order terms.