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Natural stone brings a sense of elegance into your home, creating a luxurious feel when cooking a meal or making a morning coffee. 

If you dream of a classic, luxury floor, then natural stone is the way to go. It's naturally unique and a high-quality material that is offered at various prices, essentially meaning most people can opt for the natural beauty of stone flooring. 

Market trends change over time, but natural stone flooring has remained a classic choice amongst audiences, and with so many options, it can be hard to choose just one!

Which Is The Most Durable Stone Flooring?

Is Natural Stone good for kitchen floors?

Natural stone remains an incredibly popular choice for kitchens, and various other spaces, as most natural stone flooring types, are highly durable over long periods. 

Although kitchens around the world differ in styles and desired functionalities, the unique character of natural stones can complement the interior style of any home, each tile creating various textures, patterns, colour shades and finishes. 

The most durable stone floor and countertop natural material is the igneous rock Granite. Similarly, Limestone is a popular choice at the cheaper end of the scale, whilst offering a rustic charm ideal for a farmhouse-style kitchen. 

When choosing stone flooring, ensure the materials are suitable for your lifestyle, for instance, busy-family homes with pets should focus on durability and minimal maintenance. 

High-traffic areas should have more durable and hard-wearing stone flooring to prevent damage. If you want to install underfloor heating, consider slate, as this is one of the best natural stone heat conductors. 

Expert project advice and specialist suppliers can help with project inspiration to ensure you purchase the best natural stone floor material. Costs should be considered as some stone effect tiles cost much more than others. If you're interested in installing a new hardwearing natural stone floor, read through the information provided by this professional guide to make the right decisions and get the best results.

Best Stone Floors For Kitchens

Limestone Tiles

For centuries Limestone has remained popular as a kitchen floor material. The natural stone is incredibly durable and hard-wearing, making it a great choice for most rooms from kitchens to a boot room. 

Limestone is generally denser than other natural stone floor materials, further portraying its practicality in busy rooms. As a natural material, Limestone tiles contain various fossils, achieving an original style in your space.

Marble Tiles

Marble has been a popular natural material for centuries, used around the world for historic monuments and sophisticated kitchen floors. 

Marble tiles are often installed in a diamond pattern or chequerboard, creating a neoclassical, contemporary interior style. A range of different finishes are available, with a polished finish being popular as a stylist choice, yet a tumbled finish is the most practical for most stone floors.

Sandstone Tiles

Sandstone suits various rooms, from outdoor terraces to hallways, as it's a versatile and durable flooring material. 

It's worth noting like other natural stones, Sandstone comes in varying densities and its textures range, making some types more suitable for kitchen flooring. Create one large space by continuing Sandstone tiles from your house to the outside spaces.

Why should you choose stone kitchen flooring?

Natural stone is considered the most durable kitchen floor material, lasting for years to come, and being reusable in various ways if the tile breaks. These characteristics make Natural stone flooring tiles a very sustainable choice, what's more, it adds value to your home and lasts a lifetime.

How durable is the stone flooring material?

Kitchens are one of the most used places in your house, receiving heavy foot traffic every day. This means the floor tiles' surface should be resistant to staining, scratching, chipping and breaking, while daily activities are undertaken. 

Stone kitchen floor materials should also provide a sense of character, inspiring real homes to follow the intuitive decision and increase the character and value of their home for a later date. The denser the ground floor material, the easier it is to maintain, consider this factor if you have a busy home. Though some natural stones are too porous and brittle to be used as stone tiles, as they'd break during installation or require additional maintenance and cleaning.

What look are you going for with your kitchen?

Interiors are personal spaces, they reflect the style and ideas of the homeowner, and your kitchen floor should be no different. With various natural stone floor tiles to choose from, they'll defiantly be one to achieve your style.

 For a more rustic look, tumbled limestone is perfect, or for a contemporary and classic look install marble with a polished finish. 

The different finishes and different densities of natural stone tiles, along with colours, patterns and textures will impact the entire project. Various colour enhancers can be used to further saturate patterns and colours.

What colour would work best in your kitchen?

Natural stone floors come in numerous colours, from grey to green, each type of natural stone offers different variations and patterns. 

Rarer stones and standard natural stones offer unique mineral specks that can match the colour of your home. Paler, earthy-toned tiles can complete a space, easily matching the colour of doors and walls, being the perfect partner in any home no matter the style. Yet, in high-traffic areas, darker shades can help to conceal staining and other dirt after plenty of wear, reducing maintenance requirements and its aged look. 

Aesthetically the natural stone should complement the other features of your home, from the colour of the walls down to the draw handles. 

Grout colours should also be carefully considered, to create a consistent look and prevent excessive cleaning from being required. If you're planning on reselling your home, check what natural stone flooring is most popular in the local area and the current buyers market, as this can increase value and encourage the sale of your home.

How big is the kitchen floor space?

The size of your kitchen space will influence the tile size, and the format in that tiles are installed. Large format tiles and large flagstones work great in larger kitchen spaces while smaller, cosier homes should consider using smaller equally beautiful stones. 

The way stones are laid can impact the whole space, narrow hallways would benefit from horizontal stone tiles to portray greater width. If the kitchen space extends into the outdoor environment, consider using a natural stone that is suitable for the outside area so that it can match, creating one large space. 

Remember to consider your set budget before selecting a natural stone; larger flagstones are cheaper to buy and install compared to smaller tiles. As smaller tiles are more difficult to install, the labour price and the time taken to install increase.

What maintenance and cleaning will the floor require?

Natural stone floors or wall tiles can last for a long time, especially when properly cared for and maintained correctly. Denser stones require much less maintenance and sealing than less-dense alternatives, though greater density stones initially cost more. 

All types of stone tiles should be thoroughly sealed to prevent staining from water splash and other liquids. Similarly, grout joints must be sealed to prevent damage from liquids or dirt getting under the surface.

Corrosive and acidic substances like vinegar or red wine should be cleaned up quickly to prevent staining when the tile is unsealed or requires a reseal. If the natural stone floor is properly sealed staining is more easily avoidable, whilst patterned tiles can hide stains easier reducing the aesthetic damage.

Generally, when cleaning natural stone floors harsh cleaning products such as bleach should be avoided. Instead, natural stone is easy to clean with some warm water and a small amount of soap, and it's more environmentally friendly than harsh chemicals. 

For deeper stains, a steam cleaner can be utilised, though a hoover should never be used to avoid scratching. Deeper cleaning and potential resealing can be required after several hard wears, ensuring the stone floor retains its smooth or course finish.