List the areas
Give the area in square metres for each part of the villa: floors, stair, bathrooms, facade and outdoor areas.
Marble for villas
Choosing marble for a villa in Muscat.
A villa uses marble in many places at once: the majlis floor, the stair, the bathrooms and often the facade. Each place asks something different of the stone. This guide uses the recorded values in the AlMaha catalogue to help you shortlist Omani marble for a villa, and shows what to send us for a quote.
Written and checked against the catalogue:
Start with where the stone goes
Make a list of every area before you choose a colour. A typical villa brief separates the main floors (majlis, living and dining halls), the stair and landings, the wet areas (bathrooms and ablution areas), and the outside of the house (facade cladding, boundary walls and terraces).
Floors take foot traffic. Wet areas take water every day. External stone in Muscat sits in strong sun for most of the year. One marble can work in several areas, but you should check each area against the recorded values and the finish, not the colour alone.
Read the recorded values
Water absorption tells you how much water the stone took up in the test. A lower value means the stone takes up less water. In our catalogue the recorded water absorption runs from 0.013% for Aramis to 0.47% for White Oryx. For bathrooms and external areas, start your shortlist from the lower values.
Compressive strength tells you how much load the stone carried before it failed in the test. The recorded dry values in the catalogue run from 101 MPa for Leo Beige to 182 MPa for Aramis. Ask your consultant which values the villa specification needs, then compare them with the table below.
What the catalogue records say about each area
The catalogue records list the applications each marble was specified for. Oriental Cream lists residential flooring and neutral interiors. Leo Beige lists interior flooring, exterior cladding and bookmatched panels. Aramis lists wet-area cladding and exterior facades. Sohar, Leo Beige and Tropical Oro list exterior cladding.
Our published records include one private villa, the Trinity Private Villa in Kuwait City. Most records are hotels, civic buildings, offices and mosques, so use the applications list and the recorded values as your guide, and approve a sample for every area.
Pick a finish for each room
The same marble reads differently in each finish. A polished finish gives a deep, reflective surface that suits formal rooms such as the majlis and the entrance hall. Honed, brushed, sandblasted and bush-hammered finishes give a softer or more textured surface.
For bathrooms, stairs and outdoor areas, confirm the slip requirement with your consultant before you choose the finish, then look at a sample in that finish. Every material page lists the finishes available for that marble.
Compare the ten Omani marbles for your villa
Every value below comes from the catalogue record for that marble. Open a material page for the slab photograph and the full set of recorded values.
| Material | Colour | Recorded origin | Water absorption | Compressive strength (dry) | Catalogue finishes | Listed applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leo Beige | Beige | Sohar | 0.06% | 101 MPa | Polished, Honed, Brushed, Sandblasted + brushed, Bush-hammered | Interior flooring, Exterior cladding, Cut-to-size, Bookmatched panels |
| Sohar | Beige | Sohar | 0.3% | 167.7 MPa | Polished, Honed, Brushed, Shotblast, Bush-hammered | Heavy-traffic flooring, External cladding, Civic interiors |
| Aramis | Cream | Al-Mudhaibi | 0.013% | 182 MPa | Polished, Honed, Brushed, Sandblasted + brushed | Wet-area cladding, Exterior facades, Spa and hospitality interiors |
| Giallo Samad | Gold | Al-Mudhaibi | 0.105% | 148 MPa | Polished, Honed, Brushed, Bush-hammered | Lobby flooring, Feature walls, Cut-to-size accents |
| Imperial Red | Red | Sohar | 0.12% | 156 MPa | Polished, Honed, Brushed, Bush-hammered | Religious interiors, Feature flooring, Calligraphy backdrops |
| Tropical Oro | Gold | Ibri | 0.15% | 166 MPa | Polished, Honed, Brushed, Sandblasted + brushed, Bush-hammered | Exterior cladding, Hotel facades, Heritage restoration |
| Oriental Gold | Gold | Ibri | 0.11% | 153 MPa | Polished, Honed, Brushed, Sandblasted + brushed | Lobby flooring, Boardroom walls, Bespoke interiors |
| Oriental Beige | Beige | Sohar | 0.11% | 153 MPa | Polished, Honed, Brushed, Sandblasted + brushed, Bush-hammered | Large-format flooring, Bank lobbies, Project-grade consistency |
| Oriental Cream | Cream | Sohar | 0.11% | 153 MPa | Polished, Honed, Brushed, Sandblasted + brushed, Bush-hammered | Neutral interiors, Residential flooring, Bookmatched panels |
| White Oryx | White | Al-Mudhaibi | 0.47% | 136 MPa | Polished, Honed, Brushed, Sandblasted + brushed | Large-scale hotel cladding, Civic interiors, Religious architecture |
What to send us for a villa quote
Name the marble and finish
Name a marble and finish for each area, or ask us to help you compare two or three from the table.
Send drawings and sizes
Send the plans, the stair drawing and the facade elevation if you have them, with sizes, thicknesses and edge details.
Approve samples and programme
Approve a physical sample for each marble and finish under the villa lighting, and tell us the site location in Muscat and the date you need the stone.
Questions about marble for villas
Which Omani marble suits a villa floor?
In the catalogue records, Oriental Cream lists residential flooring and Leo Beige lists interior flooring. Compare their recorded values and finishes in the table, then approve a sample under the villa lighting.
Which marble should I shortlist for bathrooms?
Start with the lower recorded water absorption values, and confirm the finish and slip requirement with your consultant. Aramis lists wet-area cladding in its catalogue record.
Can I use Omani marble on the outside of the villa?
The catalogue records list exterior cladding for Sohar, Leo Beige and Tropical Oro, and exterior facades for Aramis. Check the recorded values and the finish with your consultant for the specific facade.
How much does marble for a villa cost?
The catalogue does not publish prices. We price each villa from the areas, marble, finish, thickness and programme you send.
Where can I see the marble in Muscat?
Our plant is in Al Rusail, Muscat. Contact the project desk to request a physical sample of the marble and finish you are considering.
Tell us the rooms. We will quote the stone.
Send the areas, marble, finish and programme for your villa, or browse the full catalogue first.