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Natural Stone Flooring Types

  • Posted by:
  • Admin
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  • Stone, Limestone, Granite, Slate, Tiles
  • Posted date:
  • 06-09-2022
Natural Stone Flooring Types

Find out more about the pros & cons of natural stone flooring and the range of natural stone flooring types you can choose from. 

What Is Natural Stone Flooring?

Naturally formed stone flooring is created using various raw processes over millions of years, combining various minerals and sediments to form unique patterns. 

Man-made floor tiles are fabricated using a mixture of various chemicals and substances, typically delivering less unique variations, and more controlled texture ranges. 

Natural stone flooring has been a popular choice for thousands of years, with various types of stone flooring to choose between, including granite, marble, sandstone, limestone, travertine, quartzite and slate. 

The natural beauty of stone floor tiles is a timeless home improvement, and a new natural stone floor will benefit the resale value of your home. 

Different types of natural stone flooring offer their own unique characteristics, creating a sense of personality in your space. Natural stone flooring materials can be used for both interior and outdoor floors, though the porosity of the material should be considered for interior stone flooring. 

The natural properties of stone flooring, like the grooves and veins, capture natural light beautifully, reflecting light around your space. 

Stone flooring can be finished in various ways from polished surfaces to coarse honed floors. Arguably, the most durable stone floor is Granite, but keep reading to find the right stone flooring for your home.

Which Is The Most Durable Stone Flooring?

Pros & Cons of Natural Stone Flooring

When choosing stone flooring for your home, ensure you consider all the pros and cons listed below!

Pros

  • Durability
    Natural stones make some of the most durable flooring options, and with proper care and maintenance natural stone flooring can remain in good condition for decades.
  • Heat Retention
    Stone flooring has great heat retention properties, making it a great choice to install over underfloor heating. The natural stone flooring types with the best heat retention include; granite, limestone, sandstone, and travertine.
  • Beauty
    The natural beauty of various natural stones continues to make it a great choice both functionally and aesthetically for your home. Tile size can affect the style, whether large format tiles for kitchens or smaller cuts for ground floor bathrooms. Whether you want some rustic appearance in your new farmhouse-style kitchen or an eye-catching diamond pattern on the bathroom floor.
  • Easy Maintenance
    No flooring material is maintenance-free, yet some stone flooring options demand less care than others. Maintenance demands should be considered before a decision is made, especially in busy family households. All you need to clean most stone flooring is a quick sweep and mop using a high-quality floor tile cleaner.
  • Repairable
    Textures range from natural stone, each offering its own unique characteristics, however, this also means they're easier to repair than man-made clean-cut floor tiles. Marks, stains and other etchings can be removed, followed by a repolish and refinish if needed, unlike man-made tiles like porcelain or ceramic. Some stone floors will stain easily, so be cautious if you have a busy family home.

Cons

  • Expensive
    Natural stone flooring offers durability, versatility, functionality and most of all-natural beauty. Yet, natural stones come with a high cost compared to man-made materials, like ceramic tile or porcelain tile. If you have the budget, it can be worth it as your house gains value for resale. rarer stones can cost even more, so double-check prices before choosing stone flooring. However, many cannot afford the investment. Opt for smaller rooms to save money but still gain added value.
  • Prone to Damage & Wear
    All natural stone flooring is susceptible to scratching, chipping, staining or cracking, though stronger than man-made alternatives. Ensuring natural stone is professionally finished and sealed can prevent early damage, what's more, regular maintenance and correct cleaning of the stone flooring can last for a long time. Damage can be repaired and refinished using DIY tricks. The outdoor environment can cause quicker deterioration of natural stone tiles, don't forget to maintain outdoor tiles.
  • Time-consuming installation
    Types of stone cost varying amounts, but all natural stone flooring carries a considerably high price tag. Not only this but the installation of the natural stones can be time-consuming and demand expert hands. After stones have been installed, they'll require a proper finish and seal. Refinishing may need to be completed periodically.

What Are The Natural Stone Flooring Types Available?

Limestone Flooring

What Are The Natural Stone Flooring Types Available?

Limestone is a popular natural stone for flooring tiles and other decorative tiles. 

This sedimentary rock comprises calcium carbonate and other organic matters, often displaying fossilised creatures, and creating unique patterns in the floor tiles. 

Depending on where you source the limestone tiles from impacts the fossils, characteristics, colours, and overall quality and density. Higher density limestone flooring offers the best stain resistance and scratch resistance, so should be used primarily in high-traffic areas.

Limestone comes in a range of colours from brilliant white to honey to dark browns. Limestone flooring textures range from entirely smooth, mimicking marble flooring to coarse textures, offering better grip.

Travertine Stone Flooring

Travertine Stone Flooring

Travertine tiles are a form of limestone that is deposited near mineral springs, specifically hot springs. 

It forms to create honeycomb patterns, with small pits giving the natural stone a rustic charm, perfect for a farmhouse-style kitchen. 

Various colours with their own unique characteristics are available to match your home's interior style, along with different finishes like tumbled travertine. 

Small holes can develop over time with regular wear, but can easily be refilled. Travertine tiles aren't as stain-resistant and scratch resistant as Limestone, though it's a cheaper dupe that's affordable for more homeowners.

Slate Flooring

Slate Flooring

If you're looking for budget-friendly natural stone flooring, Slate is a great option. Natural slate flooring comes in four different key styles, Riven Flooring slate, Honed slate, Chipped edge slate and Tumbled slate. 

Riven slate offers a rustic charm with its textured surface, but it can be more difficult to clean. Whilst honed slate is machine finished and smoothed, giving a contemporary feel and making it easy to clean. Check the quality of the slate, and use a trusted supplier.

Granite Flooring

Granite Flooring

Granite is an incredibly popular natural stone for decorative tiles, flooring materials, worktops and various other uses, even gravestones! As a naturally formed stone, 

Granite comes in various colours from purple to green, with unique patterns, mineral specks and veining differentiating your home from another. 

Granite floor tiles can be finished in a few different ways, with a fully polished finish emphasising the natural beauty of each granite tile. Be cautious in wet areas where highly-polished tiles can be slippery if a non-slip surface isn't included.

Marble Flooring

Marble Flooring

Marble has been a popular material for both indoor and outdoor floors, as well as to build monuments of historical significance. This natural stone emits wealth and class, in turn demanding greater amounts of maintenance than less luxurious flooring options. 

Marble comes in a variety of colours, finishes and sizes to match your home's interior style. As a metamorphic rock, Marble is a naturally porous stone, so any standing water can cause discolouration and should be dried immediately after mopping. To make Marble stain resistant, a sealant should be applied. Marble should be installed by a professional as the tiles can be very heavy and brittle.

Finishes of Natural Stone Floor Tiles

Polished

Finishes Of Natural Stone Floor Tiles

Natural stone flooring can be polished to gain a glossy-like appearance, creating a sophisticated style in your home. 

The patterns and colours of the natural stone are made more vivid and saturated, creating an individual style for each room. Polished stone tiles show dust, blemished and other wear much easier, and the ground floor can be slippery when wet. 

A polished finish requires the most maintenance to prevent dullness and routine refinishing to fix signs of wear. Imperfections made during installation can be easily seen, so contact a professional tile installer.

Honed

Honed finished natural stone floors deliver a smooth and matt surface with little reflective and shiny properties. The colour palette is generally more earthy and soft; quartzite and travertine often have a honed finish. 

Wet areas and high-foot traffic areas, like pool decks, laundry rooms, boot rooms, kitchens or bathrooms, benefit from a honed finish as it provides good traction and prevents slipping. Honed finish natural stone flooring requires less maintenance and refinishing to maintain integrity.

Tumbled

Tumbled

Unlike polished and honed finishes, a Tumbled finish is coarse and more textured. 

The edges of the natural tile may be slightly rounded or chiselled, creating a rustic charm in your home. Tumbled Travertine is a popular choice for farmhouse-style kitchens and outdoor spaces that require less mopping.

Cost of Natural Stone Flooring

The cost of natural stone flooring is measured per square foot, prices can range from £8 to £45 per sq. ft. depending on the type of natural stone used, and it's quality. Quality is ranked in different grades. Some key factors that affect the price include;

  • Tile size
  • Colours and veining characteristics
  • Rarer and exotic stones cost more
  • Discounted tile lines often cost less
  • Existing floor removal
  • Required subfloor preparations or repairs
  • Job Complexity (obstacles, irregular shapes, stairs)
  • Average wages and cost of living in your area

As mentioned the type of natural stone used for the new flooring will impact the price per square foot and the overall cost. Rare and exotic stones expectantly carry a larger price tag. Installation of the stone flooring will be a large sum of the overall flooring cost, with labour and equipment often costing as much as the stone. 

Most tile installers will charge £5 to £20 per square foot, depending on the natural stone floor to be installed. Furthermore, the removal of an existing floor isn't included in the installation price.

Removal increases the cost, ranging from £2 to £7 per square foot. It's best to gather advice from various professional local stone floor installers so you can compare overall costs.

Below we break down the key natural stone flooring costs;

  • Marble: £2.38 to £17.20 per sq. ft.
  • Granite: £2.42 to £14.88 per sq. ft.
  • Travertine: £1.83 to £8.80 per sq. ft.
  • Quartzite: £2.98 to £6.59 per sq. ft.
  • Slate: £1.87 to £10.63 per sq. ft.
  • Limestone: £1.49 to £10.04 per sq. ft.
  • Sandstone: £1.20 to £7.75 per sq. ft.

Cleaning Natural Stone Tile Do's & Don'ts


When it comes to cleaning natural stone flooring, you should follow the correct protocols to prevent damage. Below we offer a simple list of the Do's and Dont's when cleaning natural stone tiles.

Do…

  • Apply a high-quality stone sealer when required
  • Clean up any spills immediately, to avoid staining
  • Regularly sweep and mop stone floors
  • Use a non-damaging natural stone floor cleaner
  • Use clean water to rinse off, and dry thoroughly

Don't…

  • Avoid acidic substances, like vinegar, lemon juice or harsh cleaning chemicals.
  • Don't use any type of abrasive cleaner.
  • Vacuum cleaners can cause scratches, so avoid using these.

Marble Flooring Specialists In London

Are you looking for marble flooring specialists in London? We offer our marble flooring services for Westminster, Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith, Fulham, Richmond Upon Thames, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Islington, Barnet and throughout London. 

 Contact our experts today for marble floor cleaning, restoration and polishing. Follow the links below for more details about our services.