Black spores, mis-sold sealant and zero accountability from Beswick Stone. Avoid.
There is no denying the Beswick Stone showroom is impressive with plenty of choice. We purchased their cream limestone (Avignon sandblasted) for our kitchen, hallway, cloakroom — in fact, we laid it almost throughout the downstairs.
Before buying, I asked very clearly (with my partner present) whether it would stain and if it were suitable for a kitchen/ hallway. I explained we had previously had limestone previously that had stained and I did not want another high-maintenance, easily marked floor. The sales woman assured us it would be fine and even pointed to a piece of stone in the showroom, saying it had been down for years with heavy foot traffic and showed no staining, as long as it was sealed properly.
We fell for it. Our builder purchased the stone along with their recommended sealant. The stone was laid and sealed exactly as directed.
It stained from day one. If you drop or spill anything, you’re instantly panicking and trying to remove it with water before it marks permanently. That is completely unrealistic for a kitchen or hallway. This is not a “lived-in” floor — it’s a constant worry and not fit for purpose in a family home.
In despair, we paid for an independent specialist company to inspect the floor. Their professional opinion was that the sealant used was the wrong product for this stone/ use. When we advised Beswick Stone of the advice, they were completely dismissive and quite frankly rude. They refused to take any responsibility, despite the fact we had used Beswick stone and sealant and followed their instructions. Their email response was (quoted as written):
“With regards to the sealant, I can confirm that you HAVE NOT … been mis-sold on the sealant front… With all due respect to TileTech and the Lithofin, they do not have any knowledge of our limestone. Having a spillage of oil is not great on any limestone and we would recommend wiping up any spills immediately.”
So after reassuring us in the showroom that staining wouldn’t be an issue if sealed properly, their position now is essentially: it’s your fault, and you must wipe everything immediately. It is completely impractical in a kitchen.
The result is that we are now facing the nightmare scenario of having to pull up flooring that runs through most of the downstairs — including our kitchen, hallway, utility, boot room and WC areas — because the stone is so impractical. The cost associated is exponential.
Worse still, over time black spore-like marks started to appear. New ones appear frequently. They are now all over the floor in multiple rooms. The floor now looks ruined in places. I have read previous reviews of the same thing happening to other people. If you are having the same problem, please do contact me.
This has been an extremely frustrating and expensive mistake, The upheaval involved of taking up this floor is unthinkable. The aftercare from Beswick Stone has been shockingly poor. I wouldn't want anyone else to go through this, hence why I have written this review. Heed my warning - Do not be fooled by the showroom. Do not buy this stone, do not purchase from this company.