Portugal Beige Limestone Benches with LED Lit Up
61 segmented 2,850mm Portugal Beige limestone benches for a California hotel — colour-matched, natural-face ends, LED-lit, built to fit
61 segmented limestone benches, colour-matched and LED-lit
MARC-No-5 ran on the same production order as the Waller Creek nightstands: 61 hotel benches commissioned by a U.S. design firm and cut from Portugal Beige limestone. At roughly 2,850mm long, each bench was split into segments so it could be handled, crated and installed — which forced us to control colour matching, joint thickness and the natural-face ends as one continuous unit. One end follows a curved profile, so the arc was wire-sawn rather than hand-cut. A hidden LED channel was CNC-routed along the bench, and the stone dropped onto a plywood and marble-veneer cabinet body.
What made this project complex
Matching segments across 61 benches
Every 2,850mm bench was split into segments for handling and crating. We bought and grouped Portugal Beige limestone blocks as matched sets so colour and veining would read as one continuous piece after the joints were closed.
Natural-face flow at the joints
The hand-pitched natural split-face ends had to align where the segments meet. If the pitch direction or depth differed, the bench would look like two separate blocks instead of one unit.
Wire-sawing the curved end
One end of each bench follows a curved profile. Hand-cutting an arc of this length would not hold the radius, so the inner curve was wire-sawn and then sanded to the finished shape.
Deep leg-hole machining vs. tooling limits
The original drawing called for a 180mm hole depth, beyond the roughly 150mm tooling safe limit and the machine head reach. After confirming a 127mm depth was stable and within the safe range, the design was revised and locked before any block was cut.
Recessed LED channel
A hidden LED slot was CNC-routed along the bench. The channel had to stay straight and at the correct depth so the LED strip sits flush and lights evenly after the stone is set on its plywood base.
Direct updates, careful decisions
Throughout the project, technical questions were answered with marked-up drawings, factory photos, and short videos. The conversation centred on the LED electrical system, a pre-production sample, independent quality inspection, and shipping paperwork (client details confidential):
We will install all the LED strips and drivers you send — please confirm how the cable connects to the transformer.
The LED system was supplied by the client. We confirmed the strip, cable, and transformer layout in advance, routed the LED slot into the back of each bench, and locked the cable to the plywood with a plastic button so nothing would move during installation and handling.
Let's finish one bench quickly as a pre-production sample, so we can review it before the rest move forward.
Before full production, we assembled and tested one complete bench with the LED system. This caught a side-cutout conflict with the electrical run early, and the affected bench type was revised — the step cut away — before the other units were finished.
Can your QC review all the benches for defects, not just the ones the inspector saw?
The client booked an independent inspection agency for quality control. We re-inspected every bench, repaired all visible-edge defects, tested each LED again, and laid the benches side by side for tone matching before the client released them for packing.
Portugal Beige limestone bench specifications
The bench is an assembly, not a single slab: a plywood cabinet body carries the Portugal Beige limestone top and face. Because every unit was segmented, the specification that mattered most was consistency across the joins — colour, thickness and the two natural-face ends had to read as one piece.
| Project | Waller Creek (MARC-No-5) |
|---|---|
| Material | Portugal Beige Limestone |
| Overall Length | ≈ 2,850mm (segmented) |
| Total Quantity | 61 benches |
| End Detail | Hand-pitched natural split face |
| Curved End | Wire-sawn to radius |
| Lighting | CNC-routed recessed LED channel |
| Base | Plywood cabinet body with marble veneer |
| Finish | Honed seat and sides · natural-face ends |
| End Use | Hotel seating |
Why Apexstone was the right factory for Waller Creek benches
Long, segmented limestone benches look simple in a hotel corridor, but the unit has to read as one piece after shipping and installation. The points below show how we held colour, joints and finish across all 61 benches.
Colour-matched segments that read as one bench
Every 2,850mm bench was split into segments for handling and crating. We bought and grouped limestone blocks as matched sets so the colour and veining line up at the joints, and the natural-face ends were pitched to look continuous after installation.
Curved end wire-sawn to a clean radius
One end of each bench follows a curved profile. Because a hand-cut arc at this length would not stay true, the inner curve was wire-sawn and then sanded to the finished radius.
Hidden LED channel routed into the stone
A recessed LED slot was CNC-routed along the bench body so the lighting sits flush and hidden. The channel was checked with a light test after the stone was set on its plywood base.
Built to fit a plywood and marble-veneer cabinet body
The limestone top and face were fabricated as an assembly over a plywood cabinet body with marble veneer. We controlled the underside fit so the stone dropped into place without on-site adjustment.
One factory from block to bench to crate
Block sourcing, cutting, honing, CNC routing, hand-pitching, edge finishing and export crating all happen in our own workshop. Keeping the chain in-house is what lets a 61-unit segmented bench order stay consistent from the first unit to the last.
Fourteen stages from block to packed bench
Fourteen controlled stages carried each bench from raw block to packed unit. The long, segmented shape shaped the whole workflow: blocks were bought as matched sets, the curved end was wire-sawn, and the natural-face ends had to line up where the segments meet.
Block Sourcing
Portugal Beige limestone blocks were selected and grouped as matched sets so colour and veining read as one continuous piece after the segments were joined.
Wire Saw Cutting
The raw block was cut into slabs and rough blanks on the wire saw, establishing the overall thickness before shape cutting began.
Shape Cutting
Each segment was cut to the marked layout, including the straight joint edges and the preliminary outline of the curved end.
CNC Routing the LED Channel
A recessed LED slot was CNC-routed along the bench body so the lighting strip would sit flush and hidden after assembly.
Pitching the Natural Face (Live Edge)
The bench ends were hand-pitched to a natural split face so the segments would look like one continuous block where they meet.
Inner Arc Sanding
The wire-sawn inner curve was sanded to the finished radius so the curved end stayed true along the full length of the bench.
Edge Polishing
The long top and side edges were polished on a flat line to give the honed bench a clean, consistent perimeter.
Side Face Polishing
The exposed side faces were polished to match the honed seat, keeping the finish uniform across every visible surface.
Thickness Polishing
The underside and overall thickness were polished to the specified dimension so the stone would sit flat on the plywood cabinet body.
Surface Honing
The seat and side surfaces were honed to a flat, matte finish that matches the specified texture of the hotel installation.
Plywood Base Fitting
The limestone top and face were trial-fitted onto the plywood cabinet body with marble veneer, checking underside alignment before final assembly.
Wooden Base Acceptance
The plywood and marble-veneer base was inspected for flatness, dimensions and veneer match before the stone was bonded into place.
Final Assembly & LED Light Test
The stone was bonded to the base and the LED strip was installed, switched on and checked for even light along the full recessed channel.
Pre-Pack Acceptance
Each completed bench was inspected, photographed and approved before it was crated for export to the project site.
Project Metrics
Production Drawings
Three drawing sets document this order: the client's original design set, our internal stone fabrication drawing, and the shop drawing issued to the cabinet maker. Dimensions, the LED slot, edge profiles, and assembly details were confirmed across all three before production.
Client Original Drawings
The drawing set issued by the design team, defining each bench model, the upholstered seat, the LED run, and the honed and chiselled finish requirements.
Stone Fabrication Shop Drawing
Our internal stone shop drawing for the factory, translating the client set into the plan, elevations, LED slot section, edge types, and quantity for the Portugal beige limestone.
Wooden Cabinet Shop Drawing
The shop drawing issued to the cabinet maker for the plywood base boxes, including cover panels, cutouts for the LED cable and hardware, and assembly tolerances.
Start Your Project
Tell us about your project requirements and our team will get back to you within 24 hours.
Request a Quote