But I LOVE those marble tiles!!
Fed up with my own indecision, I marched to the stone tile place today fully prepared to buy some marble tiling for my front hallway. I have been warned against this by my contractor (“tenants will fall, they’ll sue you…”.) , friends – (“what are you kidding, it;’ll be a mess”), and today the store…
Fed up with my own indecision, I marched to the stone tile place today fully prepared to buy some marble tiling for my front hallway.
I have been warned against this by my contractor (“tenants will fall, they’ll sue you…”.) , friends – (“what are you kidding, it;’ll be a mess”), and today the store person — “you can seal it against stains but it will scratch. and we want to tell our customers the truth.”
I found these marble tiles which are white with a faint mocha color swirl which are beautiful. Every time I went to pay for the order, the salesperson took out a knife (no not on me) and had to scratch the tile anew to prove what a poor consumer choice buying these gorgeous things was.
I really want a light colored floor (its a very small area so I don’t mind the clieaning), and something beautiful. I don’t want my long suffering tenants to get hurt (I can put a mat out when it rains – applies to any porcelain too). I really want to buy the marble because of how beautiful it is, but wonder if in 3 years they will look like hell. If and when it does get scratched, can it be repaired.
Slate is out since I want a light color and I really want an elegant as possible entranceway. This consumer angst is embarrassing. I wonder if I can ask you helpful brownstoners your opinion.
Please advise me.
Original poster here… Yeah, I have an old black/white slab in my mini-foyer and it is a little ratty looking but it is very old/probably original. And I have walked upon many a marble floor so I don’t know what the big deal is with using it. The reason I am posting is that I am sick of doing things twice. Mistakes are expensive, though as someone said this one probably wouldn’t break the bank if in fact it is a mistake, so all feedbacks, comments, experiences and advice are very much appreciated.
I have a comment/question: a lot of prewar buildings where I live have marble (slab) foyers, all the way from the entry through to the back. Usually an off-white color or the classic black and white checker pattern. They don’t seem to be egregiously slippery or dirty and they’re pretty old. Ditto older buildings in Europe. Why’s that?
Im not sure if there are vastly different types but I know someone who has a marble tiled floor and kind of a pig – and his floors look fine. It does seem slippery though.
well, if the people you are trying to hand money to are imploring you not to, maybe they are right?
It is a slightly translucent white tile, which has a smooth surface, not travertine or tumbled.
Is this tumbled or travertine? I’ve used that a few times in kitchens and it’s fine. It’s meant to look aged. I don’t know about “new looking” marble.
In my opinion, if you love them, put them in. If it’s such a small area, it won’t cost too much to tear them out & replace them in a few years if you find out it didn’t work–you’re not risking that much, so keep that in mind and take the plunge if you want.
If, on the other hand, you hate the idea of having to redo it, go with something safer. A pale quartzite may satisfy your needs: it’s light colored, pretty robust, offers the visual character of real stone, and has a naturally rough texture that will minimize the risks of slipping. You can see some images at http://images.google.com/images?quartzite+tile .
You will grow to hate that marble. I think you have to shop around more. There are lots of options for you.