Texas homeowners love the timeless beauty of natural stone floor tiles. Options like marble, limestone, and travertine flooring offer exceptional durability, adding real value to your home and everyday life. If you’re looking to explore different types of stone floors for your Plano-area home, start your search with our handy, comprehensive guide.

What Are Natural Stone Floor Tiles?

Stone flooring is usually sold in square or rectangular tiles, with most products categorized by the different types of stones used for flooring, including:

Marble
Limestone
Travertine
Limestone
Granite

While the exact offerings vary by manufacturer, stone floor tiles are typically available in large-format and small-format sizes.

Square stone tile dimensions

12” x 12”
16” x 16”
24” x 24”
8” x 8”
6” x 6”

Rectangular stone tile sizes

12” x 24”
6” x 24”
6” x 12”

Depending on the type of stone, application, and manufacturer, tile thicknesses are usually 12mm, 15mm, 20mm, or 30mm. Trust your dedicated Floor Coverings International® of Plano Design Associate to recommend the best dimensions and thickness to suit your needs.

Types of Natural Stone Flooring

While there are plenty of additional products on the market, most homeowners choose one of these popular stone flooring options.

Marble flooring: Perhaps the most iconic and luxurious choice, marble floors are instantly recognizable in any space. Like all stone floors, marble will last a lifetime (or two), often longer than the home. It’s important to note that marble will age, patina, and show wear over time and requires dedicated maintenance to retain its aesthetic. Marble flooring is typically categorized by the most popular finishes: polished, honed, and brushed (tumbled).

Limestone flooring: Limestone floors offer an earthy, organic alternative to the flash and glamor of marble. Instead of the busy “veining” of marble, today’s most popular limestone colors are beige or gray. Limestone floor tiles are also softer and more porous than marble, making them a better choice for areas of the home with less moisture.

Travertine flooring: Less well-known than either marble or limestone, travertine floor tiles offer a visual balance between the two. Travertine is technically a type of limestone formed in hot springs, which gives it a dotted appearance. Available in honed, tumbled, polished, and textured finishes, silver travertine is one of the hottest flooring trends of the past few years.

Granite flooring: There’s simply no tougher, more durable option. Granite floor tiles are incredibly scratch-, dent-, and wear-resistant and are much tougher than even marble. That inherent toughness is also a drawback, as granite flooring is often slippery, cold, and can look a bit dated.

Other popular stone flooring materials include slate, sandstone, basalt, and quartzite.

Natural Stone Flooring: Pros and Cons

While the primary benefits of natural stone flooring – toughness, durability, and an incomparably premium feel – make it highly desirable, prospective buyers should be aware of its potential drawbacks.

Stone Flooring Pros

Beauty: Stone flooring is naturally beautiful, unique, and rich in texture and variation.
Value: While expensive, stone floors add significant resale value to any home or business.
Durability: Well-maintained stone flooring will last centuries, not just decades.

Stone Flooring Cons

Care: Natural stone floor maintenance is a big commitment. In addition to regular cleaning, stone floors must be sealed every 1-2 years. That’s an expense that adds up quickly over time.
Safety: Stone is hard, cold, and often slippery. It’s not always a good choice for homeowners with young children or older adults.
Cost: It’s a premium product, and natural stone flooring installation is time- and labor-intensive. These materials require specialized tools and training to achieve the perfect fit and lasting performance.

Stone vs. Tile Flooring

Tile is often considered the closest alternative to stone flooring, and with good reason. Both options are durable, water-resistant, and available in a wide range of colors, dimensions, and patterns. Tile flooring is almost always less expensive than stone, and porcelain tile is even harder than granite. Importantly, tile is much easier to maintain and never needs to be sealed (though grout lines should be sealed). Your dedicated Design Associate will help you compare tile and stone flooring options to ensure you have the information you need to make a smart choice.

Find Stunning Stone Flooring in Plano, Texas

Floor Coverings International® of Plano offers a wide range of stone flooring products to help area homeowners achieve the look and feel they’ve always imagined. Our Mobile Flooring Showroom® brings a world of stone flooring products to your doorstep, making the process easy and the experience a delight. Start your project today by scheduling a free, in-home consultation.