Natural stone has been used as a floor covering in domestic residences for centuries. It’s beautiful and unique and adds a touch of sophistication to any home. A hugely popular choice for bathrooms floors, natural flooring is incredibly hardwearing and even improves with age. If you look after your stone surfaces properly, they will almost certainly last you a lifetime.
Natural stone comes in an array of materials and textures. Whether you choose marble or granite, slate or sandstone, each stone is different in its colouring, often with deep veining that makes each piece truly remarkable. Natural stone tiles have a uniqueness that are impossible to recreate in a manufacturing process. The veins that run through the tiles appear like crystals or fossils and add to the gorgeous look and appeal.
And because natural stone comes in so many different styles, it can be used in all types of bathrooms – from the classic and traditional to the very chic and contemporary. Stone blends beautifully with other natural materials such as wood and is the perfect material for under-floor heating.
While different types of natural stone have their own unique characteristics, durability, practicality, resilience and style is what they all have in common. Perfect for a bathroom, all you have to decide is which you like best, for a full range of styles and materials for your bathroom visit Spanish bathroom company, Promas.
- Limestone
[limestone-bathroom]
https://www.mystonefloor.com/stone-tiles/jura-cream-honed-limestone-floor-tiles
With its beautifully textured appearance and neutral palette, limestone tiled floors emulate the natural beauty of hardwoods but still give you the incredibly long-lasting and hard-wearing qualities of a natural stone product. In its natural state, limestone is highly porous and needs to be sealed regularly to avoid stains. However, it’s a very popular choice for its soft and uniform look and warm, neutral colouring. It lends itself to both traditional bathroom interiors as well as contemporary ones.
- Travertine
[travertine-bathroom]
https://www.builddirect.com/learning-center/flooring/travertine-for-the-bathroom/
Travertine is actually a type of limestone, with natural markings in a wide range of warm hues. This stone is characterised by rough troughs and pitted holes, or pores, in its surface, which gives it a rustic, antique look and feel. Another antique finish is achieved when the tiles are tumbled, which leaves the edges of the tiles rounded.
- Slate
[slate-bathroom]
http://axch.tk/bath-floor-slate/
Slate tiles laid in a bathroom have a rustic feel and have hues of blue, red, green, and purple. Slate is especially good for bathroom floors as it’s naturally slip-resistant.
- Sandstone
 
[sandstone-bathroom]
http://flooring.about.com/od/Flooring-Pros-And-Cons/fl/Sandstone-Flooring-Pros-and-Cons.htm
Sandstone is created by densely packed layers of rock and has a fascinating desert landscape-like appearance. Floor tiles come in a variety of colours, but too remain water repellent, they must be sealed regularly (twice a year).
- Soapstone
[soapstone]
http://www.tinybathroomideas.com/appealing-bathroom-floor-tile-design-ideas-using-black-soapstone-tiles-under-rear-outlet-floor-mounted-toilet-alongside-rectangular-bathtub-dimensions-with-gooseneck-tub-faucet/
Soapstone is a natural quarried stone; it’s a metamorphic rock that got its name from the soapy feel of its surface, which is due to the presence in the stone of talc. Most soapstone is imported from Brazil and Finland. It’s a superb bathroom flooring option, not only because it looks great but also because it’s very low maintenance – you don’t need to use sealers (from time to time just apply some mineral oil on the surface). Soapstone also gets darker and richer in colour over time.
- Belgian Bluestone
[belgian-bluestone-bathroom]
http://www.beaumont-tiles.com.au/Room-Ideas/Ensuites/628
Another type of limestone, Belgian Bluestone has a black or dark-grey background and white, grey and beige markings that look great, especially with a contrasting colour grout. These tiles do get lightly scratched over time, but the patina makes them even more beautiful. Applying a little olive oil revives their brilliant sheen.
- Onyx
[onyx-bathroom]
http://sdflooringcenteranddesign.com/tile-stone/onyx/
This stone has wonderful striations in a wide range of colours, and because of its translucent quality it makes the floor area glow. But beware, it’s a delicate stone that needs to be sealed.
This article was written by Dakota Murphey, independent content writer and interior design enthusiast.
