The Amazing Things About Marble Floors

For thousands of years, marble has been used to create elegance, class and sheer tastefulness when used in homes, commercial buildings, hotels, etc..  It awesome characteristic along with its diverse looks has certainly made it popular and has found its way in our homes today either as walls, floors, benches, vanities or even fireplace surrounds. Marble from around the world has been received here is Australia with an ever growing demand while being hugely popular at all levels today. It has striking grain patterns, open veins, creamy colors, etc and it’s one of the most recognizable natural building materials even to the layperson.

Marble has always been synonymous with the country Italy for they have produced gorgeous materials like carrara, calacatta, statuario, arabescato, etc.. over the years and even more so today. These evergreen materials from Italy are much sought after at this point in this and they do fetch a premium price in the market. Though hundreds of other types of marble come from quarries around the world, they each having their own unique personality and character.

Some of the most common types of marble are:

Breccia

This type of marble features a striking grain with swirl patterns that looks like trapped bubbles in a rock. Breccia comes in dark colors, shades of tan, red and gold.

Carrara

This classic marble is associated with Roman and Greek temples and statues. Carrara is a white marble streaked with subtle bands of gray. Aside from being used as a marble flooring it is also used for architectural details like on fireplaces.

Calacatta

Often confused with carrara. These two are almost the same but calacatta is a classic marble and usually whiter and purer with bolder streaks. It’s rarer compared to carrara and is more expensive and extremely unique in appearance.

There are other common marble types and they are: Botticino, Crema Marfil, Arabescato, Perlato, Galala, Omani, Crema Nova, Emperador, Thassos, Rossa Alicante, Rossa Levente, Nero Maquina, Vietnam White, Makrana, etc.. and it depicts different marble types that are specific to a region or country.

Marble is quarried as blocks and gets processed into slabs and then further into tiles or as required. During the production, it will get a surfaces finish and the common types are either honed or polished. They can be cut into different shapes from large rectangles to smaller mosaics. Like any type of natural stone, marble floors are difficult to install and will need skilled and professional stonemasons to cut, shape and to create unique designs and patterns. 

The Two Common Finishes of Marble Flooring:

Polished marble – finished to a high gloss showing off its beauty as well as the grain of the stone. Its finish can be slick and may be slippery when wet. To keep marble floors looking great at all times, it requires a high level of maintenance and care.

Honed marble – it comes from the process of polishing but in a lesser degree. It will not go through the whole process but will be stopped somewhere suitable where the surface is smooth but not reflective. A floor surface with a honed finish is not as stunning compared to polished marble but it is much more sensible a finish specifically in high traffic areas or in wet areas for example in kitchens and in bathrooms shower recesses. This finish will provide better traction. Honed finish marble is highly popular in Australia as it makes the stone surface look and feel natural.

Being a natural stone, marble has the tendency to absorb stains either water or oil borne. Marble floors need to be sealed every 3 - 5 year to keep it stain proofed while looking beautiful. A high quality stone penetrating sealer needs to be identified and applied well by a professional stone care personal. Marble floors will need to be looked at periodically for signs of wear, acid etching and other damages. Again your stone care company will be able to assist you when you need to refurbish the floors by either having the surface re-honed or re-polished accordingly. Keep away any acidic substances like orange juice, harsh cleaners, etc.. and spills should be cleaned up immediately. The best way to live with marble flooring is to assume that, over time, the floors will develop its own unique patina.

Stone Doctor Australia is your specialist stone and tile care company that is here to assist you when you need help in caring for these beautiful surfaces. We can be contacted at 03-9429 1223.

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