Limestone/Stone Floor

[sproodlemummy]

We're just about to start our extensive kitchen refurbishment.

I really like the look of a limestone or stone floor but the upkeep of it really puts me off. The material is so porous that any spillages may stain, and with us having a dog I feel that this will be a nightmare to keep clean.

I've attached a picture of a floor that i'm currently in love with

Has anyone had any alternatives or replica's that they could recommend?

TIA

You could try porcelain tiles. They are more resistant to staining etc but also need sealing.

I’ve just ordered limestone tiles for my kitchen. They will be sealed twice and then some kind of wax as a third coat. We don’t have a dog but do have two very spilly DC. I am hoping the sealant does its job.

Fired Earth do a very good porcelain version of limestone, which we were about to get, until I discovered a lookalike in my local tile shop.

We saved ourselves a fortune and all I now have to clean is a tiled floor!

Really.... don’t opt for the real stuff unless you want a job for life.

I’ve got limestone flags and they honestly aren’t that much upkeep. A good double coat of sealant when new and just wipe up any spillages as soon as possible. The patina of the use looks nice imo

I have a limestone floor in my kitchen 90sqm of the stuff. My husband is a stonemason so I got it cheap

There is no upkeep. Make sure it’s well sealed and they use good grout and then just mop it as normal. Sometimes you do get the odd stain on it (blueberries, lemon juice, Ribena) but I find it comes out after two or three steam mops. You’ll find over time the whole thing changes colour slightly with use. That’s the nature of organic material and is what’s lovely about it.

The grout may become slightly dirty, as do all grouts, but it comes up nicely with a god mop.

I wouldn’t go back to anything else now. You can’t damage it whatever you do to it.

Biggest mistake I have ever made was having limestone throughout my house, the upkeep is horrendous, despite sealing I have grease marks that won’t come out and etching and I am incredibly fastidious about cleaning my floors and wipe up anything that falls on the floor immediately, it causes me nothing but angst and cost me a fortune and I HATE IT. No one else can really see the marks unless I point them out, but I know they are there, so the floor never really feels clean. I don’t even like how it looks anymore. I originally wanted porcelain tiles but DH wanted limestone he now agrees it was a mistake but I’m stuck with the bloody thing now so I’m going to get a restoration company in to polish and re seal. I’m hoping the quote will be so expensive that it won’t be worth doing and I then have a valid reason to rip it up and throw it in the skip, I actually fantasise about this. Can you tell I hate my floor??

Well firstly it depends on the Limestone you choose, they all have different properties when it comes to staining but being honest, they are all more susceptible to staining and etching to one degree or another. And as the comments highlight it all depends what type of person you are. We were called out to a Limestone floor a few weeks ago to remove stains, when I got there it looked perfect to me but the lady fell to her knees and proceeded to show me all these little red wine and other minute stains. Although there are undoubtedly some very good porcelain copy tiles I think the Limestone looks so much richer and I think small stains just blend into the natural look of the floor, obviously others disagree. In summary make sure it is well sealed if you choose it and like I say about marble, if you are looking for something that looks new for longer but needs throwing away when its worn, choose a copy. If you are looking for something that will age quicker but will still look good when its old, then choose a natural material.

If the floor you lay it on is less than solid, it will end up like crazy paving.

Whatever floor you lay will look like crazy paving if its not solid. New floors with thick insulation seem more vulnerable to it. I have started using flexible adhesive on concrete and screed to try and mitigate movement in new floors

Oh gosh now you are making me worry about the crazy paving effect. You mean slabs get broken? We have a new floor (screed just drying as I type) with insulation underneath. I hope the tiles don’t break :(

They won’t break if they are going on a screeded floor, any more than ceramic tiles will. The floor must be properly prepared. We have under floor heating under our limestone and under ceramic.

I have them in our holiday house. However staining is a problem and I’m out of love with them. For my day to day house, I have look alike porcelain form a local shop. They look amazing and no one ever thinks they are porcelain. They look like limestone. Brilliant all the time. If you have a farmhouse, then the lived in look can be good but grubby stains are hard to live with in a standard house. We have had the holiday house ones cleaned and resealed, but they are still not great. I have to put up with the lived in look!

Please, please, please get porcelain tiles. No sealing, no maintenance, totally unstainable. The best decision EVER.

I always try to talk clients out of limestone and into porcelain especially if they have kids, pets or doors from outside....
there are some beautiful porcelain tiles either replica stone or even just plain ones and they can take the beating of life or even just clumsy Kitchen fitters or appliance delivery guys so much better.

Ah that’s ok. I can cope with the lived in look but not with crazy paving!

Can people please links to the replica limestone? Never seen any they look half decent!

I am doing my budget for this at the moment.

Do any of you knowledgeable people know how much, fitted, underfloor heating under limestone would cost for 23 square metres please?

No one replied to my own thread!

Also, any thoughts on slate? Thanks!

We’ve just ordered about 23 square metres hooliodancer and it was about 1K for the stones and tiling is 1845

Worst decision I’ve ever made is tumbled limestone floor in bathroom. It was sealed more than the recommended amount but just looks grubby no matter how often it is washed. Dirt gets in all the little cracks and nooks and you are really limited on what you can use to actually clean it because it’s natural stone and porous. Seriously, never again.

This thread is two days too late for me as have just paid for limestone flags, although they are blue grey and tumbled, and it’s an old house and I’m hoping that they will look old. rather than grubby. However they are going on a new floor over underfloor heating so I’m now gently worried about that. Can anyone recommend a good flexible grout and a good quality sealant?

Thanks everyone, I think we're going to go with Porcelain Limestone tiles. I just know that I don't have time to clean the real stuff enough that it won't end up looking grubby. In the summer it feels possible but I just know that it won't stand up in Winter & muddy paws

Not enough said here about the GROUT

Ive had porcelain and travertine tiles and both were lovely. Porcelain indestructible and easier to clean. But the g routing is another matter.. Major disaster/annoyance. We had a creamy colour to match the floor. It was properly sealed but still discoloured to dark grey quite quickly, especially in areas of heavy tread. It was only marginally lightened by mopping with detergent. The only effective way to clean it was on hands and knees with bleach using a toothbrush. And then reseal. And repeat in about six months or sooner if you’re fussy. If you are going to go with pale tiles I would suggest a darker beige/brown grout from the outset to minimise the problem