Stone floors

Stone, such as marble and granite, are beautiful on the floor but unlike ceramic or porcelain, need more care and maintenance. After installation and in some cases before grouting, the stone should be sealed with an penatrating or impregnator sealant. Instead of merely sitting on the surface, it penetrates the stone and prevents most liquids from leaving a stain. One still has to be careful though. Wipe spills up immediately.

On older stone floors the main walkway is more worn and near the wall the stone will look almost new. That's because stone floors will wear and can darken slightly with time, but that will also add character to the floor which a ceramic tile floor cannot duplicate.

   
________________________________________________________________________________
Travertine Marble-12"x 24"
Some joists (support beams) had to be leveled
               
 
          If you look carefully infront of the dishwasher, you'll see the removable section that allows one to pull the unit out and over the slate bypassing the counter.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

With a mosiac pattern centered in the room, 4"x 4" tumbled marble was set round in a diamond pattern. This marble, being very porous, has to be sealed before grouting or it may absorb some of the colour of the grout, discolouring the marble.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Stunning Red Marble from Iran
             
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Multi-coloured Slate The floor had to be leveled in some areas.   A bathroom floor using 6 and 4 inch multi-coloured slate          
        Most types of slate require that they be sorted first to avoid having a patchy design. This adds time to the a installation but the result is worth it.    
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Black Uneven Slate-Various heights   The second picture on the left shows how the seams on the floor should be secured. When tiles crack, either stone or ceramic, it's almost always caused by a badly fastened floor. Either not enough screws or only nails were used. I always use at least 2 1/4" screws for the joices and 15/8" between the joists and on the seams. This floor used about 1000 in total.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Green Brazilian Slate Protecting the hardwood floor and kitchen cupboards before the removing the existing tile during the demolition
      The wire mesh under the tile. You can see how the wire mesh is twisted. That's why I try not to use it. I simply don't believe in it's ability to stabilize a floor. I only use plywood when working with a wood subfloor.  
The Installation      
   
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Honed Limestone A Slate Floor    
Right: Laying out pattern before setting.   Left: Here you can see how some slate can absorbe water even after being sealed once. I just finished grouting and doing the final wipe.  
                                 
        This is a very absorbant slate and had to be installed with care. Any thin set left on the surface for an extended time may stain the stone. Sealing the stone with the right sealer is also important. After the intial sealing and after grouting, a sealant should be applied again no sooner than three days after grouting to properly protect the stone.  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Below are pictures of a mosiac floor comprised of various sized pieces of quartzite. Before the floor is set, I have spread out two mats heating coils. The electrician then tests that it works and the mats will be covered with a layer of thin set and the rest of the floor leveled to that new height, then the stone can be set. The wet spots on the stones you see are just water spills.    
                       
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Front Foyer   Black12 x12 tumbled marble with wrap around border installed on a Kerdi mat.        
                           
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________