Natural Stone Tiling in Bromley & Sevenoaks

Natural stone is the most rewarding material to tile with and the least forgiving. No two tiles are identical, the tolerances are wider than manufactured tile, and mistakes are far harder to put right once the stone is down.

Marble, limestone, travertine and slate

Marble gives the finish most people picture for a bathroom, and it is porous, soft enough to scratch and vulnerable to anything acidic. Limestone behaves similarly and tends to be more uniform in tone. Travertine arrives with natural voids that are either filled at the factory or left open and filled on site. Slate is far tougher and handles floors and hearths well, though it varies enormously in thickness from tile to tile.

What stone needs that ceramic does not

Stone has to be sealed, usually both before grouting and again afterwards. Sealing first stops the grout staining the face of a porous tile, which is a problem you cannot wash off later.

Adhesive choice matters too. White adhesive under light marble or limestone, because grey will shadow through a translucent stone. Rapid-set where the stone is thin enough to show movement. Slate's thickness variation means it is backed and bedded rather than simply combed.

Dry laying a stone floor before fixing is worth the time. Stone comes in ranges of shade, and blending tiles from several boxes across the whole floor avoids ending up with a patch of noticeably darker tiles in one corner.

Getting a quote

I cover Bromley, Croydon, Orpington, Bexley, Swanley, Sevenoaks and the surrounding area. If you are considering stone, it is worth talking before you buy: which stone suits the room, how much sealing and maintenance it will want, and whether a porcelain that imitates it would serve you better.