Stone Glossary: Bookmatch, Vein Cut & More

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A-Frame: The steel rack slabs are transported and stored on. "Loading your A-frame" means securing slabs upright on the frame on your truck or trailer.

Backsplash: The surface between the countertop and the wall cabinets. A full-slab backsplash uses the same stone as the counter instead of tile, so there are no grout lines.
Block: The raw piece cut from the quarry face, before it is sawn into slabs. Buying a whole block guarantees every slab matches — the only reliable way to supply a large project.
Bookmatch: Two consecutive slabs opened like the pages of a book, so the veining mirrors across the seam. Cannot be recreated once the block is gone.
Bundle: The set of slabs cut from one block, kept together and numbered in sequence. Buying within a bundle is what makes lot matching possible.

Calibration: Grinding the back of a slab to a consistent thickness. Calibrated slabs sit flat and need less shimming during install.
Chip: A small break at an edge or corner, usually from handling. Inspect for chips at loading — once a slab leaves the yard, claims cannot be accepted.
Cut-out: A hole made in the slab for a sink, cooktop or outlet. Made at the fabrication shop, not on site.

Dolomitic Marble: A stone often sold as quartzite that is chemically closer to marble and will etch. Test with acid before committing a client to it.

Edge Profile: The shape machined onto the exposed edge — eased, bullnose, ogee, mitred. A mitred edge makes a 3cm slab look far thicker than it is.
Etching: A dull mark left when acid dissolves the surface of a calcium-based stone. It is physical damage, not a stain, so no sealer prevents it and cleaning will not remove it.

Fissure: A natural separation along the crystal structure. Normal in natural stone and not a defect, unlike a crack.
Full-Slab Backsplash: A backsplash cut from the slab directly above the counter piece so the veining runs unbroken up the wall.

Honed: A smooth matte finish with no shine. Hides etching and fingerprints far better than polished, which is why it suits marble.

Leathered: A textured finish with a soft sheen and slight ripple. Hides wear and water spots, and performs well outdoors.
Lot Number: The identifier tying a slab to its block and bundle. It is what lets us promise that twenty slabs will match months after you first saw them.

Mitre: Two pieces cut at 45° and joined to form a corner, used on waterfall legs and thick-look edges.

Porosity: How readily a stone absorbs liquid. High porosity means more sealing and faster staining. Engineered quartz and porcelain are effectively non-porous.

Remnant: A usable offcut left after a job. Ideal for vanities, small islands and hearths, usually at a substantial discount.

Sealer: An impregnating treatment that slows liquid absorption. It reduces staining; it does not prevent etching.
Slab: A single sheet cut from a block, typically around 120 by 70 inches, sold whole rather than by the square foot.

Veining: The mineral pattern running through natural stone. Directional veining produces the strongest waterfall and bookmatch effects.

Waterfall: An island where the countertop turns down the sides to the floor. Needs consecutive slabs so the veining carries around the mitre.