Limestone floor tile information
click below for further information on Limestone tiles and related products.See Limestone gallery for images,full range and specifications.
Technical Data-limestone floor tiles

Limestone tiles are a truly natural flooring option and are formed as a sedimentary rock composed mainly of Calcite (CaCo3) that constitutes about 10% of the the sedimentary rock exposed on the Earths surface.Limestone tiles are formed by crystalisation of water or by the accumulation of shell and shell fragments. Limestone tiles are usually light coloured however with impurities such as iron oxides and organic materials they can take on a variety of colours and surface markings.Limestone tiles have been used as a building material for many generations and is gaining popularity as a sophisticated flooring material offering the timeless qualities only possible with natural materials.

Choosing a material

You must consider the application when selecting a stone to ensure it's suitability.Choosing the correct material is always a balance between asthetics and practicality and we are here to help and will advise you.

There are many cheap Limestone tiles now available on the "web" but in general terms some are only suitable for specific use and you should consider carefully the long term investment of your floor.It's always worth looking at the technical specification particularly the porosity etc and always clarify the intended application of the material.You get what you pay for and If it sounds to good to be true it usually is.

We usually only offer the harder Limestone tiles as these offer predictable maintainance properties and they have considerable advantages over Travertines as they do not have the typical surface holes and fisures that need to be filled and can break down over time.

The application is important when choosing a material for example, you could use a particular Limestone on a Bathroom floor but would it be suitable for a busy family kitchen? We have a very experienced team who are happy to discuss your requirements and make recommendations based on the application.

Many limestones can vary,this is quite normal and in many cases desirable but you should always insist that if possible your order is supplied from a single batch and be wary of making a decision based an a single sample tile particularly,if a larger area is involved.A quarry is constantly moving forward so the sample may not represent the batch you obtain.It is always advisable to see a reasonable area of any material you are considering to see the typical shading variances etc.We usually only sell from stock and are pleased to have customers see physical stock before deciding.

We cut and surface finish many of the materials in our own factory and hold over 1000 tons of various types of stone in stock and can machine matching steps and skirtings etc.

Limestone tiles as with all natural materials will vary in shade and surface appearance.With many Limestones you can find lines,these are Quartz lines and are not cracks,in fact they are probably the strongest part of the tile.

We can supply samples of all our materials but it should be remembered that these are representative only and we encourage customers to visit our extensive showrooms where we can show you physical examples,actual floors and discuss their individual requirements.

For the range of Limestone tiles we stock see Limestone gallery

Types of surface finish

There are several surface finishes available

Polished Only available with certain harder stones

Honed The most common surface finish.Can vary between matt and a slight sheen.

Brushed A textured surface that varies with the hardness of the material and the degree of brushing.

Water worn A process that gently ages the stone giving a softer look with slightly contoured edges

Sizes and Layouts

There are many options available

Fixed Width Free Length. An increasingly popular layout as it can be used in both traditional and contemporary applications.An efficient layout with minimal wastage.Widths vary from 30-50cm and the length from 50-120cm. although we can supply almost all our featured materials to special sizes if required

Single size.Large selection ranging from 40x40cm up to 100x100cm.Usually the thickness increases once the size is over 60x60cm

Opus.This usually refers to a 4or 5 tile interlocking layout

Corner Insert.There are two options,an insert of a different material usually 10cm square in either one corner thus 1 insert per 4 tiles OR all corners Octagon pattern.

Current ranges

See LIMESTONE GALLERY for full detail of our current ranges

We show here only a representative sample of the many types of Limestone tiles we stock.If possible it's always a good idea to visit our showrooms to see actual floors and discuss your project.If you have any drawings of the areas you wish to discuss please bring them with you.

Related pages click below,see also related pages index

Half bond layout
Typical Opus layout
visit our new showrooms,over 20000sq ft of stunning design ideas featuring natural materials

For more information see showrooms or call 0121 784 6800

Limestone floor tiles -Jerusalem Limestone -Limestone slab and Limestone bowls
Alistair Mackintosh Ltd,Garretts Green Birmingham,England.info@alistairmackintosh.co.uk 0121 784 6800