Marble Floors: Get to Know Your Flooring Series

ubath cabinentry bath with vanity and marble floors

Beautiful marble flooring by Ubath

Used by renowned designers, artists and architects all around the world, marble is among the most lavish and luxurious flooring products out there and nothing enhances the look of a home quite like a sleek, new marble floors!  Marble doesn’t just have the potential to make your home dynamic and visually striking; it’s highly durable when well maintained and its impeccable nature adds value to your home.

While size, style, color and patterns are important details to consider, there is more to marble floors than meets the eye.  Whether tiling your entire house or a room, there are a few critical things to consider before choosing Marble.

Characteristics of Marble Floors

Marble’s unique look and beauty is found in each tiles inimitable shade and whirling patterns.  But this very thing can make it difficult to lay marble flooring that is consistent.  To make sure your patterns match lay out the tiles over the entire surface before the final install; this way you can inspect the tile and double check for any mismatch.  Also, all of your tiles should come from the same original batch.

Another important detail to note is that marble floors, like all natural stone, is high maintenance and highly porous.  It needs to be treated regularly to protect it from spills and moisture.  This is a significant detail to bear in mind when choosing marble tiling for outdoor projects or for higher-traffic, moisture-prone area such as bathrooms and kitchens.  Regardless of the application, however, your installation should be treated with a below-surface sealer as well as a surface finishing treatment in order to offset the marble’s natural vulnerability to stains and spills.  Depending on traffic, surface sealing treatments should be repeated every 6-12 months.

Another thing to consider is the slip resistance or C.O.F. (coefficient of friction) of your marble floors. The coefficient of friction calculates how much force it takes to move a certain weight over a surface.  In other words, the higher the C.O.F. the less slippery your floor will be.  How slippery your marble floors are will depend on the type of finish you choose for the stone. Polished marble floors tend to be among the most slippery, as the coefficient of friction is very low, especially when wet.  Honed, tumbled or brushed marble tiles have much greater traction. Each finish can be a great fit in any space, but foot traffic and how the space will be used should ultimately determine which marble finish is best for your project.

Paying attention to these particulars and following the maintenance rules for stone tiles will ensure that your marble floors set your home or business apart and stay healthy and beautiful for years to come.

This post was written by Thais Sousa. Follow Thais on Google.