Your Floor: How to Find Right Stone Tile

Natural stone has been popular to be used on flooring for centuries and for great reason. Stone tile brings the colours and texture of nature to our homes and adds a quality and warmth into a room that is impossible with any other material.

Because natural stone comes out of the earth, there may be uncontrolled variations in its own colour and quality, so be sure to do your homework when shopping for stone tile to your floor. Order enough material to complete the job in 1 dispatch — that can minimize mismatched lots. As is the case with any flooring material, get a case or 2 additional. In case you need to repair a floor afterwards, the stone you want might not be accessible.

Let’s take a peek at the most popular stone tile materials: slate, travertine, sandstone, marble and granite. Which one would you select?

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Slate floor tile – $7
Slate is probably the type of stone tile you’ll encounter frequently. It is a metamorphic rock that splits into thin sheets readily. Once it cleaves into sheets like that, it’s simple to turn it in to tile.

Westone Slate

Gray green slate – $5

The density of a given slate relates directly to its cost. The denser it is the more probable it is to not flake and fall apart.

Slate experts: Tends to become dark; exceptionally resilient
Cons: has to be installed by somebody who knows what he or she is doing, be sure to figure installation in the final cost.
Cost: $5-$20 per square foot
Suggested uses: living areas, halls, entryways and kitchens

Read pictures of masterpiece in home designs

Stone-Mart
Travertine is just another commonly-encountered stone. It is often sold as Granite or marble, although it’s neither.

Travertine’s a sedimentary rock composed of calcite, and as such it’s a good bit milder than its own limestone kin. It is nearly impossible to keep a shine, but once it settles to its native, matte finish, few materials offer the warmth that travertine does.

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Travertine gets a lot of terrible press for being a fragile material, but the Trevi Fountain in Rome is made from travertine, and it’s been around for 300 years. That says a thing or 2 about travertine’s strength.

Travertine experts: Wildly varying patterns and colours, feels soft underfoot
Cons: Has a tendency to scratch and stain
Cost: $5- $40 per square foot
Suggested uses: living areas, halls, kitchens and baths

Browse photographs of travertine tile in design

New Ravenna Mosaics

Strong Ovals floor | New Ravenna Mosaics
Marble. In ancient times, kings and caesars demanded marble flooring, and in such more democratic times, you may too. Even though it’s another stone that is prone to staining and scratching, marble has character.

It is tougher and more resilient than travertine but it does require some excess attention.

Marble advantages from professional sealing, and it’s better left with a honed finish.

Marble experts: Wonderful designs and colours, exceptionally resilient
Cons: Absorbs water, so be careful with it outside. Prone to scratches and stains
Cost: $5-$50 per square foot
Suggested applications: living areas, halls, kitchens and baths

Read photographs of marble in design

kashmirwhitegranite.com

White Granite Tile – $5

Granite. Probably the hardest natural stone out there is granite. Nothing else will hold a shine or repel water the way granite will. However granite’s resilience is double-edged sword. Its shine and hardness make it an unforgiving surface despite its attractiveness.

Granite experts: Beautiful colors, exceptionally resilient, may be used inside or out
Cons: Can appear rather cold
Cost: $3-$15 per square foot
Suggested applications: living areas, halls, kitchens and bathrooms

harveysnaturalflooring.co.uk

Limestone Floor Tiles – $15
Limestone is just another calficerous stone and it’s comparable to travertine. Unlike travertine nonetheless, limestone’s been hardened through the years and tectonic action. That hardening makes it a much better and more resilient material for use as flooring.

Limestone often keeps its striations as it creates, and it has a tendency to look like hardwood.

Limestone experts: Wonderful designs and colours, exceptionally resilient
Cons: Absorbs water, so be careful using it outdoors
Cost: $4-$40 per square foot
Suggested uses: living areas, halls, kitchens and bathrooms

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Sandstone Flooring – $10

Sandstone is just another metamorphic rock that brings itself to flooring The crazy color variations of other stones are not as prevalent with sandstone and it’s easier to locate consistent tones using this material.

Sandstone experts: Extremely resilient
Cons: Minimal colour options
Cost: $10-$40 per square foot
Suggested uses: living areas, halls, kitchens and baths

More: How to Shop for Ceramic Tile

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