Is Marble Flooring Outdated – EvolutDesign.com

For thousands of years, marble has stood as a symbol of luxury and sophistication. Marble is a multicolored, dense stone that was once limestone, and it formed when the rock endured intense heat and pressure for millions of years.

In today’s modern era, they mine marble in many countries because of its high value as a building material. Beyond the sophistication, the polished surface of marble can make a room feel larger by reflecting light. In this article, we’ll look at the evolution of marble flooring, how its popularity has changed, and if this classic material is still suitable in a modern setting.

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Is Marble Flooring Outdated

Marble is a timeless material that you can use to create eye-catching three-dimensional artwork, adorn the floors of homes, or finish bathrooms and kitchen surfaces. Most people who are remodeling their kitchens agree that marble is the best material to use for countertops.

Unfortunately, its once-common use as a floor tile has diminished. While marble floors are classic and elegant in more formal settings like government buildings, they would be out of place in most contemporary houses, say a farmhouse.

The Evolution of Marble’s Use in Interior Design

Marble is one of the few materials that, at first glance, conjures up images of a luxurious lifestyle. Besides the ancient landmarks like the Taj Mahal and the Pantheon, they used marble for more modern structures like the Marble Arch in London and the Washington, DC, Peace Monument.

Marble has been a popular medium for artists since antiquity. Still, it truly blossomed during the Renaissance, when works like Michelangelo’s “David” influenced the development of the western ideology of beauty. Because of its long association with art and culture, this material carries much symbolic weight worldwide.

In ancient Greece, they primarily constructed prominent buildings like the Olympus Temple and even the Parthenon out of marble. However, they rarely used the stone in residential construction because it took so long and was difficult to quarry. Instead, they typically used blocks of it for wall coverings, sculptures, and flooring.Advertisements

After it became apparent that the conventional approaches to building landmarks with symbolic or historical significance were not viable over the long term, the use of marble (with other types of natural stones, such as granite) emerged as the standard method of construction.

Before natural stone became the predominant building material in Greece, wooden structures were the common material. Natural stone, particularly marble, was in high regard by the ancient Romans and Greeks because it was both hard and beautiful.

Marble in Greek and Roman homes became commonplace as it became more efficient, lowering costs and production times. However, its primary function was as a construction material for public spaces, like restrooms and offices. In addition, marble was frequently used to flaunt one’s wealth.

The finest marble in the world comes from Italy. The Romans, who carved and used them for building widely used Carrara and Calacatta marbles. Marble slabs, rather than blocks, got used as fascia over a brick-and-mortar home. Carrara marble and Calacatta marble, both known for their exceptionally pure white color, were favorites by the Romans.

Both the Renaissance and the Victorian eras saw the continued use of marble as a symbol of affluence. However, because of the high cost and difficulty of obtaining marble, they reserved its use for public and private structures such as cathedrals, government buildings, and mansions.

Changes in Marble’s Role in Modern Architecture

With the time and effort required to create the ideal marble countertop or bathroom vanity, you can drastically reduce the top by even polishing. These innovations have made it possible for nearly anyone to purchase a white marble kitchen countertop, such as one made of Carrara or Statuario marble.

In modern architecture, a highly durable, impact-resistant material in the kitchen and bathroom is a significant investment that can pay for itself when selling a home because of the increased value of the property and the upgraded marble countertops.

Why Marble Floors are a Timeless Design

While marble flooring has a short lifespan, its many benefits have led many to consider it timeless. In addition, homeowners love it for its classical touch, which beautifies the house.

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Since we extract it from the earth, marble has an advantage over its artificial counterparts, and this is because each slab is uniquely hand-cut and is impossible to duplicate. Although some flooring can be mistaken for marble, the luxury of genuine marble is hard to copy, no matter how closely it resembles natural marble.

Marble is unique because of its translucent quality and is especially true for marbles with lighter tones, as they reflect and transmit light more efficiently.

Marble is an exquisite material to work with and has excellent electrical conductivity. Marble may not appear remarkable at first glance, but its ability to absorb and distribute heat anywhere it gets used helps transform your living space into a cozier and warmer atmosphere.

Also, when the air conditioner is on in the summer, the marble floor can feel quite cool to the touch. Marble and stone flooring has been popular for centuries because of its beauty, resilience, and adaptability. No one would likely object to having marble floors installed professionally in a suitable setting in their own home.

Why Is Marble Flooring Considered Old and Expensive

AdvertisementsI still consider marble floors to be chic and a perfect complement to luxury living and homes. They are primarily unaffordable and, therefore, obsolete. However, marble flooring commands a premium price among the most luxurious building materials because of its long-standing association with class and refinement.

You can expect to pay $10 to $15 per square foot for marble, with more expensive specialty marbles costing as much as $40 per square foot. Marble’s high cost is because it is a natural stone that is cut and quarried before you can use it.

It is common practice to cut all the flooring slabs for a batch at the same time. Because of this, matching the marble’s color is difficult, especially if tiles need to be replaced.

Also, marble flooring is more expensive to install and may incur additional costs and inconveniences because of its high maintenance requirements. If you want to keep your marble floor in good condition for as long as possible, most suppliers recommend sealing it.

Even though this will keep it safe and make it look shiny, you can easily scratch it. So, in the long run, the cost of upkeep and refinishing your marble will make it look less dazzling than you had hoped.

Marble is a natural stone, as I explained in the previous section, taken directly from the ground rather than manufactured in a factory. It is a non-renewable resource in the same sense that coal and natural gas are, and this has environmental effects that the “green” trend in society might not approve of, which makes it more complicated and more expensive to source marble.

Marble floors are often associated with luxurious and elegant decor. However, installing a marble floor in your home may not work with specific design styles. While marble floors are still relevant, they are not necessarily the best choice for every modern design.

An Overview of Marble’s Geology

They typically extract marble from quarries before being cut into slabs or tiles for flooring, wall coverings, and countertops in homes and businesses. We know this process as quarrying. It is a metamorphic rock formed when softer sedimentary rocks, such as limestone, get transformed by intense heat and pressure into a more durable stone with striking coloration and veining.

Most people confuse granite and marble. Granite is a type of igneous rock formed from the cooling of volcanic magma, whereas marble is a sedimentary rock that is layered. As a result, granite looks spotted, whereas marble typically has veining arranged in a wavelike pattern.

The Best Marble Flooring Options

On the price spectrum, this marble represents the pinnacle of luxury and expense because of its extreme scarcity. Despite its superficial resemblance to Carrara marble, this material’s dark, substantial veining patterns against its otherwise pure white background sets it apart. Another variant has exquisite gold tones in its veining. The quarries that produce Calacatta marble are in the Carrara region of Italy.

Crema Marfil Marble

Crema Marfil is also Spanish; it is available in a wide range of shades, the most common of which are beige or yellowish, with varying degrees of veining.

Black Marble from Levadia

This Greek black marble is stunning, thanks to its smoky gray veining. It’s not commonly used for flooring, but it stands out when it is.

Talathello Marble

This type of Turkish marble is sometimes called “silver beige marble” because of the silvery or beige veining that appears randomly throughout the otherwise light grey background.

Emperador Marble

This marble gets sourced in Spain and features a range of brown tones and wavy, zigzag veining.

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Reasons Marble Floors Are Still Common in Modern Homes

Using marble as a flooring and wall tile material is widespread. Many use natural marble to tile their floors and walls because of its classic appeal.

Since marble tiles are instantly associated with luxury, they can make any space feel more luxurious. We can easily adapt them to suit a wide range of styles. You can use marble tiles to create a traditional or modern atmosphere.

Installing marble tiles in your house can increase their value because marble is a natural stone with a striking appearance. Marble tiles can make a room look more significant because they reflect light. In addition, a room can look more extensive and open by installing marble skirting along baseboards. Therefore, marble remains one of the most popular options for homeowners and decorators.

Final Thoughts

Marble floors give off an unmistakable sophistication in any room they adorn. Because of its timeless beauty and because no two slabs of marble are ever the same, marble flooring has been a popular option for homeowners for centuries.

There are many choices available today. However, while there are many materials to choose from, few can compare to the sophistication and beauty of marble tiles. From the earliest civilizations, people have been building with marble.

We have widely used marble tiles for flooring and other purposes, and this trend shows no signs of abating in modern architecture and interior design. However, while there are many flooring materials to choose from, none compared to the sophistication and beauty of marble tiles.