Marbles or tiles: What’s good for your space?

It is always a question of choice, taste, class, safety, durability and affordability. Oftentimes, any of these six factors are the determinant to whether or not you want to floor your interiors or exteriors with tiles or marbles.

Just before you decide which of the two flooring can be tagged distinct irrespective the listed factors above, let’s see the importance of flooring your home distinctly.

Usually, floors are often not as planned out as other areas of the home, so most homeowners will typically go for anything available. But you should know that the floors in your home or office are the area that gets the most traffic and it needs to be kept in great shape so that your home maintains its appearance; hence the need to go for distinct, which automatically equates quality and durability.

Component of marble and tiles
Marble is a natural stone, which is made by limestone’s metamorphic crystallisation that results in the conversion of calcium carbonate into calcite crystals. While tiles, are made from silicates or clay, fired at high temperatures.

Differentiating parameters for marbles and tiles flooring
. Marble is less consistent than tiles due to the fact that marble is a natural stone, and this makes it possible for wide differences to be spotted in the same stone of the same lot. While the appearance and colour of tiles are carefully controlled in the course of production, giving it an end-product that comes with slightly minor variations between batches.

. Marble comes with a glossy finishing; tumbled or honed, while tiles are available in both glazed and unglazed varieties with more natural look due to the pattern screen printed on its surface.
. While marble is available in myriad shades and colours due to the geographical process that formed the stone. Tiles are also available in diverse forms like terra cotta, quarry tiles, glass, and even porcelain.
. Marble can be polished to shine because of its relatively high porosity due to the component of stone and robust crystalline structure. Whereas tiles have relatively low porosity and are thus perfect to be used in high moisture areas like bathrooms and kitchen.
. Tiles can be recycled and are non-toxic because they are manufactured using safe processes. Marbles, however, are not exactly eco-friendly option as it is a non-renewable resource and extracting it requires energy-intensive processes. The impact these processes have on the environment can be toxic.

. Marble is relatively more expensive than tiles because tiles are man-made, while marble is a natural stone, which has to go through a mining process, and extracted using costly procedures.

Durability of both flooring types
. Tiles are durable, easy to maintain and suitable for outdoor use. However, because marble is a natural, porous stone, it is better suited for interior use due to the aesthetics and class it bestows on your interiors.
. Marble tends to get stained easily while tiles do not get stained and are easier to maintain. When used as flooring, marble tiles should be kept in areas with low-to moderate-traffic while tiles are perfect with 24-7 traffic.

Safety of both flooring types
Due to the natural gloss of marble, it gets slippery and can cause accident if caution is thrown to the winds. But tiles are more user-friendly.