Stone - Before You Buy

Granite or limestone, slate or Travertine, colorful or neutral, polished or honed, 12”x12” or 16”x16”, bull nose or 90 degree edge, and on an on.

Natural stone flooring offers you virtually endless types, styles and price points.

But all that variety and all those decisions can be quite intimidating to the unknowing shopper.

With natural stone, knowledge really pays off. And knowledge today, before you buy, can be invaluable.

It can help you decide which type of natural stone best fits with your home and its activities, which size tile complements your room size and much more.

Thus this section.

It’s all about things you should be aware of, keep in mind, and just plain know, before your shopping phase leads to purchase time.

You won’t see your floor at the neighbors.

The beauty of natural stone is that no two pieces are ever the same.

Each piece has its own natural characteristics such as color, veining and markings, as well as hardness and porosity. Your floor is truly unique and completely individual. Exclusive.

A natural stone tile floor begins with giant pieces of stone that are mined from the earth and transported to factories where they are cut into thin slabs.

Each slab is different, displaying the affects of the physical course of its ancient history.

The slabs are then cut into individual tiles. Depending solely on Mother Nature, and Father Time, each tile cut from the same slab might look completely different from the next.

Veining and crystallization may be abundant in one, yet non-existent in another.

Appearance may vary from tile to tile, but that only adds to the elegance, charm and magic of natural stone.

With natural stone you go with the flow.

Variations in natural stone are to be expected and, frankly, enjoyed.

So the samples you view at our store can have completely different veining patterns or color variations compared to the stone installed in your home.

Also, please remember that it is not possible for you to hand select your natural stone.

You should be aware that irregular markings, lines, veins and crystallization are not cracks or imperfections, but rather a natural part of the stone’s beauty.

Think of them all as forming the “personality” of your floor.

Additionally, if you select a combination of natural stone products, of the same color and type of stone, for different areas of your home, they will not match.

And no natural stone tile will have a perfectly smooth surface. Even after the tiles are polished there may be small chips or pits that may be apparent in different lighting.

Being a natural product, natural stone tiles will vary more in thickness, squareness and length compared to man-made ceramic tile.

As a result, once your natural stone tile is installed, it will not be a perfectly smooth surface from tile to tile.

Finally, natural stone also varies in hardness, which is the scratch resistance of a mineral. Talc is the softest mineral and diamond is the hardest.

This is important when picking a stone. Make sure to consider what types of activities will be taking place where the stone is installed in your home.

For example, you would not want to install a soft, porous type of stone floor in a high traffic area. Our best advice is to consult with us.

Hard and fast facts about the popular half dozen.

To help you shop smart for natural stone flooring, here’s a rundown on six popular stones: granite, marble, limestone, travertine, slate and tumbled stone.

Granite is one of the hardest and densest of all natural stone.

In fact, made up of quartz, feldspar and mica, granite is one of the hardest stones next to diamond.

It also resists staining and scratching better than any other natural stone due to its density.

Granite makes a powerful impact in kitchens, entryways and bathrooms, or as an accent with other natural stone tiles.

Marble is crystallized limestone that comes in many different color variations and usually displays a veining pattern that adds to its uniqueness.

Marble is a timeless addition to any home, bearing the signs and marks of history from thousands of years.

Marble is more porous than granite, making it more susceptible to staining and therefore is more suitable for you