The benefits of marble tile floors

In the last two decades, the popularity of marble tile flooring has grown exponentially. There is no mistaking the look that a marble tile floor can give to a home or office and the fact is that it is also an excellent investment.

However; There are various types of marble tiles available to choose from and each style has its own unique characteristics. Another thing to consider as well is that floor tiles also include polished granite and many people do not make this distinction.

Polished granite tiles are darker in color than marble tiles and can range in shades from light gray to nearly solid black. Polished granite countertops have become very popular over the years to the point that they are now almost a requirement in an upscale custom kitchen.

Therefore, it is important that you know the difference between all types of marble and granite tile before you begin the process of designing your home, so that everything matches up correctly and you know what you are looking at when you are looking. tiles

The prices of all marble and granite tiles can vary greatly, but as a general rule, you will be able to find the cheapest prices on marble tiles. This does not mean that all marble tiles are cheap, because not all are, and in fact, some specialty marble tiles can be quite expensive.

It just means that you can always find some inexpensive types of marble tiles available on the market. Hardness is one of the factors that determines the price of marble and granite tiles and that is why you really won’t find cheap granite tiles as cheaply priced as marble. Granite is a very hard stone and therefore expensive to cut and polish, and the darker the granite, the more expensive the tiles will be.

This is because it is iron in the granite that gives it its black color, so the blacker the granite tiles, the more iron it contains and therefore the harder it is.

Limestone is another quarried stone that tiles are made from and will be even cheaper than marble, but will not have the variations in color and “style” that marble will. Limestone tiles, in fact, are limited to white and slightly off-white in color and limestone is also one of the softer stones that tiles are made of. The benefits of limestone tiles are the cheaper cost and its white color that many people prefer.

The choices in marble tile with regard to color and “design styles” are too vast to mention here. This is due to the fact that marble is quarried in numerous countries and regions spanning the four corners of the globe and comes in a wide range of types, colors, and styles. The term “style” refers to the unique “look” that all marble tiles will have, which can range from “spots” to “swirls” and many other unique natural patterns.

If you are considering installing marble, granite, or limestone tile in your home or office, the floor must be able to support your weight. This means they must be installed over a cement “slab” floor or “raised frame” floor that has been joisted and veneered to support the weight of the tiles.

The reason marble floors are so heavy on raised wood frame flooring is that tiles cannot be installed directly on top of a wood floor. Rather, a two-inch bead of cement must first be poured over the wood-frame floor, over which the tiles will later be installed.

The cement layer can be lightened by using perlite instead of standard gravel, but the floor and shoring will still need to be specially framed to support the weight.

Bathrooms and kitchens are places where marble, granite or limestone tile can make all the difference in the world and you will get the best return on your home improvement investment.

So, if your home’s substructure and bracing aren’t enough to support a full tile floor, a sensible option is to have the additional support structure fitted under the smaller floors in your bathroom and kitchen. This can be a relatively simple task if those areas under your home are accessible. Installing marble tile is a task that homeowners can do themselves if they have the right equipment and one of the many books on the subject on hand when they do it.