Tiles V/S Marble: What’s The Best Flooring Option?

Floorings, quite literally, set the foundations of your home. Not only do they provide a strong base but also add an aesthetic value to the space. 

For decades, there have been various types of developments for flooring materials. When renovating a home, a customer is often bombarded with multiple options like tiles, granite, marble, wood, vinyl, cork, bamboo, etc. Amongst these options, the most popular ones are tiles and marbles. 

If you are planning to change your current flooring material and are confused between marbles and tiles then here’s an unbiased comparison on important flooring factors to help you make a decision. 

Sturdiness is key  

Tiles are made from clay and porcelain. These man-made materials are highly fragile and can often break if there is no good base underneath them. If you put heavy furniture on tile flooring, then chances are, you’ll be damaging them permanently. Therefore, you will have to be extra careful with tiles. 

Marble on the other hand is highly strong. They are formed naturally with some solid properties like calcite and dolomite under high earthen pressure. These are slabs of stone that are as strong as mountain surfaces. Processed marble is cut, cleaned and polished to perfection. Hence, they make for a refined option for your floor. However, marble, like tiles can also damage if they’re not maintained properly. They won’t break but may surely get scratches and stains. 

Checking the aesthetic value 

Tiles are man-made, hence, they are manufactured with unlimited visuals. Not more than often they have a marble-like print on them. However, people also prefer wooden printed tiles along with filigree designs, plain colors and even pictures on them. Although this sounds great, at times the visuals can make your space look fake and shabby. They’re an awesome choice for wall decor but flooring needs something more subdued and natural to set the background for interior. 

Marble naturally has a trademark veiny pattern along with light background hues. They come in various colors ranging from light to dark. Marble is a little more subdued and subtle than tiles. They give off an undeniably natural vibe to the space hence, they are known as luxury marble. 

Touching base on utility 

Tiles have great utility. They are easy to maintain and install. For their current price point, tiles have good value for money. You may need to change damaged tiles after 3-5 years of use. Keep in mind that damaged tiles cannot be repaired or maintained. You will have to change the entire flooring because of 1 damaged tile as finding the same piece years later could be tough. 

Marble slabs are volatile. No two slabs are the same so it makes no difference if you were to remove a slab and replace it with another. Compared to tiles, marble is expensive but they’re highly durable. Therefore, it’s a one-time investment that will last you for decades. Marble, unlike tiles, is easy to clean because tiles cumulate germs and allerns between them, marble cannot harbour germs due to its porousness. 

Tiles are not heat resistant, marble is. Hence, tiles make for great flooring in cold regions and marble is the perfect fit for tropical ones. Let’s not forget that marble absorbs water and other liquids quickly, hence, they need time-to-time sealing. Tiles on the other hand are non-porous so they’re good for areas like bathrooms. But then again, if the foundations of your flooring is not great then frequent exposure to liquid can damage the floor as well as the tile. 

Final Thoughts 

Tiles and marble both have good and bad points to them. They’re often priced based on their utility hence, you can choose a material based on your space’s utility, look, feel and maintenance. We would highly suggest to opt for marble if you’re looking for a long-term solution. If not, then you can opt for tiles for short term purposes. 

Sipani Marbles manufactures high-quality natural stones for your house. We import white marble, onyx marble, blue marble and rare stones like travertine, tronyx and red marble among others. You can surf through our collection for more details. 

Looking for luxury marble stones? Get in touch!