Specialty Collection  •  Sinai Stone

Why did you name this Specialty Collection "Sinai Stone"?

Simply because the Sinai Peninsula is known for its spectacular natural beauty and rich biblical history. These two elements of beauty and history are exactly what we are capturing with the Sinai Stone collection.

What are the key features of Sinai Stone?

• Although the stones appear to be similar, they are in fact 5 different stones comprising the Bethlehem Blend and the Ramon Blend.
• The Bethlehem Blend contains three different stone colors creating a look achieved by stone installations centuries before. The Bethlehem Blend comes in three different sizes 24" x 24", 12"x 24" and 12"x 12". Artisans condition the stones by hand creating a surface with undulations and periodic bush-hammered texture and rustic edges to reproduce ancient stone floors found in the Holy Land.
• The Ramon Blend combines two colors with the rectangle shapes; 16"x 12", 16"x 20" and 16"x 24". The surface texture feature is a worn pillowed edge and random bush-hammered textured surface. Expect a difference in thickness from piece to piece of +/ - 1mm to replicate the random ancient stone floors.
• The Bethlehem and Ramon Blends are antiqued by craftsmen to provide the appearance of stone floors installed centuries before. This process creates the look of "Reclaimed Jerusalem Stone."
• These stone blends lend themselves to large area installations in residences and commercial applications. End users would like to have the ability to clad stairs or change levels. Centuries ago, artisans installed stone floors using stair treads for a truly unique installation. To accomplish this without the extensive use of expensive on-the-job labor, thick stair treads are part of our inventory and will be viewed as a welcome addition for the customer. Stair treads come in each of the blends and are 14" deep x 24" wide.

Where can this collection be used?

Sinai Stone can be used virtually anywhere in residences and commercial areas. The stone floor components consisting of modular patterns could also be used on large walls. Residences including an entrance foyer, kitchens, patios, or entire floors are excellent choices. Commercial applications recreating the theme applications of ancient stone floors are a striking feature. See our catalog for examples of installations.

Are there any special design or installation tips for Sinai Stone?

Sinai Stone will look spectacular installed in larger floor areas. The worn surface, chiseled edges and modular shape will create a "Reclaimed Stone" installation.

There are thickness variations between pieces and on individual pieces as well. This usually is about 1mm + or - and attention to installation with thin set mortars will mitigate these variations.

Both series can be installed using several different patterns especially the Bethlehem Blend. The Ramon Blend is comprised of rectangles and the typical installation is to randomly apply the three different sizes in rows, one after another.

Both series are meant to have small grout joints, which is somewhat unlike the way these tiles would have been installed centuries ago. The "modularity" of Bethlehem requires almost butting up tiles against each other so that two 12"x 12" tiles are the same length as one 24 "x 24". Jeffrey Court decided that both series have small grout joints because today's trend toward very small joints - again more up-market.

We recommend that you seal all natural stone with a high quality penetrating sealer prior to grouting and after grouting to prevent staining. Also, there are stone enhancers from several manufacturers that "enhance" stone and give more dramatic results. An ongoing maintenance program is essential for all stone installations.

We recommend that you lay out the tiles prior to installation to create the blend of the different hues and colors the stones provide naturally, to create a beautiful natural stone design.

How is this material packaged?

Again, these series are blended stones so that each bundle has more than one stone type. The Bethlehem Blend has a total of four pieces - one piece of 24"x 24", one piece of 12"x 24" and two pieces of 12"x 12 "within each bundle. The resulting Bethlehem Blend bundle has 8 SF and will only be sold in these 8 SF bundles.

The Ramon Blend has a total of three pieces - one piece of 16 x 24, one piece of 16"x 12", and on piece of 16"x 20" within each bundle. The resulting Ramon Blend bundle has 6.22 SF and will only be sold in these 6.22 SF bundles. By selling in bundles only, you are assured of getting a random selection of colors, which much better represents the beautiful assortment contained in the Sinai Stone Collection.

Why is this material relatively expensive?

The main reasons this material is more expensive are both in the cost of the raw material and the extensive use of hand labor in Israel to achieve the natural looking texture and patina on these stones. These are NOT high production machine made tiles. However, when compared to actual reclaimed stone from Israel and the Middle East, you will find Sinai Stone offers a similar look at a fraction of the cost.