Frequently asked questions

Diatomite — also called diatomaceous earth — is a soft, naturally occurring sedimentary mineral made from the fossilised shells of diatoms, a type of ancient algae. Those shells are almost entirely hollow, which is why the finished stone behaves like a sponge that never gets soggy. Gaffi presses it together with pulp paper fibre into a rigid, ceramic-like slab.

Yes. The mats are made from two things: diatomite and pulp paper. There is no plastic pile, no added fragrance, no antimicrobial coating and no adhesive backing that can break down. The rubberised non-slip pad supplied in the box sits underneath the stone, not against your feet.

Mould needs standing moisture to establish itself. Because diatomite pulls water off the surface and evaporates it from inside the stone, the damp conditions mould depends on never last long enough. That is a physical property of the material rather than a chemical treatment that wears off — but it does depend on the mat being allowed to dry, so do not store it wet in a sealed cupboard.

Compressed diatomite and pulp paper fibre — that is the complete list. Each mat is 0.9 cm thick and rigid, with a finely textured matte face. The rubberised non-slip pad and a sheet of medium-grit sandpaper are packed alongside it.

A splash of water disappears from the surface in a few seconds. After a full shower, with two wet feet on it, the mat typically looks and feels dry again within a few minutes in a normally ventilated bathroom. Humidity slows this down: in a small room with no window, give it longer and open the door.

No — and this is the part people are most surprised by. The stone surface is finely textured and grips the sole of a wet foot better than a smooth tile ever could. Underneath, the rubberised pad included in the box holds the mat itself in place on tile, marble and stone. Both surfaces are doing a job: one stops your foot sliding on the mat, the other stops the mat sliding on the floor.

It stays at whatever temperature the room is, and it does not conduct heat away from your feet the way ceramic tile does. It feels neutral rather than warm — noticeably less of a shock than stepping onto bare tile, and never the clammy cold of a mat that is still wet from yesterday.

All five mats share the same 60 × 39 cm footprint, so the choice is about surface and shape rather than size. Wave and Arc give the most grip and drainage; Classic is the quietest visually; Marble suits light stone bathrooms; Foldable is the one to pick if it needs to be put away. For counters and sinks, the Sink Caddy is 28 × 11 cm and the Caddy Duo covers 60 cm across two pieces.

Yes — the range is built around that. The mats work in front of a kitchen sink or under a drying rack, the caddies live on counters, the coasters sit in the living room and the plant pad goes under a pot. It is one material solving the same problem in different rooms.

Wet the surface, spray it with a mild liquid soap, scrub in small circles with an abrasive sponge and rinse. For stains that will not lift, dampen the spot and sand it lightly with the medium-grit paper in the box, then rinse the dust away and let it dry fully. Most people do this three or four times a year.

No, never. It is a rigid stone slab, not a textile — a wash cycle will crack it and can damage the drum. It also never needs one: rinsing and the occasional sanding is the entire maintenance routine.

This is almost always a sealed surface rather than a worn-out mat, and it is caused by bath oils, body butters or a rich soap film closing the pores. Sand the face lightly with the supplied sandpaper, rinse and dry — absorption comes straight back. It is the single most common question we get and the fix works nearly every time.

Because the stone is absorbent, strong pigments — hair dye, turmeric, a dropped foundation bottle — can leave a mark. The stone is designed to be sanded, so those marks come out rather than staying forever. On the Marble mat, sanding will lighten the printed veining in that spot, so go gently.

There is no pile to flatten and no fibre to fray, so a mat does not wear out the way a textile does — it gets marked, and you sand it back. Treated properly, and kept from being dropped on a hard floor, it should outlast several cotton mats.

Cairo and Giza usually arrive within 2–3 working days. Other governorates take 3–5 working days. Orders over 2,000 EGP ship free; below that a flat delivery fee applies at checkout. You will get a tracking number by SMS as soon as the parcel leaves us.

Stone travels in EVA foam inside a printed box for exactly this reason, but if a piece arrives cracked, photograph it in the packaging and send us the picture within 48 hours of delivery. We replace it and cover the return — you do not need to argue the case.

Yes, within 30 days, as long as the piece is unused and back in its original packaging. Once a mat has been stood on in a wet bathroom we can no longer resell it, so used items can only be returned if they are faulty. Full detail is on the Returns & Exchanges page.

We do — hotels, gyms, spas, serviced apartments and retailers. Write to us through the contact page with the quantities and colourways you have in mind and we will send a trade price list.