Stone floors – division with respect to their application and shapes
Stone is not only used for worktops. This material makes very elegant, sturdy and great looking floors. It is important to recognize, that stone floors are different in terms of application and the shape of tiles used. These issues will be described later in this article.
Division with respect to place of application.
It should come as no surprise that stone floorings are divided into outdoor flooring and indoor flooring. The first type is made with very hard granite or quartz slabs, with the minimum thickness of 3 cm. It is worth adding, however, that if there is a possibility of heavy vehicles/equipment passing over the flooring, the slabs should be even thicker. Why? Because they will not only be exposed to atmospheric conditions, but also heavily used. Indoor floorings do not require great thickness, 1 or 2 centimeters is enough. It doesn’t really matter in what kind of interior they will be installed, because stone floorings are resistant to mechanical damage, moisture and low and high temperatures. They are also resistant to stains and wear.
Division with respect to type of stone tiles
Stone tiles may have different shapes, and depending on their dimensions, different kinds of floorings are made. Rectangular tiles with the dimensions 30×15, 40×20, 50×25, 60×30 are the most popular. As you have probably noticed, their length is two times larger than their width. They are popular and economic, because during their manufacture very little waste and off cuts are produced. They are used for simple, rectangular floorings with narrow joints. On the market, one can also find stone tiles with regular shape but different dimensions. They are perfect for creating pattern compositions. It is worth adding however, that the best effect is achieved when they are in the same colour, and when the joints are much smaller compared to floorings made of identical tiles.
The market also offers rectangular or square tiles in different sizes, that are used for “opus romanum floorings”. The tiles are arranged in a pattern/module without geometrical order, which is then repeated in the adjacent space. This type of flooring looks best in big interiors. The last type of tiles are the products with polygonal shapes and filed or trimmed edges. They are used for “opus incertum floorings” (also called irregular work). The tiles are arranged so that the joints have similar sizes. The joints can be wide and visible because it makes the effect even better.
