If you’re still undecided about what type of flooring to have in your kitchen, marble should be a strong contender. Its natural beauty gives an air of elegance and sophistication to any room. But before you finalize your decision, be armed with the facts – here are the main pro’s and con’s of having marble kitchen flooring:

The Pro’s

Appearance: without a doubt, marble kitchen flooring will look stunning and will add value to your home. It’s a finish that many people long to have simply because it gives a luxurious and polished finish to complete the kitchen area.

Natural: marble is quarried from the earth. It is wholly natural and eco friendly.

Choice: marble is available in a wide variety of colors and so can be matched to the rest of the kitchen décor easily. Marble is a natural product extracted from the ground in large slabs which are then cut down into much smaller slabs and tiles. Each tile and slab will be unique but during the marble kitchen flooring installation, a good company will source tiles that match each other as much as possible. The result? – a floor which has a harmonious appearance, but on closer inspection, shows the unique nature of each tile or slab.

Shine: if you’re looking for a shiny, glossy floor, then marble is your man. Marble tile manufacturers can polish marble until the surface is incredibly smooth and shiny, and this process also highlights the different colors within the stone.

Light: marble plays the light beautifully. Due to its slightly translucent appearance the penetration of light can make marble tiles appear almost radiant – a wonderful look.

The Con’s

Price: marble kitchen flooring is at the top end of the price range for kitchen flooring options ranging from $15 to $30 per square foot installed. And if you want a mosaic look, the price will rise further.
Slip hazard: when wet, the highly polished surface of marble becomes slippery. In a kitchen where liquid spills are to be expected, this is a disadvantage, but of course if the spillage is cleaned up quickly, the slip hazard is eliminated.
Resilience: marble flooring can be scratched relatively easily by high heels, walking on a dirty (gritty) surface or dragging furniture across it. Prevention is always better than cure, so you need to treat a marble kitchen flooring carefully. In addition, marble can stain if acidic based liquids are spilled on it, such as fruit juices, wine, or foods preserved with citric acid, due to a chemical reaction.
Sealant: to protect marble from staining, it needs to be properly sealed with a chemical sealant. This creates an invisible barrier which will help reduce staining risks, and must be reapplied every 6 to 12 months. However , it is always sensible to wipe up any spillages immediately to lessen the potential of damage to the marble.
Replacement: if you decided that you wish to replace your marble kitchen flooring with an alternative finish, it is very difficult and costly to remove. In many cases, the best option would be to install a new floor directly on top of the marble flooring.
Environmental factors: although marble is a natural product, the process of extracting it from the earth may add to pollution by the nature of the quarrying process and the use of machinery. And of course its transportation to the homeowner adds to environmental pollution from the vehicles used, as with any other product being transported from A to B.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Spring Clean your Bathroom Tile At this time of year, as the weather brightens and you feel that summer is just around the corner, you may feel the need to do a deep and thorough spring cleaning of your home. If your bathroom tile is showing signs of a damp, cold winter and is looking discolored and dirty, we have just the products to help you get your bathroom back to a pristine condition.

NutraSheen Tile Cleanser
This effective product is specifically designed to safely and easily clean all man-made tile with minimal effort and superb results. Use it on ceramic tile, concrete tile and pavers, quarry tile, porcelain tile, Caear Stone, Silestone, and Corian amongst others, whether they are on the floor, countertops or walls.

For more stubborn areas which need some serious attention, such as those with mildew, mix the NeutraSheen Tile Cleanser with our all powerful Grease and Grime Buster and then use on the tile. The Grease and Grime Buster is a special blend of fine abrasives which aids the NutraSheen Tile Cleanser to really help lift off caked in dirt, resulting in gleaming bathroom tile, removing all signs of mildew along the way.

By mixing Grease and Grim Buster with our Grout Guard Restorer, you have the perfect way to restore your grout to its original color. Mix the products together until they have the consistency of toothpaste. Apply directly to the grout, works quickly with a grout brush, then simply rinse clean to reveal perfectly clean grout.

Once your grout is looking immaculate, prolong the results of your hard work with the Grout Guard Protector. This will seal the grout and ensure it doesn’t get discolored again in the future, making it quick and easy to clean. No more scrubbing ineffectively at dirty grout!

It couldn’t be easier to purchase the products mentioned above, off our website. They are available in the following sizes:

NeutraSheen Tile Cleanser

• Premixed sprayer (32 ounce) $7.95
• 16 ounce ($9.95) or 32 ounce ($17.95) to mix with water (4 ounces made up with water makes 1 gallon of cleaning solution).
• 1 gallon concentrate $29.95

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

People commonly associate granite counter tops with sophisticated bathrooms and classy kitchens. But granite can be used far and wide in your home if you so wish – as functional window sills, ornate fire mantelpieces, eye-catching cabinet tops and impressive bar counters. Since granite slabs can be custom made to measurement, you can use granite in far more places than you may have first imagined. But as with all other counter top material choices, make sure you know the facts before you design your house with granite.

The Pro’s

A Unique Look: as a natural material, no two pieces of granite look identical. So in addition to adding a touch of luxury to your home, you know that no-one else will have exactly the same counter tops as you have.
Color Choices: granite is available in a whole host of natural color choices from beige and gold, blue and black, to red and burgundy.
Resistant: granite is tough – in fact there is no tougher material, being second only to diamond in hardness. Granite countertops can last a life time and they have an element of heat resistance meaning you can place warm pans on top of the granite without fear of damaging it.
Added value: granite counter tops are much sought after and will add long lasting value to your home.
Easily to clean: granite can be kept looking immaculate with daily cleaning with a specific granite surface cleaning product and a non abrasive cloth. And due to the absence of grout, as the granite can be installed in large slabs, there is one less thing to worry about in your cleaning routine.
The Con’s

Expensive: granite is more expensive than other counter tops. Whilst granite countertops can last for a long, long time, homeowners who like to change the décor of their home regularly may find the cash outlay makes no sense if they plan to change them after only a few years.
Not indestructible: yes granite is tough, but if a heavy object is dropped on it, it may well crack. And although it is resistant to the heat from a warm pan, a very hot pan can damage the surface.
Scratches and stains: somewhat surprisingly due to its strength, granite is susceptible to scratching (not to be used as a carving board), and stains from liquid and food spills. It should be treated routinely with a chemical sealant to help prevent against this.
Heavy: granite is a very heavy material. That means you can’t place granite counter tops on various items of furniture without firstly ensuring the furniture has the required support.
Inconsistent appearance: if you are planning to use granite across a large space and need to use a number of granite slabs, it will be impossible to match them perfectly as each is unique.
Hard to remove: granite countertops are very difficult to remove once installed. For those who like to see regular change in their homes, granite countertops would be far from ideal.

Granite countertops can look stunning in a variety of situations within the home. With regular cleaning with a specialized granite cleaner and routine maintenance, they can retain their good looks for many years to come. However, there are some disadvantages that the homeowner should consider before making a final decision

Bookmark It

Hide Sites