Although the present-day marketplace is flooded with a wide variety of flooring options, not many of them can beat the beauty and durability of natural stone tiles.The use of natural stone for floors can be dated back to thousands of years in imperial palaces, mansions, houses of worships, and public establishments. Some of the widely popular stones include marble, granite, slate, travertine, and limestone. They are all extracted from quarries through a large-scale excavation process. In the beginning, this process was used to be carried out manually, thus calling for a huge expenditure of labor. These days, the advent of innovative technologies has made quarrying a lot easier and faster. Consequently, the prices of natural stone floor tiles have come down considerably. Everyone can now afford to install them on their floors.
Process of Making Natural Stone Tiles
Natural stone quarries are found across several continents, from Asia and Africa to Europe and North America. Shedding light on how natural stone tiles are made, large blocks of rock are first extracted from the quarries using explosives or heavy cutting machines and further cut into smaller slabs of different thickness using high-speed saws. The slabs are then polished to render them with various textures, from rustic to smooth. They are subsequently cut into an array of smaller sizes to make them suitable for use as floor and wall tiles. A final polish is applied before they are made available for sale.
Reasons to Opt for Natural Stone Tiles
First of all, natural stone tiles are offered in a host of finishes, colors and styles. In fact, you can have tiles to match any kind of interior. There are smooth and shiny limestone tiles to suit the contemporary tastes. If you want to give a classic touch to your flooring, go for the ever popular marble or granite. Choose slate or travertine for a rustic feeling inside. Secondly, since they are natural, each tile is different from the other in appearance. So, your room will look really unique and striking.
Popular Forms of Natural Stones Used for Tiles
Marble:A hard crystalline metamorphic rock, marble has been a well-known choice for making sculptures and as building material for centuries. Whether it is the illustrious Italian sculptures or the age-old Greek and Roman architectures, the everlasting beauty of marble is there for everyone to relish. Contrastinglyveined, it comes in an array of colors to make floors truly eye-catching. Avoid using darker marbles for damp areas like bathroom since they are porous in nature.
Granite: It is an igneous rock formed by the solidification of molten magma, thus making it extremely strong and durable. Granite is also available in a wide range of gorgeous colors and is mostly used for kitchen countertops in addition to flooring.
Limestone: It is a sedimentary rock formed when layers of biological deposits are compressed and crystallized over long years. Limestone comes in cream to golden brown colors.
Travertine:A white concretionary form of calcium carbonate, travertine is typically hard and semi-crystalline. It is known for its honeycomb structure and plenty of dents on the surface. Fill these dents with resin for an even surface or leave them unfilled for a rough texture. Colors vary from light creams to dark reddish browns.
Slate:A fine-grained metamorphic rock, slate delivers a rustic touch to any interior thanks to its thin layered look. It hinders the penetration of water, thereby making it an ideal choice for floors as well as patios and roofs.
Find a broad range of granite, travertine, slate, limestone, and marble floor tile at Way Floors – a Brandon-based marble and granite shop that sources natural stone floor tiles from across the world and sells them to customers at factory rebated discounts. They also carry kitchen and bath vanity cabinets, vinyl flooring bathroom and other areas, wholesale floor tiles, indoor and outdoor carpets, laminate wood flooring, solid hardwood flooring,and so on. This floor and decor shop also serves areas such as Tampa, Riverview, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Wesley Chapel, Lakeland, Land O’ Lakes, Valrico, etc. Have further details by visiting Wayfloors.com today!