Looking for a way to freshen up your entire home for 2022? Or are you building your dream house and wondering what sort of stone flooring will best suit your design?

Natural stone is an excellent choice of material for use for your flooring for a wide range of reasons:

• It’s stunning aesthetically.
• It’s functional and hard wearing.
• It never goes out of style.
• It’s easy to maintain and keep clean.
• It’s unique with no other identical slab anywhere else in the world.

So, what are the top stone flooring ideas for you to consider? We’ve curated a list to help inspire, excite and inform on all things stone flooring for indoor and outdoor use.

Rustic Limestone Tiles

Limestone is a popular natural stone material for use in both indoor and outdoor construction. Known for its earthy quality and natural-looking shades and tones, limestone is wonderful for use in homes with a rustic or country design style. 

Limestone flooring perfectly complements exposed and rugged stonework on walls, cream or light coloured kitchen cabinetry and units, and homes that incorporate other natural (think wood) features and accessories. 

White Marble Flooring

To say that white marble has come back into style implies that it was out of style. While that might not be strictly true, it is true that the elegant white marble stone with its distinct cloudy veins and milky shades is certainly a popular trend moving into 2022.

White marble not only looks sophisticated and beautiful but it also helps to brighten up a space. Using marble stone kitchen tiles or incorporating marble flooring in your bathroom will help make the entire space seem larger and more inviting. Plus, marble offers the added benefit of suiting traditional decor or modern, minimalist design styles as well. 

Large Stone Tiles

If the minimalist aesthetic of clean white marble isn’t really for you, and you’re looking for something with more visual texture, a rippled stone flooring design might be the key. Large format stone tiles–we’re thinking limestone or travertine–cut long-ways can create an almost wood-like appearance.

This sort of aesthetic not only looks remarkable on its own, but when teamed up with wood and stone incorporated in the rest of your house, it looks like a real treat! 

Flooring with a Rough Stone Finish

While there are certainly cleaning and maintenance aspects to rough finished stone flooring to consider, there is no doubt that there’s a unique rustic charm to a stone floor with a rough yet polished finish. 

Rough stone gives the entire room a sense of earthiness and injects a huge amount of style into just about any space. Of course, this will mean that the floor is uneven, but done professionally and elegantly the aesthetic style sure makes it worth it. 

Sleek Stone Tiling

If you’re looking to go to the other end of the stone flooring spectrum, then simple square or rectangular stone styles with a sleek and brushed finish is the way to go. With your choice of shade, pattern and stone material, there’s plenty of opportunity to still make this design your own.

Particularly useful for areas of the house that you want to seamlessly blend together, like a living area and dining space, or hallways and entrance hall, sleek stone tiling may be simple but its effect is nothing but extraordinary. 

Mix and Match Stone Flooring

Another fantastic stone flooring idea is the incorporation of multiple different tones of marble, granite or another natural stone in a custom pattern. Instead of using just one colour or shade, you benefit from a real multi-dimensional visual aesthetic. Not all stone floors need to be arranged in large tiles or slabs. Mixing and matching different shades of stone in a neat pattern can be an excellent way for you to add depth to a space without the effect being overwhelming. 

Herringbone Pattern

Herringbone stone tiling is back! Opting for a herringbone pattern for your stone flooring gives you the best of both worlds: the elegant simplicity of stone tiles with the sophisticated complexity of a geometric pattern.

There’s even a lot of opportunity to tailor your herringbone stone floor further. You can incorporate a blend of two different stone tiles to give a bit of a contrast (we recommend going dark and light) or you can even seamlessly blend your walls and floor by having the herringbone pattern seamlessly flow from the floor up the wall. 

Black and White Checkered Stone Flooring

There’s something classic and enthralling about a black and white marble checkered stone floor. Whether you want to use it in the kitchen to match your white and black cabinetry and appliances, or in your bathroom where it will elevate the entire space with sophisticated style, this stone idea can go just about anywhere.

Marble stone itself comes in a wide variety of shades of black and white, each with a unique level of contrasting veining and flecks. This all makes for an opportunity to create a truly eye-popping flooring design. 

Black Slab Indoor Flooring

Want something bold and full of character? If your home is all about rich luxury and moody style, an all black stone slab flooring can do wonders. Paired with brass or gold accessories and fixtures, dark granite or other stones can really bring your home to life.

Of course, you don’t have to go for single-shade black stone either. Many black stone slabs come with natural veining or a natural grainy quality that will help to diffuse the ‘oppressiveness’ of single shade black without losing the unique aesthetic quality. 

Let’s Discuss More Stone Flooring Ideas Today!

There you have it, some of the hottest stone flooring trends for 2022. If you’re still unsure what sort of stone kitchen tiles you should choose for your home, or wondering what’s the most practical stone flooring for your indoor space, our team at Euro Marble can’t wait to help.

Get in contact with us today for all things natural stone and flooring!

The terms “rock” and “stone” are often used interchangeably in general conversation and it’s understandable why. In fact, the online Merriam-Webster even includes the description of rock under the definition of the term stone, so it’s no wonder that the terms get confused.

But what is the difference between rock and stone, and does it matter? Let’s dive in and find out. 

Stone vs rock

What is a rock?

Rocks are most commonly found in the crust of the earth but can also be found, in the form of cliffs and other manifestations, on the surface as well. Rock is made up of stone and another material called mineral matter.

There are actually three different types of rock found on the planet: Igneous, Metamorphic and Sedimentary.

Igneous Rock

This type of rock is formed when lava or magma cools down and then solidifies. Often this happens deep beneath the surface and over time the rock then rises to the surface. 

Metamorphic Rock

These rocks form when a previous type of rock is subjected to extreme levels of pressure and/or heat.

Sedimentary Rock

This type of rock is formed from the compartment of either other forms of rocks and/or fossils and other minerals on the surface of the Earth or in water depositories. 

What is a stone?

Stone is referred to as a material made of non-metallic rock-mineral matter. In other words, it is cut from rock. When we refer to natural stone, we’re talking about stone that is quarried (or cut) from the ground. This is in contrast to engineered stone or quartzite which is a man-made construction material. 

So, in a fascinating way, rock is made up of stone and stone is cut from rock! Confused? That’s okay! 

Types of Natural Stone

There are numerous types of natural stone which all boast unique features and a range of shades, patterns, colours and styles. 

Here’s a brief breakdown and summary of the different types of natural stone:

Granite

Granite is a type of igneous rock and is known for its iconic grainy crystallisation. 

Marble 

Marble, the classic stone of interior construction, is metamorphic and is made up of recrystallised carbonate minerals.

Quartzite 

Quartzite is also a metamorphic rock but it comes from the formation of quartz-rich sandstone that has been exposed to super high pressure or heat. 

Onyx

Onyx, a stunning form of sedimentary rock, features layers of chalcedony. What on Earth is that? It’s just a fancy word for cryptocrystalline quartz which itself is a fancy word for a type of silica.

Limestone

Limestone is another type of sedimentary rock made of calcium carbonate. Often containing microscopic organism fossils, it also contains calcium and carbonate formed in water depositories. 

Travertine

Like limestone, travertine is a sedimentary rock that also forms in water, especially hot springs and the like, and is known for its various rustic and earthy colourings. 

Using Stone In Construction

Stone is used in a wide variety of applications in construction and homes. Externally and internally, natural stone has been used for millennia and continues to be a popular choice of material for its magnificent aesthetic, durability and hardiness. 

Uses For Stone

Just some of the various home uses of natural stone include:

• Walls
• Fireplaces
• Floors
• Benchtops
• Stairs
• Vanities and basins

Benefits of Rock and Stone

Why are rocks and stones so commonly used for construction? There are actually a number of reasons.

Aesthetic

From the opulent aesthetic of marble to the rustic, down-to-earth tones of travertine, nothing beats the visual impact a stone kitchen countertop of wall has. There’s plenty of variety when it comes to colours, shades, styles and look of all types of natural stone, so there’s no lack of opportunity to find the perfect stone to suit your home style.

Durability

Stone is a highly durable material. Formed in or beneath the surface of the earth, it’s extremely hardy against exposure to the elements or the hive of activity within your home. If you’re going to build or renovate a house, you might as well make your investment last and stone will help you do that!

Versatility

Vanities, benchtops, floors, staircases… What can’t you use stone for? Stone can even be incorporated in both large slabs cut to shape and size or smaller tiles that can be arrayed in any style or pattern that suits you. 

Uniqueness

Due to the fact that natural stone is quarried from the ground and not produced in a factory or by man, every single slab is unique. There is no exact copy of any rock or stone found anywhere else in the world. If you value exclusivity and uniqueness in your home, nothing beats natural stone. 

Value

Another fantastic reason to incorporate stone into your home is its ability to add more and more value to your home. Whether you simply want to increase its appeal to prospective buyers or actually increase the overall value of the home, natural stone is fantastic.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

While you might once have found yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to explain to someone the difference between a rock and a stone, you now know it’s actually quite simple. Rock is made up of mineral matter and stone, whereas stone is cut from rock itself to form the slabs that you then use to beautify and enhance your home! 

Want to chat more about stones, rocks and everything in between? Contact the Euro Marble team today!

There’s nothing quite like the visual impact of a stunning natural stone benchtop in your home and kitchen. For many avid fans of stone, one of the few drawbacks is the uncertainty around how to maintain your stone benchtops.

After all, a stone benchtop is a significant investment and while it’s highly durable and long lasting when properly maintained, it’s important that you treat your stone right and it will pay you back in spades.

Here are our expert tips for cleaning, maintaining and protecting your stone benchtops. 

Simple Cleaning Methods

The best way to clean a stone benchtop is to keep it simple, always. The first rule is to ensure you use both clean and warm water when giving the benchtop a wipe. Secondly, always use a cloth that is soft and won’t scratch.

Thirdly, when you’re cleaning up a spill (and yes, they will happen) make sure you blot before wiping and work in small overlapping sweeps. Lastly, make sure you let the bench air dry and don’t risk scratching the surface manually drying. 

Get Into The Habit Of Everyday Cleaning

In addition to cleaning the right way, you need to clean at the right time.

The best way to maintain a stone benchtop is by getting into the habit of conducting a simple, quick and easy clean every day.

Not only will it ensure your stone is always sparkling clean, it will also give you peace of mind that any small spills or bits of food that you may not have noticed will be picked up during the daily clean and won’t leave permanent marks or stains.

Quick Hands Prevent Staining

So, what do you do if something does spill over your beautiful stone benchtop? Simple: Act quickly!

The quicker you’re able to clean up a spill, the less likely it will be that a stain will be left. The first step is to blot the spill to soak up as much liquid as possible, before immediately rinsing a soft cloth (as you do with your daily clean) and apply warm, soapy water to the spot.

There’s no need to panic, but the faster you’re able to clean the better.

Be Careful of Your Soaps

Using the right soaps is an integral part of maintaining your benchtop.

Natural stone should not be exposed to abrasive or harsh chemicals. Whether you’re cleaning marble benchtops or tabletops made from granite, always use a neutral soap with a mild level of PH. Do NOT use any of the following:

• Acidic chemicals
• Harsh detergents
• Cleans that are oil based
• Turpentine 
• Methylated spirits
• Bleaches
• Boiling water

Say No To Rough Scrubbing

While we’re on the topic of things not to do: Do not scrub your stone benchtop with a rough pad or cloth that might damage or scratch the benchtop itself.

No scouring pads, no steel wool, no abrasive cloths. Always be soft and gentle when wiping down your bench. 

Prevention Is Better Than Treatment

The best way to treat stains and damage to your stone is by avoiding it all in the first place!

From pasta sauce and wine to food colouring and beetroot, there’s a lot that can (when left unattended) spill and stain.

Simply by using placemats, coasters and heat pads  you can take small steps to preventing big mistakes.

Know What Stains

Properly sealed stone benchtops are hardy and highly durable, but it’s still important that you take care when working and cooking with certain foods that are prone to staining.

To give you a bit of an idea, here are some of the different foods to be careful with:

• Wine
• Beetroot
• Pasta sauce
• Turmeric
• Curry
• Berries
• Juices
• Oil
• Coffee
• Soy sauce 

Take The Heat Off

It’s not just stains that you’ll want to keep an eye out for and off your benchtop. If you place hot pots or pans directly onto your stone, you risk leaving a burn mark, discolouring the stone itself or even risking a bit of a crack.

Always use a hot plate, insulated mat or trivet to protect your benchtop from damage from your heat. Never place hot items directly onto your precious and beautiful benchtop. 

When Things Get Hard, Turn to Plastic

Even the most eagle-eyed individuals miss a little splash or spill every now and then. If you come later and notice that the stain has hardened, take care not to cause even more damage trying to scratch it off.

The ideal method of getting rid of hardened bits of food is to use a plastic utensil (be it a spoon, spatula or knife) and very gently remove the stain without scraping at the underlying bench.

Avoid Cutting On Your The Benchtop

This might seem like an obvious one, but for the sake of your gorgeous stone benchtop it bears emphasis here. Do not cut directly onto the stone. If you’re chopping up vegetables, always use a chopping board.

The last thing you want is to either leave marks or scratch away at the siny polish.

Another thing to remember is that you don’t use benchtops that can easily scratch or dent the stone either.

Avoid the Weak Spots

Stone is very hard wearing, but when you use it for your benchop the chances are that there will be areas of increased vulnerability. Particularly where the stone hangs over the end of underlying foundations, you should be careful not to place too much weight or downward pressure on those sections.

Never sit or stand on the benchtop, especially near the corners or ends.

Always Use Professional Repairers and Sealers

Marble, granite, limestone… Natural stone of all types could do with yearly or bi-yearly resealing to keep its somewhat porous material protected from the liquid it’s bound to be exposed to in your kitchen.

Make sure to always use professional sealers so you can rest assured the job is being done properly.

The same comes for repairs. Cracks, chips and scratches can be repaired in many cases but don’t risk causing more damage by doing it yourself. Make sure to get a team of experts in instead.

For More Tips, Get In Touch

We’ve barely scratched the surface–pun intended–of ways in which you can maintain your stone benchtop. For more tips and tricks, make sure to get in touch with our team here at Euro Marble. 

Minimalist kitchens are extraordinarily popular in modern-style homes. From the inherent simplicity in the design to the ease with which you can create a luxurious feel, there’s a lot to love about minimalist homes.

While there are rooms in your home where it may be necessary to compromise a bit of function for fashion, your kitchen simply isn’t one of them. A minimalist kitchen design offers the perfect combination of stylishness and clutter-free, organised cleanliness that we all strive for in the hive of activity that is our kitchen.

So what construction material is best for a minimalist kitchen? There’s simply no question in our mind that natural stone tiles are the way to go.

Why natural stone?

Natural stone tiles offer both a beautiful and a durable solution for your home and especially for your kitchen. No other material is able to offer both attributes with such balance and finesse. 

Natural stone, being quarried from the ground directly, offers a uniquely earthly feel whilst retaining a sophisticated elegance. Yet, if you’re a brass tax kind of person, rest assured that natural stone offers a pretty smart long-term investment.

The hardiness and durability makes natural stone perfect for kitchens in particular where it will be exposed to a lot of activity, not to mention liquid. 

How to incorporate natural stone in your minimalist kitchen

Stone is versatile in both application and function which makes it uniquely suited to a variety of contexts. Some of the most common applications of natural stone tiles in a kitchen include:

• Flooring
• Splashbacks
• Benchtops
• Sinks
• Wall cladding

Top natural stone tiles for minimalist kitchens

There are a LOT of varieties of natural stone to choose from. Even if you’re aiming for a minimalist kitchen sink to match your minimalist benchtop there are still tons of options to choose from. To help make your life easier, we’ve listed 7 of the top natural stone tiles to consider for your minimalist kitchen. 

1.  Bianco Perlino Marble

Let’s start with a classic, minimalist stone. Bianco Perlino Marble is immensely popular thanks to its intricate, distinct veining and graceful, bright shading. If you’re aiming for a luminous kitchen full of bouncing light and a feeling of airy spaciousness, Bianco Perlino will perfectly compliment a minimalist design. This stunning marble stone is particularly good for use in flooring as its simplicity won’t overwhelm your minimalist aspirations. Yet if you want to use it in your kitchen benchtop or as a splashback, it works stylistically just as well. 

2.  Calacatta Belgia Marble

From one marble stone to another… Calacatta Belgia is your classic marble-looking stone. Threaded with smokey veining amidst subtle yet powerful colours, this royal look will bring to life a minimalist kitchen without becoming overbearing. These natural stone tiles are particularly good if you’re worried that choosing white or silver stones will appear too plain but that going for a stone with a busy design or dark veining will lose the minimalist flavour. Calacatta Belgia is famous for its captivating beauty and its versatility in application. We particularly like it for flooring and kitchen countertops because it looks best in large slabs or big tiles.

3.  Mystic Black Granite

Let’s swing to the other side and leave behind the whites and greys for a moment. Just because you’ve gone down the minimalist route doesn’t mean that you have to stay with the lighter colours. Mystic Black granite brings a dark, bold visual element to a kitchen which, applied tastefully, can enhance the elegant simplicity of a kitchen. A granite kitchen countertop or benchtop–especially in the form of an island–will anchor your minimalist kitchen design with a spectacular statement that will drop jaws to the floor… a floor which would also look stunning in Mystic Black.

4.  Mocca Limestone

Designers and homeowners who are not such fans of minimalist design styles often use words like ‘cold’ and ‘impersonal’. We couldn’t disagree more! In fact, nothing proves such naysayers wrong as a Mocca limestone incorporating minimalist kitchen. With shades of swirling cream and ivory, Mocca has a warming look to it that manages to thread the needle of being both visually homely and luxurious. Cladding your kitchen with these natural stone tiles will create a genuine feeling of cosiness and comfort. 

5.  Silver Travertine

Silver travertine stone tiles offer your minimalist kitchen a sense of depth and subtle complexity without ruining the overall effect of contemporary minimalism. This steel grey material echoes the cleanliness and ruthlessly smooth look of concrete whilst adding in nuanced silver, green and occasionally brown shading to give your kitchen a personal, homely touch. Our team particularly likes incorporating silver travertine in kitchen countertops where it can act as a central focal point with its eye-popping beauty without distracting from the overall kitchen design. 

6.  Blue dreams marble

Now we turn to a coloured marble: Blue dreams marble. Blue dreams is a truly breathtaking stone: The vivid blue and creamy brown shadings evoke feelings of golden and sapphire ocean sunsets. If you want to inject a little bit of extra personality into your kitchen, we highly recommend considering blue dreams for a marble splashback or marble benchtop. The graceful design and calming colouring will hero the rest of the kitchen in a subtle, dignified manner.  

7.  Royal White marble

For our last natural stone tile suggestion for your minimalist kitchen, we’ve gone all out; and by all out, we mean all white. Royal white marble is amongst the most majestic of natural stones and building materials found anywhere. Period. Effortlessly luxurious with its beautiful shimmering streaks of silver, royal white marble is the perfect choice for a kitchen that is meant to be as white as white can be. Incorporate this elegant marble in your floors, walls, benchtops or splashbacks. It makes for a fresh and stunning kitchen full of understated and impressive character. 

Let’s design your minimalist kitchen together

Euro Marble are experts in all things stone. Our highly skilled team are extremely experienced in helping homeowners and builders find the right natural stone tiles to suit their desires, their homes and their budgets. 
Nothing says pure minimalist kitchen design elegance more than natural stone and no one knows natural stone better than the team at Euro Marble. Contact us today and let’s see what we can do for you and your kitchen.