Practical tips
Natural stone or porcelain?
Both stone and porcelain have their benefits – so which should you choose? Here’s our guide to making the right choice for your home.
L-R French Limestone and Ridgeway, two of our collections of porcelain floor tiles, are crafted using extraordinary technology to match not just the look but also the feel of the real thing.
Few other materials can match natural stone for its beautiful appearance and feel. But bear this in mind: you will need to care for it if it’s to keep looking its best. This means applying sealers and using the right cleaning materials. You’ll need clear up spillages quickly (think red wine, olive oil, wax) or they will sink into the stone. And once a stain is absorbed by stone, there’s no way of removing, it bar sanding it back.
Our York Flags are a slightly cooler-toned collection with beautiful surface texture & tumbled edges
It’s true, some stones are less porous than others. Dark stones are more forgiving. And highly polished stones absorb far less. If you’d like to know more different stone types and their suitability for different positions in and around the home, please contact us and we can tell you more.
What about porcelain tiles?
The advanced technology our partners in Italy use to manufacture porcelain tiles means it’s possible to achieve almost any look, from natural stone to bleached driftwood – and today the realism is quite extraordinary. Most people will never even notice that tiles are porcelain rather than stone or wood.
The French Limestone collection features tumbled edges and a natural blend of honey and silver tones. Shown here in the 4 Tile Pattern Mix.
And the great advantage of porcelain is that it is easy to lay and even easier to live with. It doesn't need to be sealed, requires hardly any maintenance and you can leave any spillages and mess until morning without any problems.
So when asking yourself whether to choose natural stone or porcelain, consider how you live, how much work you want to put into maintaining your floors, and how vigilant you want to be. With those questions considered, the best choice for your home should be clear.
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If you have any questions about choosing from our porcelain floor tiles, or about how to lay them, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Our design team will be more than happy to assist.
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