Series: Products from Eco-Hotels #7: Granite bathtub

At Gut Guntrams near Vienna, every garden loft features a granite bathtub. These unique pieces are made by Gerhofer’s master stonemason in Grafenbach. ⒸGut Guntrams

Sustainable garden products from the stonemason

It’s not as easy to buy a granite bathtub as it is to buy a couple of coat hooks, a bedside lamp or a bar of soap (products we’ve already featured in our series), but we just love the granite bathtubs from Gut Guntrams! (The owner of Gut Guntrams has a keen interest in old stones and crystals, so you can also admire a crystal garden and a small private nature museum).

Natural stone bathtub from Gernhofer stone mason

The Gernhofer company in Austria has been in business for over 100 years. They use natural stone from nearby quarries and are committed to sustainability.

The tub is completely natural, but polished on the inside and has a drain. It weighs a whopping 742 kilograms!

Of course, if you don’t live in Austria, it’s more sustainable to choose a local stonemason.

Granite – the stone from the depths

Granite is a rock formed from molten rock beneath the earth’s crust as magma solidifies. It contains crystals such as quartz and mica, which are clearly visible and give the natural stone its luster.

Bathtubs, washbasins and garden furniture made of natural stone – is that sustainable?

Natural stone can be considered a sustainable building material for the following reasons:

The extraction of natural stone requires relatively little energy.
The processing of natural stone in stonemasonry is also considered to be less energy-intensive.
Due to the worldwide occurrence of natural stone, transport distances can be kept short.
Natural stone is durable and resilient – this applies in particular to hard stones such as granite.

However, as with sand, the raw material is considered finite. It does renew itself – but only after thousands of years.

Is imported natural stone sustainable?

Because of its heavy weight, it is of course best to buy directly from the nearest quarry. Nevertheless, imported natural stone, which comes by ship from China and India, still has its advantages as a durable and robust natural product.

Sustainability seal for natural stone from abroad

To prevent you from buying stones that were mined by children or otherwise obtained under poor working conditions, we recommend that you look for a seal when buying natural stone from abroad. There are: Fair Stone, XertifiX and the TFT Responsible Stone Program.

If you buy locally, you can also support local tradespeople. The price (e.g. for garden furniture) is offset by the longevity of the product.