Looking for an affordable way to cover a small area? Off-cuts could be the answer. All stone, from granite and marble to Okite and Quarella are shipped to us in slabs. Each stone comes in slabs of a particular size, which means that when we create beautiful kitchen worktops, bathroom vanities and other items for our customers, we often have pieces left over. These cut off pieces range in size from a few centimetres to a metre or more. While smaller pieces are sent for recycling, we store larger pieces and offer them to our customers and a discounted rate. This means that if you’re looking for a relatively small surface we can often find the perfect piece for you from our off-cuts.
Great uses for off-cuts
As off-cuts are smaller than standard slabs and sometimes odd shapes, they’re best used for smaller projects or projects with a limited surface area. As an example, a bath surround could be made in one piece from a single large slab, leaving an off-cut the size of the bath itself, or it could be made in 2 or more pieces from off-cuts, at a considerable cost saving. The result would also be easier to install.
Off-cuts are ideal for decorative elements in a contrasting stone, such as shelves, windowsills and splashbacks. They’re also a great choice for smaller elements, such as bathroom vanities, sink surrounds, table tops, hearths and even, in some cases, stair treads. Whether off-cuts are suitable for your project will depend on the exact details. Our design and technical teams are always happy to discuss options with you and you can visit our Surrey factory to view stone types and off-cuts in person.
A final option is to use the off-cuts from your main piece to create matching elements in your home. For example, off-cuts from a kitchen worktop could be used to make matching shelves, splash backs, windowsills or even a stone table top, lazy susan or cheese board! At Surrey Marble and Granite, we work on large-scale pieces, so in some cases we may have to refer you on for very detailed work.
Are off-cuts defective?
No! Off-cuts are literally cut off pieces of stone. Each slab passes quality control at the supplier’s end and again when it reaches our factory. Our expert stoneworkers then cut out the main piece from the slab – this will typically be something large, such as a kitchen worktop. Off-cuts are those pieces that are leftover after the main piece has been finished. We believe that not using off-cuts is wasteful, which is why we aim to find our off-cuts a good home in the right project. Doing so lowers the cost for the customer who bought the main piece, and whoever buys the off-cut. It’s like rolling out dough for biscuits – you don’t throw the dough away after you’ve stamped one cookie out: instead you fit in a few more shapes around the edge,
