Limestone Flooring Pros and Cons

If you’re considering limestone flooring and want to know what to expect then read on. We have pooled our combined 20 years of experience to give you an expert perspective.

Limestone Flooring Pros:

Versatility

To say that there is a limestone floor for every occasion is no exaggeration. There’s not only an array of colours of limestone but also the option to personalise your floor with a variety of surface finishes and edge profiles. What you might not realise is that there is more than just the hue of the stone to consider. The different types of limestone don’t just vary in their shades of grey, beige and brown but also in their qualities. The classic cream coloured Portland stone is a great choice for outdoor steps and patios. On the other hand a Moleanos limestone from Portugal can look more similar to marble and has the ability to take a high polish too. The warmer Dijon and Jerusalem limestones are often seen with a tumbled edge to add texture. Whereas a Belgian Blue limestone might be honed and paired with a whiter limestone to create a chequerboard effect.

Uniqueness

Bespoke design usually comes with an additional price tag. However, in the case of limestone flooring it is original by nature. Each and every tile will be completely different. This begins thousands of years beforehand when the stone is formed. Being a sedimentary rock means that is forms from layers of organic matter. The fossils that you see in a tile are the result of this. Even if you choose a monochromatic type of limestone with less variation, your piece of stone will still be individual to you. No one other person has a tile that looks the same. When compared to a printed porcelain or ceramic tile that can mimic the fossils and lines of a limestone, there will always be a pattern that repeats across the batch.

Durability

There is no denying that limestone is a durable flooring option. This is not to be confused with the idea that it is impenetrable. The ability to outlast other comparable surfaces is what makes limestone a good option for flooring. This is evident in the number of older properties that have stone floors, walls and other features. Whilst modern manufactured materials can vary in quality, stone is proven to endure. What is more, it will never go out of fashion. Natural stone is always on trend. So no matter how often you redecorate or change your fixed or freestanding furniture, the limestone flooring will always fit in.

Limestone flooring Cons:

Despite all of these brilliant reasons why limestone is a great choice for flooring, lots of people are reluctant to choose it for their home. Perhaps the idea of longevity is intimidating. After all we are accustomed to a throw away culture and the thought of a long-term commitment to a decision can be uncomfortable. It is easy for a little bit of ‘what if’ fear to creep in. What if I can’t keep to the cleaning regime? To believe that something will last forever also relies on a little bit of adherence on our part to look after it.

Our best kept secret

This is where we usually encounter the biggest con regarding all natural stone surfaces. However we’re not referring to a disadvantage but in fact a little bit of fake news. Whilst lots of people presume that limestone flooring is difficult to care for, the truth is that it’s actually really quite straightforward. There is a blog that outlines this here and another here that goes into some further detail. Despite the common understanding that limestone flooring will need an expensive professional to treat it on a regular basis, there is actually no hard and fast rule for this. Our blog series all about stone sealants offers a full explanation. A simple summary would be to say that if you follow the advice outlined in these articles, you will probably never need our services!

 Find out more

If you would like some bespoke advice for your own limestone flooring, then get in touch today. We are always happy to provide guidance that is tailored to your stone type.