Beautiful and practical, stone is an excellent choice even for the busiest rooms. Here’s everything you need to know before you decide to buy. These versatile floor coverings offer much more than just aesthetics. Stone flooring is valued for its durability – it can withstand heavy traffic, contact with water and high temperatures – while adding value to your home.
While stone is most commonly used in kitchens, bathrooms, halls and conservatories, there is no reason why you can’t choose stone for your bedroom or living room as well. To help you choose the right stone flooring for your space, we asked the experts in: interior designers for their opinions on the best stone floor ideas and how to make them look good in every room in your home.
Advantages and disadvantages of stone floors
Adventages:
- Resilience
- Large selection of colors and finishes
- It adds character to the space
- It can survive for over 100 years
- Compatible with underfloor heating
- Cools the room in summer
- Suitable for kitchens, bathrooms and halls
Disadventages:
- It may seem cold
- Sealing is necessary
- Requires regular maintenance
- More expensive than other flooring materials
- May be too heavy upstairs
- It cannot be installed by yourself
How to care for stone floors?
You should consider how you will clean your stone and marble floors. The stone is alkaline, which means it has a value higher than 7 on the pH scale. Therefore, you must use a neutral pH cleaning agent, as acidic substances can damage the stone over time. Remember that the stone must be well sealed. As an impregnator, it fills the pores of the stone, making it impermeable to strong dyes. A big misconception is that limestone floors will stain or fade with use. But modern seals retain even the brightest stone.
Stone floor – cleaning
The stone is often already protected before leaving the factory. If not, it stains easily, so it is important to protect it with a sealer or, in the case of terracotta and slate, use linseed oil. Once sealed, clean it with a mixture of mild detergent and water. However, it needs to be re-sealed regularly to keep it looking its best. Clean up any acidic spills immediately. The processed stone must be sealed with an anti-stain agent and then impregnated with a water-based surface layer. It must be regularly renovated every two years. Consult the manufacturer or supplier for information on proper care and appropriate products.
