The Benefits of Marble Floors
Marble floors have plenty of benefits. Let’s take a look at them.
Pros and Cons of Marble Floors
Pros
- A marble floor has an elegant, sophisticated appearance.
- Marble is a natural material and can be sustainably sourced.
- Marble is easy to polish and can look dazzling.
- Marble is a good candidate for radiant floor heating systems.
- A marble floor can add value to your property.
Cons
- Marble is a porous stone which requires sealing to use properly.
- A marble floor can be easily scratched and stained.
- A marble floor can be expensive to buy.
- Marble flooring doesn’t naturally conduct heat, so it can be cold underfoot.
Costs of Marble Floors
A marble floor is considered to be a premium architectural element. It is therefore much higher in price than other types of materials.
Broadly speaking, marble falls on the higher end of natural stone materials, but they don’t last as long as something like granite or slate. you can expect to pay anywhere from £10 or more for one square foot of material.
Specialty marble can cost more, with an upwards cost of £30 per square foot. The cost of professional installation adds to the price of marble. You might have to pay an extra £5 per square foot for installation.
How to Clean Marble Floors
Marble is an easy material to clean. Keeping it clean can be done with the same damp mop and sweeping that you would do for a ceramic tile.
However, marble is a porous material. Therefore, large amounts of water should not be left on the surface. This water will penetrate the marble and discolour it.
Maintenance and Repair of Marble Floors
Users should be careful of the softness of marble. It is easy to scratch and chip marble flooring. Damage of this kind cannot be repaired without having to replace the entire area. Polishing damaged marble will only serve to highlight the ruined areas.
As a stone, marble has a pH rating that is on the alkaline side because it is a sedimentary limestone. This composition means that marble can have a chemical reaction with acidic substances. Food, beverages, and cleaning products will all trigger a reaction.
You can prevent this by applying a chemical penetrating sealer, followed by a surface sealer after the marble has been installed. However, you should probably reapply the sealer on an annual basis.
Design Inspiration
A marble floor has quite a few benefits. First of all, it’s a very regal looking stone, which instantly improves the elegance and appearance of your space. Because marble is available in multiple colours, and also in multiple block colours, there are many different ways you can decorate.
Furthermore, because it is a naturally occurring product, every piece of marble that is used in a floor is unique. There is never going to be another piece exactly like it, because it won’t form in the same way twice. This means that every floor has a unique personality.
Different Types of Marble Floors
There are definitely quite a few types of marble flooring that can be used.
First of all, there is Carrara marble, which is often greyish white and has almost grey veining. It’s probably the most common type that you will see because it is fairly affordable.
There is also Calacatta marble, because it is the most luxurious and expensive, it’s often seen at the other end of the spectrum. It’s much more subtle, with darker colouring, and you only see it in very upscale homes. Another type of marble is statuary marble, which is much more luxurious than other types and has dramatic veins.
