Stone Flooring

Choose stone floors for their looks and durability. In my fantasy world where money is no object, marble floors are available to everyone and limestone and slate find a place in the appropriate space.

I'm talking about lovely great big slabs of the stuff. Not neatly cut, squared off tiles (they are the subject of another chapter in the book), but substantial, large and lengthy pieces that take a mountain of a man, or more probably several, to move.

Have you seen the recent version of The Thomas Crown Affair? (One of the only remakes, incidentally, that comes anywhere close to being as good as the original.) Piers Brosnan and Rene Russo have a passionate session on the stone staircase in Thomas Crown's immaculate apartment. Now that's not the everyday sort of punishment that you subject your stairs to, but it is an example of how floors can be put through some pretty vigorous workouts. The great news is that you can rely on most hard floors to offer the ultimate in durability and this contributes much to their appeal. (That, and you don't get carpet burns.) If you are subjecting a hall to constant traffic or a kitchen/diner to regular entertaining, then a hard floor can take the punishment when a softer option might show signs of wear and tear.

There is something about stone that says timeless luxury. Is it because we know that these materials have formed over millions of years and so deserve to be treated with the respect and deference that their age commands? (There is a small quarry in central France, for example, where limestone is extracted from beds which were laid down in the early Jurassic period some 140 million years ago.) Or is just that we are familiar with seeing them used in grand houses and historic buildings which make them an object of desire?

WALK ON BY

Marble is to floors what diamonds are to jewellery: an expensive choice but one that rewards you with its sheer beauty and dramatic impact on the eye. In sheet form it is always going to break the bank (sort of like a fourcarat emerald-cut stone), but there is the less pricey alternative of tiles, although these are more likely to be a backing material with a veneer of marble laid on top. Marble is one of those materials that makes a real statement. It needs to be used in big spaces and grand locations. That's why you find it used in luxury hotel foyers.

Granite is in the luxury goods department too. The choice of colours, from pink-hued and speckled white to blue-grey and black, means it can fit in with most colour schemes. Can I say it's rock solid? Well it really is incredibly hard and will be in place for longer than you or I will be able to enjoy it. Just be careful if you choose a polished finish as this will make it slippery. (Again, it's available in tile form, which would make a really good choice for a hallway or vestibule.)

Slate has a much more rustic appeal, and if you want an immaculately smooth finish to your floors look elsewhere. It can be slightly rough with worn edges, but its waterproof qualities makes it a good choice in the bathroom, for example.

For those of you who are looking for a lighter option, you should be asking about sandstone and limestone. In creamy whites, buttery yellows and pale grey, these would be suited to areas where you need a floor in keeping with a light colour scheme. (Some of these are named after the area in which they are quarried just to confuse you: Cotswold stone, for example is a limestone.) Now if these floors are laid properly, sealed and maintained they will look great. However, because they are porous they will easily stain so make sure that you get them treated. For that same reason you must also be careful about the type of cleaning solution that you use. A black mark in the middle of a large expanse of light stone will ruin the luxury look, and you can't just scrub it off with bleach


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