Stone floors are as hard as concrete surfaces. They have no give and hard to stand on for long periods.
A slip-resistant finish is very important when tiles are used in wet or exposed areas polished finishes are slippery when wet.
Tiles can be cold to stand on so underfloor heating should defiantly be considered in kitchen, bathroom or living room areas, a natural stone is just that natural, so there are always colour variations between batches.
Natural Stones can be honed, polished or textured. A Honed finish is smooth, stain like non-reflective. Polished stone has a high lustre and almost mirror-like finish. Textured finishes include hammered, bocc, or structured surfaces.
Marble
Marble is soft and more prone to scratches and staining, it is recommended for interior applications only and available in a wide range of colours. It is characterised by veins running through the stone. Marble is most commonly used for a fireplace, benchtop and commercial applications, marble always requires a stone sealer.
Limestone
Limestone has a very uniform composition texture and structure. It often features fossils and shells and ranges in colour from light beige to grey-brown tones. Limestone is very porous so requires a sealer. It is suitable for paving floor and wall cladding vanity tops and fire surrounds.
Travertine
Travertine is a form of limestone and comes in various colours ranging from light creams and browns through to red tones. It has a very distinctive grained effect and is similar to Swiss cheese in face and texture. This stone requires a seal and is recommended for bathroom vanities, floors, walls fire surrounds and exterior tiling.
Granite
Granite is the hardest building stone available, it has very dense grain, this makes it durable and virtually impervious to staining. Maintenance is low due to its stain resistance, scratch resistance and colourfastness. Colour ranges from light neutrals to pure black, granite is suitable in all applications.
Sandstone
Sandstone is a very soft stone, available in warm off white and mostly used as pavers only this requires a seal.
Slate
Slate has a naturally textured surface which makes them non slip. This can be used inside and out and is often used as fire surround.