Marble Floors
If you have the budget and the inclination, marble floors can be a magnificent addition to a home. Here are some helpful ideas on where to begin when choosing your marble, how to get that lustrous floor and what types of marble are available. It’s all just a stone’s throw away!
Marble instinctively conjures up feelings of elegance. The simple beauty explains why it’s been used in all the great palaces across Europe. From the lavish use of white marble in the ancient Greek Parthenon to the extensive stretches in the Vatican in Italy, marble’s seemingly endless durability has outlived all of the ancient leaders that once stood upon it. There are other practical reasons why people would want to lay a marble floor aside from its lustrous beauty. Marble is very durable, like many other stones, it has a strong resistance to cracking, chipping and can withstand large pressures if laid on an even surface. It is also hypoallergenic and naturally sterile.
Although marble is indeed very expensive, Creative Tiles and Laminates ltd, marble buyer, John Kelly says that: “it is the most expensive flooring to purchase... also the most beautiful... The cost of the marble depends on its availability, the demand for it and what part of the world it comes from and things like how it has been cut can be factored in.”
Choosing a marble floor
Choosing what type of marble you want is really the first step in getting those sensational marble floors. Certain marbles have an abundance of rich colours and textures running through them which show up more clearly when they are buffed and polished. Some marbles, like Calacatta Rosa, frequently have silky smooth streaks mixed with splashes of different coloured marble etched into the stone and give it a uniquely textured style. To find a marble suitable for your home it is best to go to a marble retailer such as Just Marble Ltd, North Yorkshire, who have suppliers from several different Spanish quarries.
Traditionally, white marble from Italy was seen as the highest quality marble and was used most frequently for various different decorative purposes. However, with the explosion of interest in the domestic market (up to 400% within the past five years) people are starting to take note of marble from other countries. Black marble from China is now very popular and one of the most expensive types you can choose.
Some marble floors have a more classical look than others. A particularly attractive marble used on floors and probably the most expensive are the Rosa aurora marbles, which are also a good material to use for sculptures. Rosa aurora marbles are considered to be one of the prettiest marbles in the market today. The Rosa aurora is also famous because of a translucent layer that seems to sit on top of the marble and gives it a special waxy lustre. This watery marble is also particularly attractive when chosen as flooring and is highly polished.
It’s important not to forget that marble is just a stone and can vary a lot. In fact a large proportion of marble comes from Limestone. The factors that change the quality of the marble depend on how it is extracted and cut from the quarry. Marble can also change quite quickly from when it was first quarried to its final destination as some tend to harden after time.
Installing your marble floor
Once you have selected your marble type, the messy work begins. If your supplier doesn’t include laying your marble floor as part of its service, you must source a tiler to do
the job for you. Anyone who has been coerced into helping with a DIY job involving laying tiles will know that it is a very difficult to get it perfect and it is very time consuming.
The ominous word grouting sends shivers down most people’s spine. Something that may initially looks relatively simple, is certainly not. Pat Morrison a tiler from The Tile Doctor warns that “laying tiles is a notoriously difficult job to get right and after spending so much money on the basic materials,
particularly on marble, it is well worth paying a professional to get the final product perfect.”
The process of laying marble tiles, involves firstly laying down plywood to make sure there is an even surface, above which usually lies a layer of felt paper and then a diamond mesh
is placed on top. Usually a dry mix is spread down ¾ inch thick. The mix varies depending on the marble, however, coarse sand and crushed Portland stone are often used.
Some green or black marble needs special mixing material like epoxy and for other lighter coloured marbles a different aggregate might be used. The tiller will then place
the pre-cut tiles down while tapping gently with some sort of softened hammer.
The level of the tiles being laid needs to be constantly checked by a leveller and then each tile is placed down in a pattern such as the running bond. Once laid, they will need to be let settle for at least two days. Depending on the type of marble, it might be advisable then to put a coat of sealant on it, however sometimes this is already done before you purchase it.
