White Marble Pavers

"White marble" covers a range outdoors, from a near-uniform bright white to a soft white with gray veining, and the stone you pick decides how the deck reads from the house. The bright, even whites are Ice White, Ibiza White and Bursa White, three Turkish marbles that look very alike in a photo and differ in hand: Ice White is the coolest and most uniform, Ibiza has a faint warm cast, Bursa carries a little more movement. Saranac White, Nantucket White, Laramie White, Cortez White and Whitefish White are the veined whites, with gray or taupe figure running through a white ground, and they read softer and less formal. All eight are cut in the standard sizes from 6x12 to 36x36 and in French pattern.

Finish matters more than color on a white deck

A polished white marble has no place outdoors; it is slick wet and it etches. Every white here is sandblasted, leather or tumbled. Sandblasted gives a fine matte texture with the best wet grip and the brightest, chalkiest white; leather keeps a low sheen and square edges for a formal, modern layout; tumbled softens the edges and the color for a Mediterranean look. The same stone in the three finishes is three different decks, so sample the finish, not just the color.

Heat, glare and what white hides

White marble stays cooler underfoot than any dark stone and is the right pick for a barefoot deck in a hot climate, though porous travertine still runs cooler than dense marble. The trade-off is glare: a large expanse of bright white in full sun is hard on the eyes at noon, which is why many people pair a white field with a gray or beige coping, or choose a veined white that breaks the surface up. White shows leaves and tannin stains more than beige, and it shows rust from furniture feet, so a penetrating sealer after the joints cure is not optional. It does not yellow; a sealed white marble that is rinsed now and then stays white.

Pairing and sizes

White marble pairs with charcoal, black and gray houses, with blue water, and with warm wood. Tundra Grey or a gray travertine coping against an Ice White field is the most-ordered combination. For size, 24x24 and 24x48 suit the modern look white marble usually goes with; French pattern suits the tumbled whites around a freeform pool. The marble color guide covers every white and gray side by side, and the marble cost guide covers the pallet math.