Natural stone is one of the oldest flooring materials. Offering durability, functionality, high strength, and good quality finishes, natural stone tiles are still a very popular flooring option for millions across the world. However, it is important to know the various options available in the Indian market today before making a final choice while constructing a home. Read on to understand stone flooring types and finishes, benefits and limitations of using Indian stones for flooring and how to select the best stone for flooring.
Understanding Stone Flooring
As the name suggests, a flooring finish produced with the aid of natural stones is called stone flooring. Available in various forms such as tiles, slabs, panels and cut-pieces, natural stones produce versatile flooring designs in an eco-friendly manner. Under present conditions—when the world is reeling under the effects of global warming—sustainable and durable options like natural stone tiles are an important solution for combatting climate change caused by the construction industry.
Types of Natural Stone Flooring
Stone flooring slabs are obtained and manufactured from rocks that are formed in one of the three following ways:
Igneous Rocks/ Stones
Referring to “fire-born” substances, igneous rocks are formed by hot, molten volcanic lava or magma which solidifies. Such rocks are made up of a high quantity of minerals which are commonly found on Earth’s subsurface levels, and these dispense beautiful grain patterns and colours to the rocks. Examples of some igneous rocks used to create flooring slabs are granite and basalt.
Sedimentary Rocks/ Stones
Weathering processes cause movement and deposition of various types of minerals, which harden over hundreds of years to form sedimentary rocks. The properties of these rocks vary extensively, based on the type of minerals deposited and the duration of formation. Popular sedimentary rocks processed for flooring are limestone and sandstone.
Metamorphic Rocks/ Stones
When subjected to intense heat, pressure or other chemical/ physical processes on or below the earth’s surface, igneous or sedimentary rocks often transform to produce a new type called metamorphic rocks. This process results in a change in many of the original rocks’ properties, such as texture, grain pattern and composition. Marble, slate and quartzite are commonly used metamorphic forms in natural stone flooring.
Natural Stone Flooring Options
Some of the most popular indoor and outdoor natural stone flooring options in India are:
Marble Flooring
Marble is a metamorphic rock available in colours like white, pink, grey and black and can be polished, semi-polished or left rough when used for flooring. The easy maintenance property, high strength and durability make marble flooring a sought-after component of construction. Marble can also be cut to create intricate patterns with inlays of differently coloured stones, making it an aesthetically preferable home stone flooring choice.
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock found under water, and its main components are calcium and carbonates. Pure limestone is commonly available in white or shades of light grey, but an increase in manganese and/or iron content can result in hues of yellow, brown and red too. Limestone flooring is durable and cost-effective. However, it can be very porous and requires a coating to resist the absorption of water and stains. A popular type of limestone is travertine, which can produce gleaming surfaces due to its high ability to receive polish.
Granite
Despite its popularity in stone top kitchen platforms, granite is an extremely hard and durable stone commonly used for flooring. Composed of minerals like feldspar, quartz and mica, granite flooring can be found in various shades of black, grey, white, pink, brown, red and green. It is an igneous rock, whose varieties in flooring range from rough to polished, typically available in large longitudinal slabs that can be used both externally and internally due to their high strength.
Sandstone
Sandstone is a type of soft metamorphic rock that is found in colours like red, brown and pink. It has popularly been used in historic buildings, especially in the state of Rajasthan, where it is abundantly available. Despite its vibrant colours and stunning grain patterns, sandstone is not very commonly used in the structural parts of homes due to its low strength, high porosity and vulnerability to natural weather conditions (which can easily cause cracks, blistering and weathering).
Slatestone
Slate stone is a sedimentary rock found in hues of grey, green and black. As a flooring material, it is most often used in external spaces due to its rough and unpolished finish. However, it has historically been used to create floor and roof slabs, owing to its easy availability, non-porous nature and durability. This stone has great resistance to weather, stains and fire, and requires minimal maintenance.
Soapstone
Composed of magnesite, carbonates and talc, soapstone or steatite is a metamorphic rock that has a texture like dry soap. Commonly available in shades of grey and black, soapstone is extremely impervious and non-slippery, making it ideal for wet spaces like bathrooms and open areas exposed to rain. It also has a high ability to retain heat, ensuring thermal insulation for under-floor heating systems.
Mosaic Stone Flooring
Small pieces of stones, chips and similar elements are laid out in custom patterns and joined together with mortar or adhesives to create mosaic flooring. This surface is then polished with a grinder to produce a level, uniform surface. Often, grout mixed with the desired colours is used to fill in the gaps between different stone pieces. Typically utilising waste stone pieces that are leftover from other processes, mosaic stone flooring is a versatile, sustainable, flexible and completely customisable form of stone flooring design.
Finishes for Outdoor Stone Flooring
Exterior floors of stone generally have rougher finishes to ensure slip-resistance, especially during rains or when wet. Some of the popular rough stone flooring finish options available are:
- Sandblasted: A rough granular effect is created by blasting sand and water at high pressures on stone surfaces. Although rough, this stone finish has a level surface with a uniform pattern.
- Rough-Cut or Sawn: Despite being ideal for and extremely durable under heavy traffic conditions, rough-cut stones have an uneven surface that may hinder movement and comfort.
- Flamed: High temperatures and flames are directed towards stones, whose outer surface layers peel off to reveal the uniformly patterned, rough textured layers underneath.
- Chiselled/ Hammered: Smooth, semi-polished or rough-cut stones are subjected to continuous manual or machine-generated hammering or chipping to produce chiselled surfaces.
Finishes for Indoor Stone Tiles
Smooth finishes are generally preferred in indoor natural stone flooring patterns. Some of the most widely used of such finishes are:
- Polished: Polishing processes like buffing, grinding and/or coating produce smooth, gleaming flooring surfaces that often look seamless and greatly emphasise the natural grain patterns of the stone. Natural stone is available in fully polished tile or slab forms, or can even be polished after installation.
- Semi-Polished or Honed: Although not as gleaming as polished stone surfaces, semi-polished stones have a smooth surface that is also typically slip-resistant. These are ideal to ensure safety and practicality while maintaining a seamless visual appearance.
- Leather Finish/ Lappato/ Lapotra: This finish is a combination of matte and polished finishes and is created by running a diamond-tipped brush over stone surfaces.
Benefits of Natural Stone Tiles for Floor
- Sustainability: Stone is a naturally occurring material and thus eco-friendly. However, quarrying, natural stone tile manufacturing and processing methods sometimes extensively generate greenhouse gases, thus calling for the usage of stone in more natural forms for construction.
- Versatility: Available in numerous types, designs, sizes and colours, stone flooring is versatile and can be adapted to suit different architectural styles and aesthetics. Most soft stones and thinner hard stones can also be cut and arranged to create innovative patterns.
- Durability: Good quality and well-maintained stone floors can last for hundreds of years. Hard stones like granite and marble can bear extensive wear and tear, and also large amounts of pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
- Thermal Insulation: Most types of stones (especially when local varieties are used) have good thermal insulation properties. They absorb heat during hot weather conditions and release it when it is cold.
Limitations of Natural Stone Floor Tiles
- Cost: Although natural stone flooring pricing differs widely based on the type, finish, availability and design, stone flooring in general is more expensive than manufactured tile flooring. The heavyweight, demanding machine transportation for many stone types, adds to the overall cost.
- Labour Requirement: Installation and finishing of stone flooring requires extensive labour compared to manufactured tiles. Procedures like cutting, rounding of edges, polishing, chipping and carving, further add to this labour requirement, also increasing construction timelines.
- Wear and Tear: Unpolished and rough-finish stones can absorb stains easily, while polished stones can undergo discolouration over time. Vulnerability to scratches and chipping is also a common issue.
- Maintenance and Replacement: Polished stones require repolishing every few years, while most unpolished ones need acid cleaning or similar processes every couple of months to maintain their visual appearance. However, if any type of stone tile gets chipped, broken or damaged beyond repair, it is generally very difficult and sometimes improbable to remove and replace a single flooring piece.
Selecting the Best Stone Floor Tiles
With the wide variety of stone types, finishes and designs available in the market today, choosing the right flooring material can be an unsettling task. Brick & Bolt, a leading construction company in India, employs expert architects, contractors and project managers to optimise designs and ensure functionality, helping you navigate flooring material selection and the entire construction process easily. 470+ quality checks, along with the lowest construction rates in India, ensure that you get only the best for your home. Contact Brick & Bolt today to begin the journey of your home and commercial construction!
Hemali Patel