MARBLE FLOORING

Marble Flooring Pros

Style: The biggest advantage of marble floor tile is that it can instantly elevate the appearance of a space, giving it a regal bearing that is hard to imitate. At the same time marble is available in multiple colors, and even in stunning multicolor mixes, providing flexible options for a variety of decorative schemes. Tiles can also be cut to rectangles, and triangles of varying sizes, in order to create complex mosaic piece installations.

Stone Tile Flooring Glossary

Chemical Sealant

Floor Tile Grout

Flooring Adhesive

Unique: Because it is a product of the earth, every single piece of marble tile used in every single floor is a one of a kind, and there is no other like it anywhere in the world. In the case of multi colors this can be quite extreme, with distinct features blaring forth from every tile. With more solid colored looks the shifts and changes will be much more subtle and subdued, but still present, making your floor stand out with its own personality.

Natural: The look of a marble floor can bring the stunning power and dignity of a flowing mountain range into an interior space. Even if the material is heavily refined, the inherent feel and presence of its energy can have a potent effect, injecting an environment with trembling energy and awe, while also connecting it to the greater outside world.

Translucence: Artists have treasured marble for centuries because it has a natural translucent property that allows light to penetrate through it slightly. This can make a statue, or even floor tiles seem to almost glow when the sun hits them just right.

The illuminated effect is much more pronounced in white and lighter colored materials.

Polish: Unlike most natural stones, marble is able to take a very high polish, getting silky smooth and shimmering when treated properly. This is a look of sophistication and glamor, that evokes the highest sense of elegance in a space. It’s also a truly distinct look, which can make a difference when trying to create a flooring installation that really stands out.

Radiant Heat: Marble is a great conductor of heat, making it eligible for a variety of below surface radiant heating systems to be installed. This can infuse the tiles beneath your feet with a rush of cozy warmth that can be thrilling, especially on cold wintry mornings. In some cases it will also be possible to install radiant cooling systems that will chill surfaces down on sultry summer days.

Replacement Tiles: Whenever marble is installed at least one full box of extra material should be purchased and kept in storage. That makes it possible to easily replace a tile if it cracks, breaks, or becomes stained over time, which is much more cost effective than having to replace the entire floor.

If extras are not maintained it may be difficult to find a good color match to the installed pieces if a replacement becomes necessary.

More About Marble Flooring

Marble Kitchen Tiles

Marble Flooring Options

Sealing a Marble Floor

Marble Flooring Cons

Scratches: Even though it is essentially a rock, marble is actually a relatively soft material that can be scratched, scraped, and chipped under the wrong conditions. This is especially true if the material is polished, as the imperfections will be more noticeable in the smooth, flat solid surface. Unfortunately, scratches can not be easily repaired without replacing the damaged material completely.

Acid Stains: Marble is a base on the PH scale, which means that it will have a chemical reaction whenever it comes in contact with acidic substances. This can include a wide variety of foods, sauces, beverages, and cleaning products. Unfortunately, the discoloration stains that come from these processes are permanent.

Water Damage: All natural stones are porous, and marble is prone to water penetration, and staining from colorful liquid agents. This can be prevented by applying a chemical below surface penetrating sealer, as well as a barrier above surface sealer to the stones after installation.

However, for optimal protection, this will have to be reapplied annually.

Cracks: Being relatively soft, marble floor tiles can suffer from cracking, breaks, and chips. If the floor is improperly installed this can be a particular problem, as any gaps between the material and the subfloor will be weak points ready to burst and break under even standard pressure.

Slippage: When polished, marble can be an extremely slick and slippery surface, that may be a hazard for accidental falls. This is especially true if the material gets wet due to environmental concerns or spillage, and is compounded by the fact that the hard surface characteristic of these floors can be unforgiving on bones and bruises.

Price: Marble floors are a premium architectural element, and they are priced accordingly. Generally, they fall on the high-end range as far as natural stone costs, while having a shorter lifespan than harder, more durable materials like slate and granite.

You can’t use timber for the windows since you use marble and must use Aluminum.

The words that best describe marble are stylish, smooth, elegant, sleek, and above all, natural. This beautiful material has a luxurious look and feel and has been used for centuries in sculptures and for the floors, ceilings and walls of palaces, churches and other architectural masterpieces.

Marble is a metamorphic rock and each piece is different in colour and in the veining. High-end marble has soft veining and a very even colour palette and the look is soft, rich and elegant. Although it was once a show of power and wealth, today marble is becoming a big part of modern homes all over the world.

The pros of marble flooring

Marble flooring designs come in a wide range of choices and are an ideal way to give your home a rich, stylish look.

Shine on … beauty is forever

The beauty in marble is plain to see but did you know it also lasts for centuries? Each piece of marble is cut from a giant slab so it forms a part of the original piece. This means that when marble is cut into smaller floor tile-sized pieces, no two tiles have the same markings, there’s only a superficial similarity between them. This feature is what lends marble flooring its uniqueness and gorgeous, silky appearance.

Unique

Marble floors radiate a richness and elegance, and give your home a luxurious feel and a sense of grandeur. The ‘one-off original’ colour on the surface of each tile means the look is truly unique and can’t be replicated.

Spit and polish

Most stone floor materials do not perform well if polished regularly but marble has an extremely high tolerance to polishing. This means the surface of your marble floors can always look sleek, smooth, rich and shiny. And thanks to polishing, the colours stand out even more.

Sparkling reflections of light

Because marble can be polished to a high sheen, it tends to sparkle and shine brightly when exposed to light. This is one of the reasons why for centuries marble has been used in sculptures. There’s a translucent quality and a lustrous sheen to marble that’s captured and reflected by the light thrown onto its surface.

In particular, the effect of using white marble floor tiles is amazing – it seems like light is flooding into the room and penetrating into the very surface of the marble.

Eco-friendly

Another advantage of marble is that it’s a natural material and not manufactured. This means that it’s biodegradable and contains no harmful chemicals that can leach into the atmosphere. This makes it the perfect eco-friendly flooring product.

The cons of marble flooring

While there’s no doubt that marble is a beautiful and natural material, having marble flooring in your home comes with its own drawbacks.

An endangered species

Unfortunately, there’s only a limited amount of marble in the world, so it’s become increasingly difficult (and expensive) to find top quality marble for new homes … and at some point in the future we may even run out of this wonderful material.

It’s expensive

You want luxury – you gotta pay for luxury. For high grade marble expect to pay from £65per square metre but for top-of-the-range polished Carrara marble you might have to pay upwards of £300 per square metre.

Slipping and sliding

It could be a big mistake to tile your kitchen and bathroom floors with marble. When polished, cleaned, or wet, tiles become incredibly slippery … and the last thing you need is to fall and break a leg! It’s best to restrict marble to areas like the foyer, a study or a living room.

Stains and scratches

Marble floors, especially polished marble floors, scratch easily. If a chair or sofa is pushed across the surface, scratches can occur. These can be removed by professionals but it will cost you plenty.

Cleaning nightmare

Also, beware of spilling fruit juice, wine and sauces onto the floor as these can leave bad stains that in some cases can be permanent. And just when you thought you could use natural cleaning materials such as vinegar or lemon juice to clean up the mess – don’t! The acid will penetrate into the marble and degrade it from the inside.

Appearance: Marble floor tiles have an outclass appearance. Their regal appearance can immediately elevate the look and feel of space. It is available in a huge variety of colors and shades. You can mix different colors and come up with a brilliant color scheme and design for your floor. Some of the famous marble colors in floor tiles are:

Crema Marfil

Calacatta Borghini

Carrara Venatino

Brescia Sinai

Botticino

Makrana

Translucent: For centuries marble has been a cherished stone for artists and architects for it is a naturally translucent stone. Statutes and floors were favored in this medium because of the glow the stone emitted when exposed to sunlight. Even today the radiance of marble floors is unmatched.

Distinctive and Unique: As marble is a natural stone, each tile is unlike any other which makes every tile a unique piece that has its veins growing without any pattern. The distinct marble features are more subtle in solid colored tiles as compared to those with multiple colors. But this does not mean that your floor would look odd. When marble is quarried, it is taken to factories in the form huge chunks or slabs. The tiles that come out of a single slab are close in appearance and form a color symphony on the floor on which they are laid. It is therefore advised to always buy an extra box of marble tiles. This makes the replacement process easier if a tile is damaged, cracked or broken during installation. In case some tiles become stained over the time then these extras can save the day instead of renovating the whole floor.

Eco-Friendly: Natural stones like marble do not require any kind of chemical processing and they prove to be environment-friendly as compared to synthetic floor materials which lead to emission of harmful gases and toxic wastes. Marble floors also bring nature’s beauty inside four walls of your home. The ethereal beauty of marble floor tiles channel Mother Nature’s energy which has a calming yet potent effect on human mind.

Shine: Marble floor tiles can take high dosages of polish while other natural stone tiles can get ruined. You can add as much polish as you desire and the floor will sparkle with glamorous elegance. The shimmering and silky effect of marble floors makes them stand out even in empty hallways.

Density: Marble is a high density stone, therefore making it an appropriate choice for flooring for areas with lots of traffic or continuous use.