Marble Floor Information

Hard Floor Care – Marble Floors Information

Marble is a naturally occurring stone, included in the class of rocks known as limestone. In general terms, marble can be defined as any limestone hard enough to take a polish. Many grades and colors are found. Perhaps the best known of the marbles suitable for flooring, either as slabs or mosaic, are; travertine, which is straw-colored; Belgian black, which is very hard wearing; Roman stone, covering a number of attractive, colorful marbles; and Sicilian, the hardest of the white marbles.

Marble is principally calcium carbonate in crystalline form. Dolomitic marble also contains a proportion of magnesium carbonate. The beautiful colors in marble are due to impurities. Marble varies in porosity from ½ percent to over 13 percent. Some marble is ten times stronger than others. It presents a bewildering number of different appearances, yet all contain one chemical – calcium carbonate – so must be treated similarly.

Entrance halls and corridors of public buildings are probably the two main areas where marble surfaces are found. It is an expensive flooring material, although the cost can be reduced by using small pieces as a marble mosaic. It is also easy to maintain with the proper janitorial equipment.

True marble was not originally chosen as a building stone because of hardness, but instead for its inherent beauty and ability to be cut and polished. On the hardness scale for rock, which measures 1 as the softest (surface sandstone) and 10 as the hardest (diamond), true marble ranks at a 3, with some trade marbles at 2.5. This means they can be scratched easily with a knife. In comparison, granite is rated from 5.5 to 6.0 and slate at 6.0 to 6.5. Even though brick is a manmade material, it can be compared as to hardness and falls in the 6.0 to 7.0 range.

Marble flooring is normally about ¾ inch to one inch thick and can be laid in squares or rectangles or to any design. The marble slabs are laid in a bed of mortar. Installation experts alert us to the fact that any mortar brought to the surface at the joints should be removed by wiping with a damp cloth as soon as possible after laying.

Marble is impressive in appearance and extremely attractive. Since it is usually very hard, marble tends to be noisy and cold. It is impressively durable, although one or two of the slightly softer types of marble may wear quicker than the harder types, causing an uneven appearance. Marble is resistant to water but, like terrazzo, is readily attacked by even dilute acids which can etch an roughen the surface. Strong acids could cause a hole to appear in the floor, or destroy the grouting altogether.

Harsh alkaline powder materials are also detrimental to marble and by crystallizing beneath the surface could cause it to disintegrate into dust. While honing can restore a damaged surface, it is a task for specialists.

Marble usually has good resistance to slip although it can become slippery if wet. But resistance to slip can be improved with the application of a suitable water emulsion floor finish. Check with your cleaning equipment supplier for recommendations.