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Marble flooring is used in many grand buildings, like The White House and the Mark Twain house. Such type of flooring design is aided by the use of marble flooring tile, various colors, and a variety of shapes, as well as craftsmanship. You can create stars or borders. Even a checkerboard with white and black marble flooring is an interesting option. If you have to ask how to install marble flooring, it may be a project best left for professionals. Care of marble flooring involves proper sealing after installation and polishing periodically, as well as thoroughly cleaning marble flooring. To make a grand statement, consider marble flooring. |
Many believe that the beauty of marble flooring is out of their range in price. While most marble is quite expensive, the quality that it provides is amazing and lasts much longer than a lifetime when properly maintained. Installing them once will give you a beautiful outlook for lifetime. It gives an elegant look to your house or office. It is the most desired choice for all interior designers and architects.
Marble flooring is a natural stone that is imported from all over the world. Marble is durable, beautiful and exceptionally versatile. It is more difficult to maintain, expensive in most cases and is harder to install than most other flooring stones. But, all of these things are outweighed by the sheer elegance it offers. It provides you the most stylish and stunning environment at your home or workplace.
Marble flooring is very durable. It will last you a long time if you take care of it. But, the care that is involved in having marble flooring tile is more complex than that of other types of stone flooring. In fact, care of marble flooring is very important. When it is first installed, a protective sealant needs to be applied. You need to have this sealant reapplied every year at the very least. Cleaning marble flooring generally involves mopping, followed by towel drying it. Never use chemicals on it as most will damage the flooring. A wet marble floor will become spotted quickly. Part of the maintenance routine includes regular polishing.
As for its stain resistance, you may find that marble is a little more troublesome than you want. Never use chemicals on it as most will damage the flooring. A wet marble floor will become spotted quickly. Some types of marble are more susceptible than others to stains from common household products. Especially problematic for marble are orange juice, shampoos, and nail polish remover. But, even water can cause a pretty serious stain to marble.
Again, it is very important for marble to stay dry. To compensate for this, many professional installers of marble will use a neutral pH breathable sealer when sealing the marble. Marble is an alkali and thus it reacts with the acid stains which can lead to long-lasting discoloration of the floor.
Installation and Selection
You have decided to get marble flooring installed in your home. There are several things to think about here. First, you will likely need to have the marble imported, unless you live near the quarry, like in Marble, Colorado. Once upon a time, most quality marbles only came from Italy. That isn’t the case anymore. While you can still get Italian products of exceptional quality, you can also get high quality from Mexico, countries of the former Soviet Union, Spain and China. This gives you more selection in the options that you have.
Marble flooring design options are abundant, based on the color, and size and shape of the marble tiles you select. There are various colors, somewhat depending on where it’s quarried. You can purchase various shades of white, green shades, peachy-tones, and black marble flooring. The white shade is the most common and chosen one as it gives a perfect look to the place. When installing the marble, different patterns can be arranged to give you the look you want.
If you want to learn how to install marble flooring, you should consider the skill that you have. This is a very expensive material which means that you more than likely will want to have a professional install it. But, if you choose to do it yourself, ensure that you have the proper materials to cut it, as well as the knowledge of how to lay it. When laid properly, it is exceptional in its beauty.
Marble flooring is a durable alternative to your flooring needs. It’s beautiful, and like many beauties, requires regular care and maintenance. Take care to install it properly and clean it regularly, and you have a floor that will last for decades. With a little bit of maintenance and expenditure you can build a dream home with the help of marble flooring that will provide you a sophisticated look.
I live in Loveland, CO and cannot find anyone familiar with Marble floor to polish or clean our marble entry. It is at most 150 sq. ft. so the area is very small.
Any suggestions?
Cleaning the floor is easy, polishing is more demanding though. To clean marble floors use a damp mop with warm water and buff dry immediately. DO NOT use vinegar to clean marble because it will damage the soft marble. To keep the marble from absorbing the daily grime of living, you should clean it often — weekly at least, daily if you have lots of traffic.
Polishing should be done by a professional. See if you can find a maintenance company that takes care of office buildings to see if they would polish your floor. You may have to look further than Loveland for a professional floor company. Once you find someone, maybe they’ll teach you how to do it so you can stay on top of the job.
In the meantime, protect your marble as much as possible by using a rug to catch as much of the dirt and moisture as possible. And dry the floor of any snow or ice that gets on the floor, especially if there is salt around, to keep the marble from being damaged.
To whom can help me, I have a soft green marble at my job and I’m trying the twister pads on it to try and bring it up and get it to shine, but can’t seem to get it right….what am I doing wrong or does anybody have any suggestions??? Please help! Desperate for help!
I’d never heard of Twister Pads until your question, so I did some research. I was impressed to learn the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation has identified it as an environmentally friendly choice.
According to the manufacturer’s directions there are three steps of floor maintenance with their product. Are you using the white, yellow or green pads?
Hello,
I am renovating a Spanish Mission-style house in Westchester County, NY; the exterior of the house is stucco and we have an open 100 sq ft. front porch on a concrete slab…half of the porch is under a covered roof whose sides are open archways, and the other half is completely exposed. We would like to use tumbled marble 4×4 tiles as the flooring for the porch, however I am very concerned regarding the effect of New York winters on this type of flooring, as I have seen previous advice re. keeping a marble floor dry and also not exposing it to salt. I’m also concerned about the effect of shovelling. Is there any way that these marble tiles would be viable in this scenario or should I just forget it and go with Unilock pavers or bluestone?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Fred,
There are very good products made for protecting marble from moisture (both before and after laying). AquaMix carries a very good line of products.
Some marbles can be used in exterior applications and some can’t. You’ll need to check with the manufacturer to see if your choice(s) can be used outside where it’s going to be subjected to freezing temperatures.
The thing that concerns me the most is what could happen when shoveling snow – obviously you’d have to pay attention to what you’re doing so you don’t gouge the stone. Manufacturers should be able to help address this concern as well.
Re: Polished marble.
To polish marble, you need a slow speed floor machine, non-abbrasive floor pads, wetvac, neutral cleaner, and polishing compound.
Yes, that’s the short of it! The learning curve for using these products is pretty easy too.
Can you give me a ballpark of how much an authentic marble tile floor would cost per square foot? Or at least a range?
Thanks,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
No, not really. There are many different types of marble and different grades. Throw in the factor that prices are higher in some parts of the country than others and it’s a big variation in prices. I think you’ll just have to do your own homework – locally – on this one.
Hi,
Could you tell me the effects of freezing temps on a pallet of marble. Can it still be used?
I have been charged with “fixing” a million dollar marble floor. It has had several coats of LOK-Guard Sealer and Navigator floor finish. I’d say about 8 coats of the two combined (maybe more). I had planned to chemical strip the floor because dry stripping it with a orbital floor sander isn’t doing the job. I currently have the TWISTER Diamond Pads and a low and high speed burnisher in wait. The lippage have never and will never be resovled. Do you think chemical stripping the floor and using the pads is the easiest way? The floor is roughly 10,000 sq ft with high traffic. I need to do this in house, but need to know if this will work out or if there are other methods that prove to be more practical. Please help….
Hi Janet,
I don’t see why it couldn’t be used. Marble has been used outside since ancient times, and it got quite cold even way back then. ;~)
Hi Joe,
It sounds like it should work, but it’s going to be one of those “test it and see” type experiements. Sorry I can’t be more helpful, but that’s what I’d have to do if I were actually there. ;~)
Hello.
We purchased 12×12 marble tiles from Lowe’s. We laid them down last weekened and grouted today. We purchased a sealer for the grout, but didn’t buy a sealer for the marble floor itself. Should we seal it? I have read many points of view on the internet. We installed the marble floor in a bathroom. We will be putting down a bathroom rug, but I’m sure some water will get on the floor at some point from getting in and out of the shower. Do you know if the tiles purchased from such a large home store would be polished? I think the most important thing is whether or not we should seal the floor itself. Thanks so much!
Hi KG,
Yes, it should be sealed. Make sure any grout residue is removed completely and make sure that it’s compatible with what you’ve sealed the grout with (you could have done this all in one step).
You’d have to ask them if they’re polished. In this case *polished* would refer to being polished smooth (sanded and buffed so to speak), not polished with a polishing product being applied to it.
Hi,
Can you tell me if there is a second-hand market in marble flooring, where one can purchase an existing floor from a home that is being remodeled or torn down?
Thank you.
This is usually referred to as ‘reclaimed’ – whether it be flooring, stone window sills, bricks…… Do a Google search and you might hit on some leads.
Hi,
I have marble flooring for 3 years. I am puzzled why it starts to chip. Small pieces of marble keep coming out when I sweep and mob the floor. Now, there are holes here and there. Please let me know how to prevent it from chipping further. How to patch them up and how to maintain the shine?
Thank you.
Anonymous (30 May 2009)
Hi there,
It sounds like your flooring isn’t sealed. Sealers do need to be reapplied ever year or two. I don’t know what your marble looks like to recommend how to patch it. As far as maintaining the shine, be sure to use a high-sheen sealer – and be generous! It can then be cleaned with a weak vinegar/water solution (1 part vinegar to 15 parts of more of water) with a microfiber mop. I would also suggest either a second, dry microfiber mop head or microfiber towel/rag to avoid spots/streaking.