Natural Stone Tiles - Are You Ready to Be Truly Amazed?

Natural stone tiling is a flooring material of exceptional beauty, where every single tile is unique. Unlike ceramic or porcelain tiles, which are factory-manufactured products, natural stone is quarried directly from the earth all over the world.

Each type of stone possesses its own distinct characteristics: while hardness, durability, porosity, colors, and textures vary from one variety to another, they all share numerous advantages.

Highly prized for its aesthetic appeal, natural stone tiling brings a prestigious and timeless touch to any interior. Whether it features a polished, glossy finish that subtly reflects the light, or a matte, textured look that adds depth, it instantly elevates the space. It is available in a wide variety of shades and finishes, making it a perfect fit for any design style.  

What Is the Most Commonly Used Natural Stone Tile?

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The Advantages of Travertine

Travertine is a sedimentary rock, a type of porous limestone that’s lighter than marble and granite and easier to cut. While it’s originally white in colour, a myriad of impurities may give it a slightly beige to dark brown hue, by way of beautiful grey tints. 

Travertine tiles are:

• Highly durable

• Eco-friendly

• Safe

• Simply installed and maintained

• Versatile

The Advantages of Marble

Marble tiles are natural and aesthetic and immediately convey a unique appeal in a home. For the longest time, marble has been considered a high-end stone, metamorphosing walls and floors in the most prestigious of homes. 

Its numerous shades and finishes ultimately depend on the ground, erosion, and components it came into contact with during its formation. Similarly to wood, marble tiles come in a variety of essences with names derived from their origin: Egyptian marble, Portuguese marble, Carrara marble, etc.

Marble tiles are:

• Elegant and luxurious

• Luminous

• Durable

• Versatile

The Advantages of Granite

Granite is an igneous natural stone of legendary robustness. Its major comeback in interior design is due as much to its exceptional physical properties as to its unique aesthetic, which seamlessly adapts to any interior style.

This flooring option is available in an impressive color palette ranging from light gray to deep black, including shades of beige, yellow, red, and even blue. These magnificent hues and speckled patterns are the result of its unique mineral composition (quartz, feldspar, mica) and its underground crystallization process.

Granite tiles are:

• Durable

• Resistant

• Easy to maintain

• Versatile

The Advantages of Slate

Slate is a sedimentary-derived metamorphic rock that contains different minerals such as quartz, feldspar, mica, hematite, graphite, and chlorite. Visually speaking, it has a sheet-like structure.

Historically, it was the go-to in ancestral homes. Nowadays, it’s rather favoured in contemporary and modern interiors, pairing beautifully with wood and metal.  

Slate tiles are:

• Very resistant

• Extremely durable

• Relatively non-porous

• Scratch-resistant

• Stain-resistant

• Lighter than other natural stones

• Low maintenance

The Advantages of Limestone

Limestone tiles bring incomparable elegance and a warm atmosphere to your interior with their soft colors and clean, refined appearance. Thanks to their variety of finishes (tumbled, honed, or brushed), they blend harmoniously with any design style, from rustic to contemporary.

Limestone tiles are:

• Subtle and elegant

• Offered in various finishes

• Malleable

Are Natural Stone Tiles Expensive?

The price of natural stone tiling is generally high. This is easily explained by the complexity of quarry extraction, the logistical costs associated with its substantial weight, and shipping fees when the stone is imported from abroad.

Are you tempted by natural stone, but working with a limited budget? Consider travertine or slate. Depending on their origin, finish, and quality grade, these materials rank among the most affordable natural stones on the market. Travertine, for instance, serves as an excellent budget-friendly alternative to marble, offering a similar level of prestige for a fraction of the cost.  

Natural Stone Tile Flooring and Wall Covering

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How to Use Natural Stone Tiles Indoors

A Natural Stone Tiled Living Room

Whether your style is warm, rustic, or resolutely modern, natural stone tiling excels in the living room. Thanks to its excellent conductivity and high thermal inertia, it is the perfect partner for an underfloor heating system, absorbing heat and releasing it gently and evenly. In the summer, it provides a wonderfully refreshing coolness instead.

Natural Stone Tiled Kitchen

A material full of character, natural stone brings a unique charm to the kitchen, whether used for flooring or as a backsplash. Since this is an area highly prone to spills and splashes, choosing the right finish is crucial.

Natural Stone Tiled Bathroom

While selecting a safe finish is an asset in the kitchen, it is even more critical in the bathroom. On a floor that is frequently wet, using textured finishes (such as brushed or tumbled) effectively reduces the risk of slipping. Once the stone is protected with a sealing treatment, it will not deteriorate from ambient humidity.

Natural Stone Tiled Shower

To create the effect of a luxurious walk-in shower, natural stone is the ultimate choice. For this application, mosaic formats (where the numerous grout lines increase traction) or naturally textured stones are highly recommended. Exposed to running water and soap residue, the stone must absolutely receive a high-performance waterproof treatment during installation, followed by regular maintenance to remain perfectly impermeable.

Natural Stone Tile Mural

To create a distinctive interior, stone beautifully invites itself onto an accent wall in the living room (behind a fireplace), dining room, or entryway. It instantly adds a unique architectural depth, capturing anything from a sleek contemporary style to a warm Mediterranean ambiance depending on the variety chosen.

Using Natural Stone Tiles Outdoors

The naturally slip-resistant properties of the natural stone are highly valued outdoors, whether during rainy weather or for securing the areas surrounding a pool. 

Since the surface must withstand extreme temperature fluctuations and freezing conditions, the selected product must be specifically certified for outdoor use. Its thickness is also of great importance: thicker slabs (often 3 cm or more) are required for installation on a sand bed, while thinner tiles are suitable for bonding onto a concrete slab. In all cases, installation must be carried out according to industry standards.

To enjoy your outdoor tiling for years to come, keep in mind that the majority of natural stones must be treated with a water-repellent sealer about every 3 years. This treatment is essential to preserve their integrity and protect them against moisture, stains, and freeze-thaw damage.

Available Natural Stone Tile Colours

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White

White natural stone is refined and elegant, ideal for kitchens and bathrooms, areas in which there’s an emphasis on cleanliness. Whether immaculate or veiny, it conveys a distinctive and distinguished appeal. 

Beige

Beige, brown, or coppery tones give off a cozy feel to a space. Given the different hues found on natural stones, it also adds some texture to the floor.

Grey

Grey is both neutral and modern and is especially suited to wood. Natural stone has a great colour scheme, available in a pearly grey to a darker charcoal. 

Black

Black tiling adds depth and a rather glistening aspect to a room. While this shade has seen a minor decline in popularity, its effect is just as remarkable whether laid in a bathroom or kitchen.  

Other Available Shades

Aside from the previously mentioned colours, some natural stones come in shades of green, pink, and blue, most notably seen with marble. 

How to Lay Natural Stone Tiles

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There are two main methods for installing natural stone tiling, to be chosen based on your substrate configuration and the thickness of the slabs.

Mortar Application

This method involves embedding and leveling each slab into a bed of fresh cement mortar (typically 3 to 5 cm thick). It is essential for stones with highly irregular thicknesses or for outdoor installations on a sand and gravel bed. While it offers unmatched structural strength, it requires expert craftsmanship and a full curing period of several weeks to allow the mortar's moisture to completely evaporate before applying protective sealers.

Adhesive Application

Ideal for standard interior projects on a flat surface (such as a concrete slab or plywood with an underlayment membrane), this method uses a flexible, polymer-modified mortar-adhesive tailored for natural stone. Faster and simpler to implement, it generally allows for light foot traffic and grouting after just 24 to 48 hours.

Natural Stone Tiles: A Little Slice of Nature

Natural stone tiles embody a certain timeless charm wrapped in genuine authenticity, providing a unique appeal to whichever desired space. Given its different textures, colours, and patterns, you can creatively customize your floors and walls. Using natural stone tiles adds an unrivalled elegance, whether used in traditional, rustic, or contemporary settings. However, note the maintenance and care guidelines specific to natural stone to preserve its appeal over time.

FAQ About Natural Stone Tile Installation

What is the best type of natural stone tile joint filler?

To fill the spaces between tiles, use a grouting mortar specifically formulated for natural stone. A white or cream-colored grout pairs perfectly with light-toned stones, while a gray or charcoal grout enhances darker stone varieties.

How to clean natural stone tiles in showers and elsewhere?

While daily maintenance is straightforward, natural stone requires special attention. For porous varieties (such as travertine, marble, or limestone), applying a water-repellent and stain-resistant sealer is indispensable to make them impermeable.

For daily care, simply sweep or vacuum to remove dust and abrasive debris. When mopping, always use warm water combined with a mild, pH-neutral soap or black soap. Absolutely avoid acidic products (such as vinegar or standard bathroom cleaners). Finally, rinse with clean water and dry the surface as much as possible to prevent water from soaking into the stone.