Mandarin Stone

Mandarin Stone: natural stone and porcelain tiles based in Wales

Mandarin Stone is a family-run company headquartered in Monmouthshire, Wales, dedicated to the retail of wall and floor tiles and surfaces. It was founded over 30 years ago by Alma Small, whose knowledge of natural stone remains the foundation of the business. The company started out selling from the boot of a car and today has a team of more than 220 people.

Its catalogue covers marble, limestone, porcelain, ceramic and patterned tiles, as well as real terrazzo. The firm presents itself as one of the leading names in the sector in the British market for introducing manufactured porcelain, although that claim comes from its own description.

Materials and collections

The range is organised by material, colour and style. Materials include marble, marble effect, stone effect, concrete effect, wood effect, onyx effect, limestone, terracotta, terracotta effect and terrazzo. Available colours include beige, white, green, black, black and white, grey, blue, red, pink, orange and brown.

As for styles, the catalogue features herringbone, patterned, textured, hexagon, chequerboard, brick, kit kat, chevron and fluted. Fixing and sealing products are also offered, such as sealants, cleaning products, grout, adhesive, preparation, accessories, Schluter products, slabs, stone basins and tile finishing pieces.

The collection is divided into several categories: all products, new arrivals, classic collection, outdoor, clearance and popular lines such as Outdoor Chequerboard, Dijon Limestone, Zellige and Hoxton Terrazzo. Real terrazzo is described as being made from natural stone chips set into a honed surface, which gives each tile depth and variation.

Showroom network and headquarters

Mandarin Stone operates 17 showrooms in the UK. The locations mentioned are Bath, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Exeter, Fulham Road, Harpenden, Harrogate, Marlow, Monmouth, Petersfield, Primrose Hill, Shoreditch, Tunbridge Wells, Weybridge and Wilmslow. It also has a head office and warehouse in Monmouth, and an outlet in Monmouth.

The company also has a customer service team for general and press enquiries, with a phone number and a contact email address.

Services and logistics

The firm offers expert advice for design and technical needs, and provides a UK delivery service with lead times from three working days. It holds extensive stock in its Monmouth warehouse, which allows for quick lead times. Deliveries are made using its own vehicles or through trusted partners.

To make choosing easier, up to four free samples can be requested, which can be collected from any of the showrooms or posted to a UK address. A trade service with quantity discounts is also available.

Editorial content and projects

The company runs a blog with articles on design, materials and applications, such as spa bathroom ideas, how to choose mosaic tiles, choosing the right grout or using large format tiles. It also publishes a lookbook with tile ideas and showcases customer projects under the hashtag #mandarinstone.

The catalogue includes references to specific projects, such as Kast Sand and Classic Dijon Blend in a garden design in Harrogate, Kast Light Grey and Opera Sage at Cleaver Square (London), or a collaboration with Lick for three bathrooms with different approaches to colour.

Commitment and policies

The company states privacy, environmental, ethical sourcing and labour standards policies. It also provides information on orders, deliveries, samples, returns and FAQs.