Good planning, hard work and enough budget are key factors of a successful home renovation. With all the challenges also come opportunities to add style and functionality to the home, making it a more enjoyable living space.

One of the biggest decisions you may have to make when renovating your home is which type of flooring to install. If you’ve checked the flooring options available on the market, you’ve probably seen that marble is a popular option. Mined in mountain regions all over the world, marble has been used for building since prehistoric times. Cherished for its beauty, style, and elegance, marble has adorned the palaces of kings and queens for centuries, and today it’s still considered an expensive, elegant alternative for interiors.

If the stylish and clean appearance of marble has got your attention, but its expensive cost is preventing you from getting it for your home, marble tiles easily address this problem as they offer the look of real marble while still being cost-effective.

What Is the Difference Between Marble Slabs and Marble Tiles?

The manufacturing technique is one of the main differences between marble slabs and tiles. Natural marble slabs are taken in their natural form from quarries and cut to the desired sizes, whereas tiles of marble are man-made and go through particular stages before being cut to their final shapes.

The grade of genuine marble slabs varies greatly depending on the quarries from which they are mined. Even if several slabs are obtained from the same mine, the texture may vary from one to the next. The marble style tiles, on the other hand, have a consistent quality and texture due to a predetermined manufacturing method. This makes them an excellent option for areas when a soft, clean, and homogeneous look is desired.

Tiles made from marble are also extremely durable and retain their gleaming appearance even after years of use. Because they absorb less water, this increases their longevity. And thanks to technological advancements, marble tiles are now resilient enough to survive for years if properly maintained. Marble slabs, on the other hand, are more porous and hence less durable.

If you’re still not convinced, here are a few other great reasons to consider these tiles for your home.

Unique Style

If there is one quality that marble tile flooring excels at, it is elegance – it quickly elevates the appearance of a room. As no two tiles of marble will be the same due to the nature of the genuine stone, you will have a floor that is unique to you.

The wide variety of patterns, textures and designs naturally found within marble style tiles, make it an excellent choice for adding intrigue and high-end luxury to any home restoration project. From black marble tiles that reflect the undulating tones of a stormy sea to serene marble cream tiles that bring softness, light, and warmth into your living area, you’re sure to find an option to suit your design aesthetic.

High Durability

These tiles are both sturdy and attractive. They can withstand almost everything you can throw at them. Have dining room chairs scrapping against them? Dropped dishes in the kitchen? Water splattering all over the bathtub? The marble tile product is up to the task. Marble flooring is scratch-resistant and durable as long as it’s properly maintained, especially in high-traffic areas of your house. Another significant advantage of marble is that it can be polished back to its original sheen after many years of intensive use by flooring specialists.

Versatility

The versatile look that marble offers allows the flooring to be used in any environment. Marble is a fantastic floor choice for bathrooms, kitchens, halls, living rooms, bedrooms and even outdoor areas.

How to Choose Marble Tittle Floors?

When looking to buy marble tiles, you’ll have two common opinions to choose from:

• Traditional marble has a polished finish that adds class to any decor. The polished finish makes the tile extremely firm and flat, hence resistant to water stains and simple to clean and maintain. Furthermore, you do not need to wax the surface because it has a solid finishing touch, indicating that it can maintain its particular shine without any further assistance. Another fantastic advantage of these tiles is that they are available in a variety of brilliant colours with high gloss, satin, matte, or dull finishes, allowing you to select a set of traditional marble tiles based on your tastes and needs.
  
• Tumbled tiles, on the other hand, are polished to give an earthy, natural appearance. Tumbled marble, in fact, is more scratch resistant than traditional marble, which assists in maintaining the natural spic and span appearance. After all, no one can afford ugly scratch or tarnish marks on their floors, especially ones that need extra work to remove. Tumbled tiles are, however, more prone to stains due to their smoother surface, which is why proper maintenance and cleanliness are required all the time. Applying a sealant or wax to the surface of your tiles will help preserve them from damage.
  

How can you tell if marble tile is of good quality? Quality marble doesn’t have to be expensive if you know what to avoid while shopping for the tiles. If you know how to recognize flaws in the marble, you will have a greater chance of finding high-quality tiles at low rates for your tile remodelling job.

The Features

Marble’s veins, fractures, and fissures give it a natural aesthetic appeal, but they can also compromise its strength. Examine the surface of the marble for major fissures or fractures, then flip the tile over to inspect the opposite side in the same location. Quality tiles do not have fissures or fractures that span the entire length of the tile, but rather a vein of colour with no break running through it.

The Backing

To guarantee that lesser quality and weaker tiles do not break, manufacturers attach fibreglass or epoxy mesh reinforcements on the backside. This sort of backing cannot be used to lay tiles over thinset because it interferes with the tiles’ ability to adhere. Instead of using cement, use an epoxy-based thinset.

The Thickness

This is another great indicator of its quality. Because these tiles are inherently flaky, the thicker the marble tile, the better. These imperfections are appealing to the eye, but depending on the use, they might cause the tile to shatter if it is too thin. Aside from thickness, double-check tile proportions to ensure that all tiles are square.

Cutting tools can slip off track and misalign during the cutting process, resulting in slightly trapezoidal tile shapes – not ideal for generating tight and uniform grout lines. When you want a level floor, choose tiles with the same height, length, and depth.