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lithos

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Lithos is a private natural stone sourcing studio for architects and interior designers — from material direction to procurement.

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© 2026 Lithos

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Journal

Material intelligence, in writing.

Material Fundamentals

The grounding knowledge behind confident stone specification.

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Honed vs Flamed vs Brushed: How to Choose a Stone Finish
Material Fundamentals·Jul 30, 2026

Honed vs Flamed vs Brushed: How to Choose a Stone Finish

A practical, application-first guide to stone finishes: what honed, flamed, brushed, and polished actually change, with a decision table for floors, facades, and wet areas.

Lithos·5 min read

Care & Maintenance

How natural stone lives, ages, and is looked after.

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How to Clean Natural Stone: A Specifier's Maintenance Guide
Care & Maintenance·Jul 30, 2026

How to Clean Natural Stone: A Specifier's Maintenance Guide

How to clean natural stone without damaging it. A sourcing studio on pH-neutral care, why acids etch, daily routines, and stone-specific maintenance for floors and surfaces.

Lithos·4 min read
How to Seal Natural Stone: Which Stones Need It, How Often, and Why
Care & Maintenance·Jul 30, 2026

How to Seal Natural Stone: Which Stones Need It, How Often, and Why

Which natural stones need sealing, which do not, and how often. A sourcing studio on the water-drop test, impregnating sealers, and why sealing does not stop etching.

Lithos·4 min read

Material Intelligence

Honest comparisons and tradeoffs across stone types.

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Travertine vs Limestone: Differences, Uses, and How to Choose
Material Intelligence·Sep 26, 2026

Travertine vs Limestone: Differences, Uses, and How to Choose

Travertine vs limestone for floors, pool decks, cladding and patios: how the two stones differ in geology, porosity and finish, and how to choose between them.

Lithos·11 min read

Material Index

In-depth profiles of individual stone varieties.

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Pietra Serena: The Renaissance Stone, Specified
Material Index·Jul 30, 2026

Pietra Serena: The Renaissance Stone, Specified

Pietra Serena, the grey-blue sandstone that built Florence, explained by a sourcing studio: geology, real properties, the porosity caveat, finishes, and where it works.

Lithos·5 min read
Carrara White Marble: How to Specify It Properly
Material Index·Jul 30, 2026

Carrara White Marble: How to Specify It Properly

Carrara White, the world's reference marble, specified honestly. A sourcing studio on grades, honed vs polished, where it works, and how to avoid the common mistakes.

Specification Guides

Technical guidance for architects and designers.

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Limestone Flooring Guide: Finishes, Tiles, Pros and Cons
Specification Guides·Sep 26, 2026

Limestone Flooring Guide: Finishes, Tiles, Pros and Cons

Limestone flooring for architects and designers: how to read technical data, choose honed, brushed or tumbled finishes, manage slip risk and pick the stone.

Lithos·13 min read
Natural Stone for Hotel Lobbies and High-Traffic Floors
Specification Guides·Jul 30, 2026

Natural Stone for Hotel Lobbies and High-Traffic Floors

How to specify stone flooring that survives a decade of luggage carts and foot traffic. Porosity, honed vs polished, sealing, and the named stones we'd put down.

Reading about stone is a good start. Specifying it well is better.

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Lithos·4 min read
Ceppo di Gré: Milan's Conglomerate Stone, and How to Specify It
Material Index·Jul 30, 2026

Ceppo di Gré: Milan's Conglomerate Stone, and How to Specify It

Ceppo di Gré, the pebbled conglomerate stone of Milan, explained by a sourcing studio. What it is, why the porcelain copies exist, finishes, and where the real stone belongs.

Lithos·4 min read
Lithos·5 min read
Moleanos Limestone: The Complete Specification Guide
Specification Guides·Jul 30, 2026

Moleanos Limestone: The Complete Specification Guide

Moleanos limestone, explained by a sourcing studio: the Azul, Fine Grain, and Medium Grain variants, real technical properties, finishes, and where it works.

Lithos·7 min read

All Published Articles

Care & Maintenance

  • How to Clean Natural Stone: A Specifier's Maintenance Guide
  • How to Seal Natural Stone: Which Stones Need It, How Often, and Why

Material Intelligence

  • Travertine vs Limestone: Differences, Uses, and How to Choose

Specification Guides

  • Limestone Flooring Guide: Finishes, Tiles, Pros and Cons
  • Moleanos Limestone: The Complete Specification Guide
  • Natural Stone for Hotel Lobbies and High-Traffic Floors
  • Limestone vs Marble vs Sandstone: Choosing Stone by Application
  • Natural Stone for Spas, Wet Rooms, and Slip Resistance
  • Best Limestone for Exterior Cladding: A Specifier's Guide
  • Portuguese Limestone: An Architect's Guide to the Best Stones
  • How to Specify Natural Stone: An Architect's Checklist
  • Italian Stone: A Specifier's Guide to the Marbles, Limestones, and Sandstones

Material Fundamentals

  • Honed vs Flamed vs Brushed: How to Choose a Stone Finish

Material Index

  • Pietra Serena: The Renaissance Stone, Specified
  • Carrara White Marble: How to Specify It Properly
  • Grigio Carnico: The Deep Grey-Black Italian Marble, Specified
  • Grolla Limestone: Beige, Rosato, and Terrazzo Explained
  • Atlantic Limestone: Beige, Grey, White, and Mix Explained
  • Ataija Azul: The Blue-Grey Portuguese Limestone, Specified
  • Crema Fiorito: Oro vs Silver, and How to Choose
  • Moca Creme: Classic vs Sintra, and How to Specify Each
  • Bardiglio Imperiale vs Carrara White: Grey and White Italian Marble
  • Mars Grey Sandstone: A Specifier's Guide to the Italian Grey
  • Pietra Forte Fiorentina: Florence's Structural Stone, Specified
  • Moca Creme vs Moleanos: Choosing Between Portugal's Two Workhorses
  • Pietra Serena vs Pietra Forte Fiorentina: The Two Tuscan Sandstones
Ceppo di Gré: Milan's Conglomerate Stone, and How to Specify It