Limestone Floor Tiles
Limestone tiles are made from the sedimentary rock limestone which forms over millions of years from deposits of marine invertebrates and calcite. It is a beautiful natural floor covering that is generally cream in color, however individual tiles may vary in color from off-white chalk, to a rich golden brown. They may also have a variety of speckling, mottling and other surface markings.
Limestone tiles have been used as a floor material for a long time and it is currently gaining popularity as an expensive flooring material offering the timeless qualities only possible with natural materials. It is also popular outside with natural stone pavers being increasingly used in backyards and
Before you choose your stone and tile floor tiles you must consider the application to ensure it's suitability. Choosing the correct material is always a balance between aesthetics and practicality and you should make sure not to rush your decision. For example you could use soft water worn limestone on a bathroom floor but that same tile would probably not be suitable for a busy family kitchen, where a harder honed or polished tile might be better.
The types of finish include:
- Honed: A common surface finish that can vary between matt and a slight sheen;
- Polished: Available only with certain harder varieties of limestone;
- Brushed: A textured surface that varies with the hardness of the material and the degree of brushing it receives;
- Water Worn: A process that gently ages the stone giving a slightly soft look with contoured edges.
You may be able to find cheap limestone tiles on the Internet but be vary that in general terms some are only suitable for specific use and you should consider carefully the long term investment of your floor. It's always worth looking at the technical specification particularly the porosity etc and always clarify the intended application of the floortile.You get what you pay for and if it sounds to good to be true it usually is, as is the case with other floors materials such as marble.
Limestone and therefore it's tiles can vary widely, this is quite normal and in many cases desirable but you should always try and ensure that your order is supplied from a single batch of limestone from a single quarry. If you are looking for tiles to cover a large area you should also be wary of making a decision based an a single sample tile. Make sure you see a larger sample area to ensure that there is not too much variation in color, pattern and hardness.