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Common Types of Natural Stone and Ceramic Tile
Flooring: Agglomerates: Pieces of marble are
mixed together with resins to form a block slab, which
is then cut and finished. Agglomerates look like natural
stone, and come in a variety of colors. |
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| Black Marble: Such as Negro
Marquina. This is a very soft limestone often mistaken
as a marble. Not recommended for interior flooring.
Never use a crystallizer on black marble – The stone
will blister or spall! If honing or polishing, use
extreme care not to leave swirls and do not run until
the powder has dried. Check frequently – polishes very
quickly! |
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| Cultured or Faux Marble: A mix of
resins and powdered marble or granite with a gel coat on
the surface to look like marble. |
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| Fritztile: Marble and granite
resilient terrazzo floor tile. Marble chips are ground
and polished, embedded in a resilient thermoset
resin-matrix. Manufactured by
Fritz Industries. Cleaning at a high pH will strip
the factory finish! |
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| Granite: Very dense, hard and
brittle granite stands up well against heavy foot
traffic, making it preferable for commercial lobbies and
walkways. True granite is the hardest of the polished
stones commercially available and is used in high stress
situations. Resistant to most chemicals, except for
oils, which can permeate the stone, granite is also
ideal for counters and bar tops. Composed of quartz and
feldspar. Should be sealed with an oil-repellant
penetrating sealer to prevent staining and reduce
soiling. Flamed granite surfaces are very absorbent due
to the stress fractures in the stone caused by the
flaming process and should be sealed to maintain the
original color and appearance of the stone over time. Do
not try to polish or hone. NOTE: Some stone marked and
sold as “granite” are marble instead - always do an acid
resistance test to confirm. Some granite is dyed! Not
etched by most acids, but can be etched by hydrofluoric
acid! |
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| Marble: Available in a wide range
of colors, marble is often used for its beauty, but is
more porous, softer, and chemically sensitive than
granite. Marble surfaces show wear sooner than granite,
but can be restored with honing and polishing more
easily. Etched by acids, including soft drinks. Absorbs
oils and other liquids and is easily stained. Composed
of Calcite and Calcium Carbonate. Should be sealed with
a penetrating sealer to prevent staining and reduce
soiling. Should only be cleaned with neutral pH
detergents. |
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| Limestone: Many older buildings
have durable limestone flooring. This is the chalky
porous type typical of most French and Spanish
limestone. Etched by acids, including soft drinks.
Absorbs oils and other liquids and is more easily
stained than marble. Composed of Calcite and some
Magnesium. Common colors are black, gray, white, yellow
and brown. Has a smooth granular surface. Varies in
hardness. Should be sealed with a penetrating sealer to
prevent staining and reduce soiling. Should only be
cleaned with neutral pH detergents. |
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| Mexican Tile/Terra-Cotta/Saltillo:
The word Terra-cotta comes from Italian terra, ’earth’,
and cotta, ’cooked’ - a hard-baked, brownish red earthen
ware, often glazed and colored. Usually hand-made and
varies in color, texture and appearance. May come
prefinished or require application of various types of
sealers or coatings on site to provide a wearing
surface. May crumble or show wear quickly unless sealed
and laid on water proof layer. Terra Cotta should never
be installed in a high-traffic area. Saltillo is often
custom colored with a stain that can wear off or be
harmed. Saltillo is very porous and is sun dried instead
of fire-hardened like ceramic tiles. Efflorescence is
common with saltillo tile. Efflorescence is the wicking
up of salts within the tiles when unfinished tile gets
wet. |
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| Porcelain Tile: Porcelain tile is
an unglazed ceramic tile that is generally made from a
composition which results in a tile that is dense,
impervious, fine grained and smooth, with a sharply
formed face. Porcelain tile is available in matte,
unglazed or a high polished finish. Same hard fired
material and color all through the body. |
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| Quarry Tile: A glazed or unglazed
tile made by the extrusion process from natural clay or
shale. This tile is most common in the dark red shades;
however, shades of brown and gray are also available.
Same hard fired material and color all through the body.
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| Sandstone is a formation of quartz
grains. Should be sealed and regularly maintained
because it so easily absorbs stains. |
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| Slate: A very dense, but soft and
easily scratched material with low porosity, slate can
be used effectively outdoors as well as indoors.
Excellent exterior paving stone. Higher absorbency
varieties are not suitable for exterior areas in
freezing climates. Composition: Mainly grains of mica
and quartz, plus smaller amounts of chlorite, hematite,
and other minerals. Most slate is gray to black, but the
rock may be red or purple, depending on its mineral
content. The surface of slate is generally uneven and
cleft planes can spall, due to the cleaving of the stone
along its layers. Has low to medium absorption of oils
and other liquids. Should be sealed with an
oil-repellant penetrating sealer to prevent staining and
reduce soiling. |
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| Soapstone: Soapstone, also known as
steatite, is a metamorphic rock. It tends to be a very
soft rock. There are two different kinds of stone,
popularly called soapstone: Talc, which is a softer
stone, used for carvings, and Steatite, which is harder
than Talc, used for countertops, fireplaces, ovens and
etc. |
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| Serpentine: Serpentine is not a
rock, but a group of minerals composed primarily of
hydrated magnesium silicate that is green, yellow, or
brown in color. It gets its name due to the resemblance
to a serpent’s skin. Many so-called green marbles are
actually serpentines, not marbles. Pure serpentine is
not acid sensitive, therefore there is no etching. Be
careful here - not all greens are pure serpentine. Some
lighter greens, like Spring Green, have some carbonate
mixed in, and will react to acid. Also, there are greens
that are true marbles such as Verde Antigua and
Cippolino. Very sensitive to water - must be set in
epoxy or waterless setting mortars to prevent warping.
Will develop small white spalls from salt deposits. Do
not try to polish or hone. |
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| Terrazzo: Terrazzo is a type of
agglomerate flooring and should be treated as marble in
a maintenance program. Etched by acids. Terrazzo does
not need protection from wear - it needs protection from
absorption and stains. A water based impregnator should
be applied soon after honing and/or polishing. The
impregnator is absorbed into the cement matrix, sealing
its pores. It is important that the terrazzo is cleaned
before the sealer is applied. Terrazzo floors should be
cleaned only with a neutral pH cleaner. Detailed
information on terrazzo is available at the
NTMA (National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association)
site. |
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| Terrazzo Tile: Pre-manufactured
consisting of marble or granite chips in a portland
cement or epoxy matrix in various thicknesses and sizes. |
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| Travertine: A type of limestone,
travertine can be left in its natural state, with no
polishing. Etched by acids. Porous with many visible
holes, often filled with epoxy. Polishing unfilled
travertine can be tricky. Polishing powders tend to
accumulate in the holes and can make clean-up difficult. |
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Please contact
us for a free inspection and professional quotation.
Trust BRILLIANT
to expertly upgrade your Home.
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