What is the difference between franka and hardstone?

Franka is the softer, finer Globigerina limestone — easy to cut and carve, and vulnerable where it is weathered or wet. Hardstone is more durable and takes less fine detail. Which one a job wants depends on exposure and on what is already there.

Can you match stone on an old property?

Usually, and it is worth raising early. Matching the stone is straightforward; matching a century of weathering on it is the part that takes judgement, and it decides whether a repair disappears or announces itself.

Should exposed internal stone be sealed?

It depends on the stone and the room. Sealing changes how it looks and how it breathes, and the wrong sealant on franka traps moisture in it. It is a decision to make deliberately, not a default.

Stonework & Franka in Malta

Maltese limestone is the material the country is built from, and working it is a distinct trade rather than a variety of bricklaying. The soft stone, franka, cuts and carves beautifully and weathers badly where it is exposed; the harder stone lasts and will not take the same detail. Choosing between them is most of the job.

On an older property the harder question is matching. Stone that has been in a wall for a century does not look like stone from a quarry this year, and a repair that ignores that is visible from the street for the next decade.

What this covers

New stonework — walls, arches, openings and quoins
Restoration and piecing-in on older and heritage properties
Cleaning and repointing, with the method chosen for the stone
Exposed internal stone walls, cleaned and sealed appropriately
Boundary walls, rubble walls and external features

What it costs

Stonework is priced from the work in front of it. New walling, a carved opening and piecing a repair into a hundred-year-old elevation are three different jobs with nothing in common but the material.

We do not publish a rate for this one. It is not priced per square metre in any way that would survive contact with a real property, and a number we cannot stand behind is worse than no number. It is quoted after the survey, itemised, before anything starts.

Book a free survey and get it priced →

How it works

We survey every job ourselves, free. Then we either take it on as your contractor — we quote a fixed price, bring in the stonemasons from the CheckYourTraders-verified network and manage the sequencing around every other trade on site — or introduce a vetted partner contractor who quotes and contracts with you directly. Either way you have one point of contact with us from survey to handover.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between franka and hardstone?: Franka is the softer, finer Globigerina limestone — easy to cut and carve, and vulnerable where it is weathered or wet. Hardstone is more durable and takes less fine detail. Which one a job wants depends on exposure and on what is already there.
Can you match stone on an old property?: Usually, and it is worth raising early. Matching the stone is straightforward; matching a century of weathering on it is the part that takes judgement, and it decides whether a repair disappears or announces itself.
Should exposed internal stone be sealed?: It depends on the stone and the room. Sealing changes how it looks and how it breathes, and the wrong sealant on franka traps moisture in it. It is a decision to make deliberately, not a default.

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