Natural stone floor tiles - 6 options to make the floor more luxurious

Natural stone has been used by humans for many millennia, since the beginnings of civilization. And if ancient people did not have the opportunity to choose, now many people prefer stone tile floors consciously. It's simple: natural stone has been and remains one of the most durable, strong and, importantly, beautiful coatings. Such floors always look expensive, therefore they are able to bring a special atmosphere of luxury into any room.

Modern technologies of stone extraction and processing allow creating floor tiles from many natural minerals. Let's look at the most popular of them.

Natural stone tiles in rich classic interiors look much more organic than ordinary tiles

Granite - reliability and durability

Granite floors are often used in public buildings: theaters, hotels, and train stations. Even in such conditions of high traffic and mass regular movement of people, granite floors are almost eternal. This is due to the high strength of granite, which is second only to diamond in this quality.

Granite tiles will be an excellent choice for both public and residential premises.

In residential buildings, granite floors will become a noble replacement for ordinary ceramic tiles. In the kitchen, in the hallway, in the bathroom - everywhere, instead of the traditional tile, you can use granite tiles. The great advantage of granite is that it is not afraid of water, and periodic or continuous exposure to moisture will not affect the appearance of the material.

Of course, any average consumer first of all pays attention not so much to durability or other characteristics, but to external aesthetics. And then a pleasant surprise awaits him! There are a huge number of shades of granite: light gray, pink, red, green, bluish gray, etc. Therefore, from granite floor tiles, you can lay out both monochrome surfaces and multicolor compositions suitable for any interior design.

Marble - timeless traditional luxury

Marble belongs to rocks of medium hardness; therefore, it requires a more careful attitude to itself than granite. Marble tiles are traditionally used for bathroom interiors. Its surface is porous, which means it is not slippery, which is very appreciated in humid conditions. Marble floor slabs may vary in color, texture, size. The floor can be laid out of the same slabs or consist of multi-colored marble mosaics - white, pink, blue, green, black. These colors are very saturated, however, dark veins, forming a fantasy heterogeneous pattern, give special beauty and “recognition” to the marble.

Marble has a rich spectrum of shades, which allows you to create multi-color floors with a pattern from it.

Travertine - a stone "tree"

Travertine or tufa of lime is a natural stone characterized by a layered cellular structure. Thanks to porosity, the appearance of travertine tiles resembles the surface of a tree. Soft shades of travertine do not only enhance the "woody" effect - most often the breed is painted in natural ivory, beige, brown. You can rarely find vibrant Iranian travertines - they are more valuable and, accordingly, expensive.

Travertine tile, due to its external resemblance to a tree, helps to give the interior a cozy, homely touch.

The cellularity and natural appearance of this stone dictate its shortcomings. Noticeable pores during operation gradually increase, the stone “wipes”. Therefore, from time to time, a travertine floor requires sealing of enlarged pores and subsequent polishing of the surface. Only with such careful care will the floor of natural travertine please for many years with its unusual texture and pattern.

Slate - Multilayer Station Wagon

Shale is characterized by a layered arrangement of minerals, which have a rich palette of shades. It can be both white and gray, sometimes with beautiful bright green stains. Slate floors practically do not absorb moisture and are strong enough, which allows them to be used in kitchens, showers and in any other residential premises. Shale works well in outdoor conditions, so shale slabs are often used for paving paths and courtyards of private houses.

Slate is highly regarded by designers due to its unusual colors and texture.

Sandstone - a variety of colors and patterns

Sandstone tiles have a huge variety of colors and natural patterns. However, they are rarely used for floors, mainly in the interior of "antique". The sandstone will be very useful also in country kitchens, terraces, outdoor areas. A feature of sandstone is the appearance on its surface of a grayish dull coating. To prevent such a nuisance, sand floors will require regular waxing.

Sandstone floors have an unusual sheen - the wax used to cover the tiles is to blame for everything

Onyx is an expensive pleasure for connoisseurs of beauty

Onyx is an ornamental stone, so the floors from it will fly into the desire to possess this beauty a pretty penny. Onyx slabs are difficult to process, but they look great: a translucent texture, combined with a unique pattern, creates a unique picture of the floor covering. It became fashionable to play onyx translucency and use under the tile backlight. This approach creates an amazing effect, in which it seems that the stone glows from the inside.

Onyx floors look like expensive decoration in a luxurious frame

Various calcareous rocks, diabase, basalt, labradorite, etc. can also be used for flooring. Compared to ordinary tiles, stone tiles have many advantages, the most important of which is the appearance of beauty and durability. The only drawback of slabs made of natural stone can be considered their high cost, which, meanwhile, fully pays off for decades of operation.

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