Question 1

My project has been templated, but my installation date still hasn’t been confirmed?

Accepted Answer

The installation date will be confirmed by your project manager after all the points in their initial confirmation email have been signed off on and the final balance payment is settled. This process should be completed within 24hrs of receiving your confirmation email in order to avoid delays in putting the job in production. Even if you have a pre-booked fit date, this is still a requirement as the factory cannot start fabrication until all the details of the job have been confirmed. If you believe the confirmation process and balance payment have both been settled and you still have not received a fitting date, please contact your project manager so they can either allocate you a date or clarify on which items remain to be settled.

Question 2

What are my payment options?

Accepted Answer

We accept payment via BACS; our bank details will be on the pdf invoice below the Amount Due. Another option is to call the office and pay by card. Please forward the payment receipt to the project manager once the payment is made. There may be a delay in the timeline between the payment being made, the payment being received, and the project manager being notified of the payment being received via our accounts team. If they receive the receipt straight away and no other details are outstanding – they can put the job straight into production. Please use your order number as the reference when making any payments.

Question 3

When will I know the timeslot for my installation?

Accepted Answer

Timeslots are released the day before the installation takes place by the logistics team, typically via phone call. If you have not been informed of your timeslot by 3pm the day before, please contact the office in order to receive this timeslot.

Question 4

Is it possible for me to get the offcuts from the left-over material?

Accepted Answer

Once a job is in production the factory produces whatever is on the template sheet, nothing more and nothing less. All wastage is thrown out immediately by automated machines to ensure a streamlined process and allow optimal efficiency in terms of the usage of space on the factory floor. We can add offcut pieces to the template sheet as unpolished pieces, so they aren’t thrown or put away, however they still need to then be cut to a specific size on the shop sheet so the machines can identify and retain the pieces. Overall, adding the offcuts increases fabrication and handling costs, increases the risk factor on jobs and also the flexibility to which we can respond to issues before and after the installation. Adding the pieces to the shop sheet, reconfirming the pieces and sending the amended invoice, and then waiting for the payment to go through, also can slow down the confirmation process. This in terms can greatly increase the lead time on your installation. Taking this into account, adding offcuts can incur significant charges and would not be recommended. It should also be noted that as per our terms and conditions, the customer is only quoted to receive the pieces specified under the worktops and splashbacks section of their order form. The order does not include the ownership of the slabs themselves. Therefore, any leftover material cut from the slabs would therefore still be property of The Marble Group.

Question 5

Can I add a chopping board to my order?

Accepted Answer

If there is left over material within your slab allocation, then it is possible for us to add an extra piece to your shop sheet for £60 + VAT per chopping board. However, we need to be made aware preferably during the quoting stage or onsite at the template. Once a job is in production it is no longer possible to amend the order and add in a chopping board. It should be noted that stone chopping boards are not something we would ever recommend. Wood and plastic chopping boards are far superior. This is because the stone will blunt your knives when cutting on them. Additionally, stones can easily be scratched and chipped by other stone objects. Even a ceramic worktop can easily be scratched by a matching ceramic chopping board if the product is not used with the upmost caution. If the worktop did scratch from this, The Marble Group would not be liable to replace your worktops.

Question 6

When should I book my kitchen fitter, plumber, and electrician to finish the kitchen?

Accepted Answer

When we fit the works, we aim to get it right first time however the process is fairly intricate and over 20 different people are involved in its production and fitting; sometimes we need to revisit the job after our first installation attempt; we would therefore suggest leaving 24-48 hours for other trades to visit to finish the kitchen. In the event that we need to remake another piece these trades will need to be rescheduled so giving yourself a couple of days grace is very helpful.

Question 7

What if I require any changes with regards to an upcoming installation?

Accepted Answer

Please contact your project manager immediately if changes need to be made or accommodated for with regards to the installation. Changes after template are not advised and should only be made as a last resort. Alterations after template are chargeable at £60 + VAT per amendment. This is because we must pay overtime for the templator to make these types of revisions in the evening/weekends as they have the best knowledge of the kitchen. It is also why amendments can take quite long to make and therefore cause delays. Changes after template are also not advised as they heavily increase the likelihood of issues occurring which require additional templating, fabrication and installation slots. Some changes will not be possible to make unless a retemplate is undertaken. In instances where this is required there is a £150 + VAT retemplating charge.

Question 8

What do I do if there is an issue on-site during or after the installation?

Accepted Answer

If the installation is still in progress it is best to remain calm, raise the issue to the fitting team but still let the fitting team finish the job. Oftentimes they are very capable of mitigating issues on-site as they are also skilled stone masons. For circumstances in which the issue cannot be remedied during the initial installation, the best course of action is to fill out a Support Request Form. Please notify your project manager once the form has been submitted as they will then have all the information they need to remedy the solution.

Question 9

My job has been templated and I need to pay my balance invoice, yet I have not received it?

Accepted Answer

Typically, the main reason for this is that all the details of your order have not yet been finalised. Therefore, the balance invoice cannot be released since it hasn’t been confirmed what items are actually being charged. Please contact your project manager if you believe that your balance invoice should have been sent and you have not received it.

Question 10

How do batches and variance in slabs work?

Accepted Answer

As there can be slightly variances between batches of slabs of the same colour, The Marble Group will use matching slabs throughout the project whenever possible. Within slabs of the same batch though, they should all be virtually identical. Only in large blocks of natural stones will any noticeable difference be seen between 2 slabs within the same block. There can be circumstances with 30mm worktops and 20mm splashbacks/upstands in which we need to use a separate 30mm and 20mm batch for the separate types of products. This is because milling down large pieces can cause the material to bow. This can be a major issue, so it is better to use a separate 20mm slab for the splashbacks, if possible, within the slab allocation of the quotation. It should be noted that on industrial style colours, marble effects and many natural/ceramic products, there can be colour and pattern variation across the actual individual slabs themselves. So even joints between pieces cut from the same slab can have significant difference in colour and pattern. The Marble Group will try to match up pieces as much as possible however sometimes it is only feasible to see how well pieces match up after they are cut, especially with regards to slight shade variation. In other circumstances, the slab allocation only allows us to cut pieces from specific areas of the slab, and this inflexibilty gives us limited options on where joints and pieces can go.

Question 11

What are my options for viewing slabs?

Accepted Answer

For veined colours and ones with non-uniform patterns such as concrete/industrial style colours, the customer should be made aware that small samples may not be the best representation of the full slab. Additionally, batches of slabs can change gradually over time so a two-year-old sample in a showroom may have a slightly different grain/pattern than the current slabs. We would always recommend giving the customer the chance to view the slabs. Please contact the office and let them know which slabs are of interest, and we can help organise a viewing at the appropriate stone yard so the customer can see the product beforehand.

Question 12

Will my worktops be vein-matched?

Accepted Answer

The Marble Group will always try to vein match the slabs as much as possible within the slab allocation of the quotation. However, vein matching is not something that we guarantee. This is partly because of the physical limitation of the slabs. There are some porcelain and natural stone exceptions, but slabs do not come as reflections/mirrors of the other slabs within the same batch. If you have an island with two end panels. Unless the sum of the end panel heights and island lengths is less than the total length of the slab, at least one of the pieces will come from another slab. Additionally, there can sometimes be imperfections in the stone picked up only once the slab is being prepped on the saw. Corners can also break off sometimes on delicate stones before they are framed properly. These issues can impact where pieces can be cut. We must adjust the cut sheet around these imperfections, and it means we may not be able to cut two desired pieces together. For these reasons, we do not promise vein-matching in most circumstances. In the circumstances that we do, there has to be an added cost for the extra risk required with promising such an option.

Question 13

Have I got the right surface finish on my worktop?

Accepted Answer

With quartz and natural stone, a polished finish is far easier to clean than its non-polished version. Matt/honed/suede finishes will require more daily maintenance and daily care, as any spills will find their way into the grain of the worktop and will not just sit on the polished surface. These do not tend to stain if cleaned correctly and you can be more abrasive with a matt finish worktop to remove any marks. With sintered stones, the polished finish is not as robust as the matt finish, so we recommend the matt finish surface where possible. Polished sintered stones scratch far easier than a matt-finish counterpart.

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