FAQ

From the Baltic Sea region and the Nordics: limestone from Öland and Gotland, Jämtland limestone, green marble from Kolmården, pink marble from Fauske in Norway and limestone from Lindanäs outside Tallinn. We work with small-scale quarries that process the stone close to where it is quarried, and we are members of the Swedish Stone Industry Federation. The origin is stated on every product page, and you can read more about us.

Because every tile is a piece of bedrock formed over millions of years. Fossils, veins, small cavities and chipped edges are not defects but what makes the floor yours. We pick your order from the same batch so the variation holds together, and we recommend mixing tiles from several pallets or boxes when laying. See what it looks like in A closer look at the natural character of stone and Patterns in natural stone.

Honed (also called matt-honed) gives a smooth, matt surface where the stone's colour and pattern show clearly – our most common choice for indoor floors and walls. Brushed gives a softer, slightly undulating surface with a more living feel underfoot. Diamond-milled and planed give texture and slip resistance, and are standard for outdoor paving. All finishes are cared for in the same way. Most stones come in several finishes – compare them in the guide Surface finishes or order samples in two finishes and feel the difference.

That the tiles have a fixed width, usually 30 cm, but varying lengths. You lay them in running rows so the joints fall randomly – the classic stone floor, and the format we keep in stock for fast delivery. If you want another format it can usually be made to order at the quarry, but allow at least 8 weeks extra delivery time depending on the quarry, and be aware that the time may shift. Read Stone talk: what do random lengths mean? and Let’s talk formats.

Yes, it is one of our most common applications. All you need to do is give your tiler our Recommendations for installation in bathrooms before the work begins – it covers impregnation, falls and the floor drain, and the document ends with a checklist that you and the tiler go through together. Inspiration and pictures: Limestone in bathroom, Marble in bathrooms and cloakrooms.

Natural stone in a shower also asks a little more of you who live there than ceramic tiles do: rinse the floor down after showering, never use descalers or acidic cleaners, and check the sealer once a year. Even a perfectly laid floor can get stains and discolouration if the care routine is not followed – how to do it is in our care guide.

Expect the stone to live, too. In the shower the surface gradually becomes a little more matte and darker where the water stands most, the edges wear smooth and the floor takes on a patina that differs from how it looked on the first day. That is not wear in the ordinary sense – it is how a stone floor ages, and most people think that is when it is at its most beautiful.

Yes, natural stone conducts and stores heat better than most floor materials and is one of the nicest floors to walk on barefoot. The underfloor heating is switched on only once the floor has dried, the surface has been impregnated and the waiting time after impregnation has passed – and is then turned up gradually according to the tile adhesive manufacturer's instructions. The times are given in our recommendations for bathrooms and hallways and kitchens respectively.

For patios, terraces and garden paths we have paving stone with a planed or sawn surface, frost-resistant and made for the Nordic climate. Indoor tiles are thinner, and not all stone types tolerate frost – it is stated on each product page. Find inspiration in Natural stone in the garden.

10, 12 or 13 mm depending on the stone type – the thickness is listed under Technical information on every product page. That is thin enough to meet a wooden floor or ceramic tile without a high threshold, and together with the adhesive the build-up is roughly 15–20 mm.

Measure the floor area and add about 15 % for cutting waste and adjustments. Prices are per square metre. We also always add 1–3 extra tiles to every delivery to cover possible transport damage. Unsure about the quantity? Email the floor plan to support@ostersjosten.se and we will calculate it for you.

Yes, and we always recommend it. Stone looks different in different light, and 20×20 cm is large enough to place next to the kitchen front, the wallpaper or the wooden floor. Order samples of all our stones and finishes for 149 SEK each. Three or more samples ship free, and they are delivered within 3–5 working days in Sweden.

At least three: the stone you have in mind, the same stone in another finish, and a stone you had not considered. Most customers are surprised by how much the finish changes the impression. Three samples also give you free shipping.

Yes. Email a floor plan or a few photos to support@ostersjosten.se and tell us about the room, the feeling you want and the materials next to it. Our interior architect replies within 1–3 working days with suggestions for stone, finish and format, a floor sketch and a moodboard. It costs nothing and you commit to nothing. Read more on the contact page.

A sample shows a single tile of a natural material, and a floor consists of hundreds. Shades, veins and fossils vary within the same quarry, and that variation is exactly what makes the floor alive. If you are unsure how much variation you want, order two samples of the same stone or read Hesitant about natural stone as a material?

By card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) directly at checkout, or by prepayment invoice if you prefer a bank transfer – choose “Prepayment by invoice” at checkout and we send an invoice and ship the goods once it is paid. Companies with a business account pay by invoice in the company’s name.

Stock status is shown on every product page, per finish and format. If an item is temporarily sold out you can see when the next delivery is expected, and you can order in advance to secure your place in the queue. Paving stone and made-to-order items are produced on order – the lead time is stated on the product page.

Contact support@ostersjosten.se as soon as possible with your order number. We start picking stock items right away to keep the delivery time, but if we get there before packing we are happy to change it. Made-to-order items that are produced or cut to your measurements cannot be changed once production has started.

Window sills come in fixed lengths in the same stones as the floors – 2 cm thick with a honed front edge. The length is easily cut on site with an angle grinder, and the edges are finished with a polishing pad. Order a sample of the same stone as the floor first, so that sill and floor speak the same language. See window sills and skirting or read the guide Grout, skirting & window sills. Other sizes, stair treads and other custom work are quoted by email.

Yes. Shipping to Denmark, Norway, Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and the rest of the EU is calculated automatically at checkout, and the site is available in Danish, Norwegian, German and English. Other countries we quote per order – email us what you want to order and where.

It depends on what you order and where to. Stock items ship from our warehouse, samples and accessories go as parcels, and paving stone, window sills and made-to-order items are produced on order. To rural areas and at times of high demand it can take a little longer. You get a tracking link as soon as the order leaves the warehouse.

Delivery times are approximate working days from when the order leaves the warehouse. Made-to-order items have the lead time stated on the product page.

It depends on weight and address, and you see the price at checkout before you pay – put the items in your basket and enter your postcode and it is calculated for you. Floor and wall stone travels on a pallet, so it pays to order stone, grout and sealer in the same order. Stone samples are sent free of shipping when you order three or more.

Shipments up to 15 kg are sent as parcels to your pickup point. Heavier shipments arrive on a pallet by truck and are unloaded with a tail lift to the nearest accessible spot at the property boundary. The driver does not carry it inside, so make sure someone can receive it and that there is room for a pallet. Everything you need to prepare is in Before your delivery.

A pallet truck needs a passable road and a level surface to unload on. If you are unsure – a narrow gravel road, a steep driveway, a courtyard – email us when you order and we find a solution in advance, for example delivery to a nearby address. If delivery cannot be completed on site, redelivery or return freight is charged.

No, our warehouse is not open for collection – all orders are packed and shipped from there. That is how we keep delivery times short and make sure the stone arrives intact: the pallet is strapped and wrapped for transport, which is hard to do as safely in a trailer.

Let us know before the delivery day and we rebook. Parcels that are not collected and pallets that are not received are returned after four working days, and return freight and storage are charged. That is needlessly expensive – one email is enough to avoid it.

Limestone and marble are laid with the same technique as ceramic tiles, so a tiler certified for wet rooms can lay our stone. But a few things differ from ceramic tiles, and they are decided before the slabs are in place.

So give your tiler our recommendations in good time before the work begins – Recommendations for installation in bathrooms or Recommendations for installation in hallways and kitchens, depending on the room. They set out what applies to the substrate, falls and floor drain, impregnation before laying, the choice of tile adhesive and drying times.

Each document ends with a checklist that you and the tiler go through together, with the make and product name of everything that has been used. Keep it together with your order confirmation.

The waterproofing membrane and the tile adhesive are chosen by the tiler in consultation with their supplier. Grout, impregnation and cleaning products are available from us.

Ardex G10, a fine-grained grout available in five colours from stone grey to basalt so you can blend in or accentuate the joints. 5 kg covers about 20 m² with 3 mm joints. In corners and against walls, use a silicone intended for natural stone, in a colour matching the grout – ordinary sanitary silicone can leave dark streaks in the stone. Order the grout together with your sample to see the colour against the stone.

Yes – the impregnation is what makes limestone and marble easy to care for. The tiler impregnates the stone before laying in showers and wet rooms (Verna Pre-Protect) and the whole floor after grouting (Verna Protect – 1 litre covers about 10 m² of limestone or 20 m² of marble). After that you do the water test once a year and apply a new coat only if the water soaks in – how is in our care guide.

With Verna Daily Clean, a mild cleaner that does not break down the sealer. One bottle is diluted 1:200 and covers about 1,500 m² of floor – in practice a year of cleaning. Avoid soft soap, lemon, vinegar and ordinary all-purpose cleaners; they are acidic or greasy and dull the stone over time.

Grease and oil: Verna Deep Clean. Rubber, glue or candle wax: scrape off carefully, dissolve the rest with white spirit, finish with Daily Clean. Limescale in the shower: Deep Clean 1:20, never a descaler. Acid damage from lemon or wine cannot be removed – minor marks wear into the floor's patina, larger ones are replaced by a tiler. Unsure? Email us a photo. All products are under Protection & cleaning.

Tape directly on the stone, even for short painting jobs – the adhesive can leave permanent marks. Plastic as covering material during the building work; use something that breathes. Impregnation after grouting on a surface that is not completely dry. Standing water on floors with poor falls. And be patient with the underfloor heating: it is switched on only once the floor has dried and the impregnation has been allowed to take effect.

Like the floor: seal with Verna Protect before the pots go on, use saucers under plants and wipe with Daily Clean. If you have an older sill that was never sealed, or that has stains, start with a deep clean using Verna Deep Clean, let the surface dry completely and then seal. See our window sills.

Inspect the pallet when you receive it and note visible damage on the consignment note before signing. Then go through the tiles within 7 days and before laying. Occasional chipped edges are normal and are hidden in the joint or cut away – that is why we recommend 15 % extra stone, and we always add 1–3 extra tiles to the delivery for possible transport damage. If you find larger damage, email us photos the same week.

Fill in our claim form with your order number, photos of the damage and when you received and discovered it – it takes a few minutes and gives us everything we need to reply quickly. We get back to you within one working day and, for an approved claim, send replacement stone or refund you, and we pay the return freight. The right to claim applies for three years under the Swedish Consumer Sales Act for defects present at delivery.

A defect is something that was present in the stone when you received it: broken slabs, the wrong item, or a deviation from what you ordered. That you take up with us, and the right of complaint runs for three years under the Swedish Consumer Sales Act.

Colour and pattern variation, fossils, glassy inclusions, small cavities and nicked edges are, by contrast, the character of natural stone, not defects – and so is the patina the stone acquires over the years: a more matte surface in walkways and showers, softer edges, a floor that looks used and alive.

How the stone has been laid is a matter between you and your tiler, who is responsible for the work. Our advice is collected in Recommendations for installation in bathrooms and Recommendations for installation in hallways and kitchens – do give them to your tiler before the work begins.

Care also affects how the floor holds up. Descalers, acidic cleaners and a sealer that has not been maintained leave stains and matte patches that no installation protects against. That is what our care guide is for.

See also A closer look at the natural character of stone.

Yes, within 14 days of receiving stock items. Email us and we will send instructions. You pay the return shipping (around SEK 1,500 incl. VAT for a pallet of up to 20 m²), and the stone must be unopened in its packaging, not laid or cut, and packed to survive the journey back. Refunds are made within 14 days of the return arriving at our warehouse. Made-to-measure items such as window sills and made-to-order items outside standard formats are excluded; samples are covered by the right of withdrawal – which is why samples and advice before buying are so valuable.

No, the right of withdrawal applies to the whole order. Leftover tiles are worth keeping though: the same batch cannot be ordered again, and a few spare tiles are gold in a future renovation or if a tile gets damaged. Many customers use the rest for a window sill, a shelf or a threshold.

For an approved claim: yes, all of it. For a cancelled purchase the price of the goods and the original standard shipping are refunded, while the return freight is deducted. Full terms are under Terms & Policy.

Free stone samples for your projects, payment by invoice in the company’s name, prices and quotes adapted to the project volume and a contact person who replies within one working day. The account is free. Apply for a business account – we normally approve within one working day. Companies in the rest of the Nordics and the EU are just as welcome.

Log in with your business account to see your prices directly in the web shop and place orders around the clock with invoice as payment method. Larger projects, custom formats and made-to-order items we quote by email – send drawing, quantities and desired delivery time to support@ostersjosten.se.

Yes. Our interior architect prepares stone suggestions, laying sketches and moodboards for your project, and we provide technical data on thickness, weight and surface finish for specification. Email a drawing and a short description to support@ostersjosten.se, or call us weekdays 10–15 and we book an online meeting.

We deliver to construction sites, warehouses or directly to the end customer, and can split larger projects into stages. Delivery on a specific day is offered to our Partner customers – companies that buy from us on an ongoing basis. Tell us what you need when you apply for a business account and we go through what applies to you.

Yes, but you can just as well order yourself and enter the tradesperson’s address as the delivery address. The business account is for companies that buy on an ongoing basis; as a private customer you get the same advice and full consumer protection by buying in your own name.