Marble Floor Tiles: How to Judge Their Quality?

Marble is one of the beautiful, durable and versatile natural stones. However, it is important to ensure its quality for a long life of your flooring. Quality marble tiles do not come with a high price tag. To determine the quality of marble, you need to know how to spot inferiorities in marble tiles. Buying 10 percent more than what your project demands will help to keep a few tiles on hand for replacement when needed and to compensate for tile cutting mistakes during the installation.

Cracks and Appearances

The cracks, veins and fissures in marble give it a naturally artistic appearance, but can affect its strength as well. You have to examine the surface of marble for large fissures or cracks and then check the same thing on the other side of the marble. A quality tile does not have any fissures or fractures. Sometimes, manufacturers also apply fiber glass or epoxy mesh reinforcements on the backside of the marble which is of lower quality so that the tiles do not break. You cannot use such types of marble as it affects the ability of the marble tiles to adhere. Use an epoxy based thin set instead of one containing cement.

Calibration and Dimension

The thickness and calibration of the tiles is an important indication of the quality. The thicker the tiles, the better they are because natural marble tiles contain flaws. The flaws are nice to look at but can also cause the tiles to break if the application is too thin. Besides, check the dimension of tiles if they are square in shape. If they are not properly shaped, then they are not good for creating tight and equal grout lines. Hence, select tiles that are of same height, length, depth when you want a countertop or level floor.

Chips and Cracks

A marble tile with cracks and chips is a vital indicator of low quality. Chipping and cracking is normal but more than 5 percent cracks and chips make the marble too soft and are not good for cutting during installation. You need to carefully observe the tiles for their smoothness on all surfaces: edges, back and front.

Doctored Tiles

To fill the cracks and chips in the tiles, manufacturers add some fills. If you notice any dull areas while holding tiles under the light,it indicates the lower quality of marble, especially if the surface has the mirror-like appearance. High quality marbles contain no breaks or holes that require fills to be added. While cleaning the marble tiles, avoid using acidic chemicals as the constituents that are found in marble, such as calcium carbonate, disintegrate with the application of acids.Bleaching powder should never come in contact with the marble too. The best cleaning tip is to wipe the tiles with a damp cloth or pour water on tiles and sweep the water off them with a soft bristled broom.

As you now know how to check the quality of marble floor tile, the next important task is where to shop for them. If you stay in the Tampa Bay Area, FL, Way Floors can provide you with the best selection of this stone floor tile. Choose from a host of sizes, colors and finishes by visiting their local shop. They also stock other varieties of stone floor tiles like granite, travertine, limestone, sandstone, etc. If you’ve kitchen or bathroom remodeling in mind, hire their experts to transform the area through high quality kitchen cabinets, bath vanity cabinets, and tiles such as porcelain, ceramic, vinyl and wood looking. The floor tiles for sale here are sourced directly from factories and sold to customers at reasonable rates. Visit Wayfloors.com to have more details!