Natural Elegance, Magnified by Royalty

Marble floorings have earned itself a place among royalties in the past. It has graced the palaces of kings and queens for centuries, making it a lavish choice for interiors. Praised for its beauty, elegance, and style, marble floors have been used in grandeurs such as the Taj Mahal and the Palace of Versailles.

Marble is a natural stone quarried from mountains around the world. Coming from the family of limestone, it is formed when limestone has been exposed to extreme heat and pressure, leading to metamorphic state of the stone.

It can be found in a variety of colours, which was a result of iron oxide, mica, graphite and quartz. The veins you see in the marble tiles can be more or less visible depending on its quality. Higher grade marbles have fewer veins because of its composition and having fewer amounts of impurities. The material has become reliable once installed, and has been used universally for floors, walls, countertops, and furniture items.

Marble flooring adds touches of magnificence and refinement to its surroundings. With varying colours, finish and design, you can adorn your whole house with marble floor and nothing will feel out of place.

It may have an everlasting appeal, however, there are some upside and drawback to marble flooring. Aspects such as maintenance concerns that need to be understood before purchasing choices are made.

The Advantages: To Your Benefit

Elevated Appearance.

The biggest advantage of marble flooring is that it instantly enhances the appearance and feel of a space. It gives its space a regal bearing that is hard to imitate.

Marble tiles are versatile as you can cut it into rectangles and triangles of varying sizes. It allows for complex mosaic pieces for installations, giving your home that impressive look.

As it is available in multiple colours and stunning multi-colour mixes, it provides flexible options for a variety of decorative schemes. Mix different colours and come up with a brilliant colour scheme to design your floor. Some famous floor marble colour tiles are:

• Crema Marfil
• Calacatta Venatino
• Carrara Venatino
• Brescia Sinai
• Botticino
• Makrana

Distinguishing and Exclusive.

Each marble tile is unlike any other natural stones out there, which makes each tile a unique piece that has its veins growing without any pattern. The distinct marble features are more subtle in solid-coloured tiles compared to the ones that are multi-coloured.

It does not mean your floor will look odd. When marble is quarried, it is brought to the factories in huge chunks or slabs. The tiles that came out from a slab looks close in appearance and form a colour symphony on the floors they are laid out on.

People who opted for marble tiles are often advised to buy an extra box as it makes replacement for damaged tiles a lot easier. Sometimes, the tiles may become stained over time, and the extras can save you a lot of pain instead of having to renovate the entire floor.

Eco-Friendly.

Marble flooring is eco-friendly as it is formed from natural limestone, hence making it completely degradable at the end of its life time. If you want to change the floorings of your home, you don’t have to dispose the old material. You can always call a marble company to remove and pick up the pieces and reuse them elsewhere. They can always make something out of it later, which makes recyclability, environmentally friendly.

Not forgetting to mention, marble production quantities are often smaller as they are extracted and not created. There are limited chemicals and energy needed to prepare marble for a home. It does not rely too much on compounds that are created, and relies heavily on labour over machinery.

Durable.

Marble flooring is durable as it is a high density stone, hence being able to last for ages. It is often a fitting choice for flooring for areas with a lot of traffic or continuous use.

Marble flooring is durable in a sense that it is heat-resistant, and easily acts as a heat conductor. Although in colder countries, many people will install heating systems under the tiles for colder seasons. For hotter, humid nations you can install radiant cooling systems that will chill surfaces on sweltering days.

The Drawbacks: For Your Consideration

Scratches easily.

Although essentially a rock, it is still relatively soft. Marble floorings are still prone to scratches, being scraped, and chipped under wrong conditions. This is especially true for materials that are polished as the imperfections are more noticeable under smooth, flat solid surfaces. It gets noticeable when polish is applied. To make it worst, one cannot simply repair scratches unless the damaged tile is completely replaced.

Expensive.

Marble floors can be expensive to install as the material is a premium architectural element. It generally falls on the expensive end of natural stone costs and lasts not as long as granite or slate.

Stain prone.

Marble reacts aggressively when in contact with acidic substances. The reactions lead to staining and etching, which leads to permanent discolouration. Any coffee, orange juice, or even ketchup spillages has to be cleaned up immediately to avoid such damages.

When choosing cleaning products, avoid using the ones that has high pH levels as they are acidic and can stain the tiles. Use non-acidic cleaning products instead, along with clean and dry mops for daily cleaning purposes.

Slippery.

Floorings made of marble are extremely slippery after polished. Meaning it can cause severe accidents. Furthermore, its hard surfaces can break bones even if not careful. Avoid installing marble floors near pool decks or any other areas that can cause slippage.

Upkeep.

Marble flooring needs a lot of upkeep to retain its beauty. While it may be sturdy and durable, it will not hold its lustre without regular polishing. Marble flooring requires you to do daily sweeping, dry dusting, and mopping to keep it looking at its best.

Some may suggest regular professional cleaning and polishing to maintain marble flooring’s upkeep. It can be disadvantageous as it increases the cost of marble installations as professional cleaning can be expensive.

In order to lower the cost of marble cleaning the easy way, you will need a broom, water bucket, marble floor cleaner, untreated mop, and a white towel. Follow the steps in the chart below to clean your marble floor.

Once you are done cleaning the marble floor, be sure to check if any stains are still present. If stains are still present, you will need a more vigorous method of stain removal. As mentioned previously, clean up any spillages as soon as possible to prevent stains in the future.

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