How often does a stone floor need resealing?

Every 5-15 years. Most importantly with stone floor maintenance, is using the right cleaner. We always recommend using the cleaner from the sealant manufacture which has been designed to clean and look after the floor. Supermarket cleaners are often bleach based and will strip the sealant off the floor over time.

 

Is a stone floor easy to maintain?

Yes provided you follow some basic rules on cleaning. The singularly most important aspect is using the correct cleaner. We always recommend using the cleaner supplied by the sealant company. This has gone through the rigours of their own Research and Development to make sure it cleans the floor effectively, and also looks after it.

 

Does natural stone flooring vary in colour?

Simply put, yes, but it does vary from stone to stone. Some stones though are naturally more consistant than others. Natural stone selection also goes through a grading process. This is where variations in the stone which are deemed not suitable, are selected out and are put into a second quality, or commercial quality.

 

Is stone suitable over under floor heating?

Yes, stone is a fantastic conductor of heat so is ideally suited to go over under floor heating. Stone also retains its heat once the heating goes off.

 

Are bigger tiles better?

Larger tiles will give a bigger feeling of scale in a room, large or small. Also because there are fewer grout lines the floor will also not look as busy, and will be easier to maintain (it’s easier to maintain a tile than it is grout).

 

Can I use these tiles outside?

Yes but it depends onto what surface they are being fitted. A 15mm tile will need to be fitted onto a concrete slab using a tile adhesive. Anything 20mm or above can be fitted onto a compacted scalping base using a traditional sand cement mix, but the grey colour of the cement may bleed through a lighter tile. For exterior limestone we normally recommend a 30mm tile to avoid this.

 

How long does it take to fit natural stone flooring?

A tiler should be able to fit 5-10m2 of natural stone tiles a day. It will depend on the size of the room, and the size of the tile.

 

How do you stick tiles down?

A modern day tile adhesive is used to stick down natural stone, or porcelain tiles. A bed of approximately 6mm is normally sufficient.

 

Does it matter how thick a tile is over under floor heating?

No it doesn’t matter. A thicker tile will initially take longer for the heat to transfer through, but will also retain its heat for longer when the heating goes off.

 

Do I need a light tile in a dark room?

It’s all about the lighting. If each time you walk into a room you turn the lights on, then as long as you have good lighting the floor will always be well illuminated. This will give you a greater choice of stone tile colours, light or dark.

 

Is natural stone flooring expensive to fit?

Fitting any tile is labour intensive, and requires a skilled tradesman to fit them, so the fitting will make up a considerable percentage of the flooring budget. Part of the fitting process with a natural stone includes sealing the tiles, so there are some additional fitting tasks over a porcelain tile.