THE NATURAL CHOICE
Here, Quorn Stone outlines the key points to consider when specifying a real stone floor.
The beauty of stone is its diversity – each tile is completely unique, and every floor will be one of a kind. A stone floor is a great investment for any home, hospitality or retail setting and can be an extremely durable and forgiving choice. It is important to note that any natural stone will require sealing upon installation and re-sealing approximately every four to five years. Should you love the look of natural stone but prefer a maintenance-free option, we recommend opting for a stone effect porcelain which requires no sealing and looks very similar.
The colour of your floor tiles can really impact the overall feel to a space, so it is an important element to get right. As natural stone is a product with variation, we recommend seeing as much of the stone as possible prior to purchasing. Traditional grey flagstones are a timeless choice and work well at balancing rooms with lots of natural light – if your space is on the dark side, we would recommend a buff- coloured stone which tends to work with most colour palettes and provides an airy feel. A popular choice is a buff-coloured base tone with flecks of grey fossil detail – this detail helps make the floor extra forgiving with day-to-day crumbs and dirt, but also helps to tie the floor in with any grey interiors.
The tile size you go for is down to personal preference – there is no right or wrong. However, over the years we have developed a keen eye on what sizes and formats work best for all shapes and styles of kitchens, bathrooms or family rooms. Typically, natural stone comes in a format known as ‘free lengths’, this means the tiles are a set width (usually 500 or 600mm) and the lengths vary up to 1000mm. The beauty of this format is that the vertical grout joints are all off-set and therefore it avoids the tram track style lines across the room – helping to keep your eye on the tiles and not the grout.
Flooring in hallways and kitchens will probably see the most footfall and use versus any other space in the house. Natural stone tiles are a practical option, as not only are they hardwearing materials, but also very forgiving – because of the natural variation, details or prints found in the tiles help to disguise everyday dust and dirt.
Always check prior to purchasing that the stone you are choosing is a dense tile – natural stone can vary in density meaning some stones are harder wearing than others.
Finally, it is also important to consider the grout colour. A very light or white grout colour will be less forgiving in heavy traffic areas so we always recommend choosing a grout colour that complements the stone yet offers some warmth to help disguise any dirt.
www.mystonefloor.com 22 | STONE & CERAMIC
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