The Pool you always wanted, a dream come true... Now at Global Marble & Stone, Sarasota. Visit http://www.sergiofurnari.com/ link "Pools" on the top left corner and close your eyes...We can do it, Sergio is in town!!

Sergio Furnari, a world-known master artisan, has been creating sculptures and customizing tile art internationally for a number of years. Many clients have asked Sergio to hand-paint custom ceramic & terra cotta tiles for their pools, furnitures and facades etc. Among his signature lifetime sculpture is the famous 'Lunchtime on a Skyscraper - A Tribute to America's Heros' which is displayed periodically in Soho, New York City. His studio is located in Long Island City, New York.

Sergio was born in Sicily in the famous town of Caltagirone, which has been revered since the ancient time of Greece for it's beautiful sculpture. True to his environment, an innate, artistic talent became evident early in his life, and by age five he was drawing and sculpting. At age six he took his first job sweeping floors at the Caltagirone Sculpting Foundry. The perfect arena to fuel his creative passion, he spent the next six years there working, learning and tuning his skills. "I used to get out of school two in the afternoon and then go to the foundry from two until eight every day," he says.

Though appreciative of his background, the young furnari had a fascination with New York City, and during his first visit at age eighteen, he discovered that behind the impressive skyscrapers were immigrants from all over the world. To him, this made New York City the greatest city on earth.

Furnari was destined to become a master in sculpture and painting. Even his surname, "Furnari", which means, 'the people who attend the oven,' alluded to his future at the kiln. Through the years Furnari took sculpting to new levels, blending old and new to create his own unique style. Each of his sculptures are made of terra cotta and baked in his special oven. His sculptures represent regular hard-working people with their own joy and sadness of life. Furnari's approach is both sensitive and whimsical, and his keen ability to show emotion instantly brings the viewer into his subjects world. His sculptures come alive, as if they may have souls. "Even a thousand years from now they will still be alive," Furnari says.

Throughout history traditional sculpture commonly depicted figures of political, religious or social significance. Furnari will long be remembered for his sculptural 'slice of life' figures, many of which can be found in museums and private collections around the world. He jokes that he is "more powerful than Michelangelo or Picasso" for the simple fact he is alive today, "fighting and kicking every minute," just as his sculptures seem to.

Granite Countertops out.. Semi Precious Luxury Countertops In..

If you want to see the next thing in countertops, the thing your neighbor don't have, come to Global Marble and Stone and see our new countertops collection of Semi Precious Luxury countertops. CaesarStone’s inspirational new masterpiece collection, the unique Concetto range, is an unmatchable collection of extraordinary surfaces hand-made from individually cut and bound semi-precious stones. A harmonious blend of art, nature and technology Concetto is created by fusing nature’s hues and designs with individually cut semi-precious stones to form the ultimate luxury stone surface - a dream for designers and architects alike.

Some of the semi-precious stones in the Concetto Collection are breathtakingly translucent and can be backlit for added effect. With its vivid colors and awe-inspiring designs, the Concetto range brings out the innate brilliance of the stones while enhancing the luster of their natural hues and shades.

Highly heat, stain and scratch resistant, Concetto offers high quality and low maintenance. Created with dimensions of 119 x 55.5 inches (Net) and a thickness of 1 inch (141.5 x 302 cm and a thickness of 25mm), each unique Concetto piece is made from completely natural stone that enhances its unique shadings and inherent patterns.

The Concetto Collection can be used for a variety of applications including furniture, vanities, kitchen & bathroom surfaces, work surfaces, countertops, floors, walls, special features and more.

Come visit our showroom: 4078 N Washington Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34234

Here are some basics Tips how to install marble tile:

1.  Always start with a clean, dry, level surface.  If your surface is not clean your marble tiles will loosen. 

2. Always make sure your surface is level.  If your surface isn't level your marble tiles will crack. 
I can't stress enough how important it is to start with a clean, dry and level surface.

3. Play with your marble tiles to create the layout you want.  When you find the layout that you want mark the center.  That is where you will be starting.

4. Watch out for the color thinset you use on your marble tile.  Nearly all of the light colored marble tiles will have a degree of transparency to them.  Using the wrong color thinset can change or distort the color of your marble tiles.  

5. If needed, use spacers to insure proper separation.  Make sure that your marble tiles are level and let them dry overnight.

6. Before you grout the floor, clean your marble tiles.  Another bit of advice, use the proper cleaner on your marble tiles because the wrong cleaners can really mess up your marble tiles.

These are the very basic steps, Please call us for more Information

You will need to seal limestone if you want to keep this beautiful material in great condition.  It is a wonderful flooring material which is ideal if you are looking for something natural and of quality.  Limestone can be laid in many rooms in the house including the bathroom, kitchen and bedrooms.  It is a sedimentary rock which 50% of calcite or calcium carbonate mixed in with fish bones, sea shells, fossils and even dinosaur bones.

Limestone is typically much softer than other types of stone such as granite however there are some varieties which are stronger and denser.  Although limestone floors can last many many years, it’s very important that you take the time to care for them via washing, sealing, protecting and waxing.  If you don’t think it’s necessary to seal limestone you are very much mistaken.

Limestone tiles are very delicate and need to be treated with care when sealing.  If you apply a thick varnish or laquer you will change the appearance of the stone.  And not in a good way.  Therefore when you seal limestone, make sure you use impregnating oil which will soak into the stone whilst avoiding any major change in appearance.  You will also want to use a product which will act as a barrier to oil and water-based stains.  There are a number of products to seal limestone on the marker to choose from including Staintop and Lithofin FZ Protective Impregnator.

Remember, if you do accidentally spill anything onto limestone tiles, make sure you wipe up straight away.  Following these guidelines should be fine for tiles which are either dense of don’t get too much wear.

Because limestone is a natural product, you will find that they tend to have a textured surface which allows dirt to gather over the years.  If you have limestone tiles laid in an area where it suffers from plenty of wear and tear, it’s advisable to apply an extra coat of sealer.  Lithofin’s Care Seal is water based which allows you to re-apply it in areas which get a lot of traffic.

For stone which is either softer or more textured (e.g travertine or Cotswold), a layer of stone wax should do the trick.  When cleaning limestone make sure you buy one which is neutral in colour, for instance Easycare.

If you have just received your limestone tiles from the supplier, make sure you allow them to dry out before installing them.

By following the advice above and seal limestone you should be able to care for the tiles without too much fuss.  If you are at all unsure, ask Global Marble and Stone, Sarasota, FL at phone: 941-351-3324 or Fax: 941-351-0678

People ask us, why all the Contractors, Architects and Designer like to work with Global at Sarasota. The answer is very simple - They are different!! They are bringing new products all the time, Global's Showroom is changing every month, when you coming for your next visit you find the store re-designed. The proffesional community likes very much these changes and we are like children in a new candy store. The world is full with beautiful products that just waiting for some one to explore them and use them in the right house with the right application. Go to see Global Marble & Stone in Sarasota, you will understand why this is like our second home!!

Thank you, Global for bringing all these amazing products right to our door.

David & Shirley Robinson, Interior Designer, Tampa FL