4 Types of Natural Stone Flooring: Advantages and Disadvantages

There are different types of flooring options that can liven up your home. But, you need to choose the one that is right for your needs based on a set of factors. In this article, we will be discussing natural stone flooring. We will look at the different options within natural stone flooring, their advantages, and disadvantages.

Hopefully, this will help you decide if you should go for natural stone flooring at your dream home. If yes, then which one.

Natural Stone Flooring

There aren’t many flooring materials that beats the beauty of natural stone. Natural stone flooring comes in different shapes, sizes, and colors. If you want to use natural stone for your floor, which one will you choose? Which one is right for your home? It’s indeed confusing.

Let’s discuss 4 commonly used options in detail below. We will cover advantages and disadvantages based on factors discussed in this article.

1. Granite
2. Marble
3. Slate
4. Lime stone

1. Granite:

It is one of the most popular options in natural stone. It comes in different colors and textures. One of the main advantages of granite is, it’s durability when compared to other types of natural stone. Granite is widely used for kitchen counter tops. It is a great choice for flooring in rooms as well.

Granite has the ability to withstand heavy use, heat, spills and foot traffic with proper maintenance procedures.

1. One of the greatest advantages of granite is its durability. When we install a granite floor in our home, we can be sure that we’re installing a floor that will last a lifetime.
2. The main reason for the love of people to granite as flooring material is definitely its natural beauty.
3. Granite need very less maintenance. Simple sweeping and occasional mopping is enough to keep the floor looking gorgeous.
4. It also serves as a great investment. Because, granite floor increases the resale value of your house.
5. Stone is a non combustible material and is considered as a fire-resistant material. 

Disadvantages of Granite:

1. Because of all the above mentioned perks, the cost of the material is high. It might not be suitable for the projects with a tight budget.
2. It can become very slippery if it is highly polished. Which makes granite less ideal for the very young and the very old.
3. Granite installation takes time. If there are any irregularities such as bumps or dips in a room, or if the floor isn’t completely level, it could cause the granite slabs to crack. So the installation take extra time and labor, which increases the cost of the project.
4.  Heat transfer is fairly rapid in granite , because of the thermal conductivity of stone. Most of the stones are not considered as a highly rated thermal insulator.

2. Marble:

Marble is highly praised for its classic elegance. It has been the material of choice for monuments, temples and buildings for thousands of years and it have been around since the ancient times. The Taj Mahal in India, Parthenon in Athens, the Coliseum in Rome and even the White House are all fine examples of how architects, sculptors, and craftsman have used marble to create beautiful buildings throughout the ages.

Actually, the names of natural stone and their colors were in Italian, and the name consisted of two parts. where the first word indicated the colour of the material while the second one, the place of origin. If we select, Bianco Carrara , which means White marble from Carrara, Italy and if we choose Negro Marquina , it refers to Black limestone from Marquina, Spain. Even today, most of the natural stones are identified in the same way.

Advantages of Marble: 

1. Marble is also durable option.
2. It has an everlasting appeal. It does not go out of style.
3. Marble flooring is favorable for hot climates as one feels relatively cold underfoot.
4. Marble is an eco-friendly material . Because,it does not undergo any chemical process while manufacturing.
5. As all other natural stone, it is also non combustible and is considered as a fire-resistant material. 

Disadvantages of Marble: 

1. Marble flooring is not suitable for very cold weather regions.Because, it gets very cold in winter season and we cannot walk barefoot on it. marble is not a thermal insulator.
2. Marble can be used in any of the places including bathroom. But, we need to keep in mind that highly polished flooring invites accidental fall.
3.  Marble requires annual sealing in order to keep water and liquids from penetrating the stone. We may also need to polish and re grout the marble tile floor routinely. which increases the maintenance .
4. Marble floors are also very slippery when wet, which is dangerous and can result in accidental falls.
5. Marble requires professional assistance while installation because of the difficulty in the process. Even a small mistake can ruin the entire project. which increases the overall cost of the project.

3. Slate:

Slate is another natural stone material which is also known as a metamorphic rock. One of the main advantage of slate is its durability. It can be used in the places with high foot traffic and areas with significant moisture content .

Advantages of Slate:

1. The main advantage is its extreme durability.
2. Slate floor is resistant to fire.
3. It needs very low maintenance. Regular sweeping is enough to keep it clean.
4. It is very water resistant in nature, so it can be used in rooms with high moisture levels and even high liquid contact areas, such as bathrooms and kitchens.Simply, we can use it in both wet and dry areas.
5. Slate is unique and beautiful by its appearance
6. It’s rough texture nature,makes it non slippery.

Disadvantages of Slate:

1. Even though it is not as much as expensive as other natural stones, it still cost much more than other flooring options like carpet, vinyl or laminate.
2. Slate tends to be quite cold underfoot like all other natural stone flooring options. Slate is not thermal insulating material. We cannot walk barefooted on these types of floors during cold winter mornings.
3. Need periodic sealing to prevent it from stains.

4. Lime stone :

When it comes to choosing a reliable flooring option , limestone is another natural stone that plays a vital role . It is formed from the delicate materials such as coral and shells, which give it a natural and earthy appearance.

Advantages of Lime stone:

1. lime stone flooring has been used since ancient times. and it is much appreciated for its appearance.
2. It is fire resistant in nature like all other stones.
3. Lime stone flooring is not slippery in nature as compared to granite and marble flooring.
4. You can prefer this type of flooring at the entrance area, bathrooms and our kitchens can be beautified by using limestone tiles.

Disadvantages of lime stone:

1. When compared to other natural stones, it is softer in nature and might chip or break if it is used in high traffic areas. Simply, it is less durable compared to other natural stone flooring options.
2. Ensure to seal the limestone before installation. It needs resealing every few years in order to protect it and ensure against stain damage.
3. It needs a lot of maintenance because the material is porous and it gets stained easily. so, we’ll have to seal it at least once a year with a stone sealer. Maintenance is expensive and time-consuming.

Hope you have a clear idea about the classification, advantages and disadvantages of Natural flooring .

I’ll explain about the other categories in the next articles. The next topic of our discussion will be Wooden flooring. Its classification, advantage and disadvantage. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.