Let’s face it! Selecting Stone Floors for your home, office, hotel, restaurant, deck or other space can be a daunting task. Even the true design professional has many things to consider when confronting this challenge. Here are few tips to help you out.
1. Consider Scale. What is the size of the space? What is the configuration? 1000 square feet in a perfect rectangle is not the same thing as when that total area is chopped up into various halls and nooks. For years and years the argument has raged over, “does a large space need large format tiles?” We say, consider the scale and the shape of the area and make a smart decision. Those 24” x 24” pieces might look perfect in a beautifully symmetrical room but not so great when cut and crammed into a series of hallways.
2. Texture is Important. Centuries of stone interior floors have been installed with a polished, relatively reflective finish. No need to stop now. Just be cognizant that such a surface might be a tad slippery in certain situations. Standing water will not be your friend here. So, exterior usage may not be a great idea. That said, polished stone is perhaps the most elegant flooring of them all. However, a honed finish could be a perfect alternative to polished. Stone can also be beautifully textured to offer serious non-slip characteristics.
3. Color Rules. White is usually right, or so they say. Gray has been a foundational neutral for quite a while now. Black is forever. The proverbial “earth tones” never really go away. The point is that natural stone can deliver all these color ways; plus wonderful feature elements in reds, greens, and golds.
4. Trends? Be careful! Selecting Stone Floors requires taking the long view. They don’t swap out like soft goods and paint. This may seem obvious on its face, but it bears repeating.
Marble Systems knows a lot about this topic. Let us help.