Renovating and re-designing your workspace or home can be a daunting task to undertake, considering the significant investment of both financial resources and time. Therefore, owing to the overwhelming nature of the task, it is crucial to make the chose the most appropriate materials for the same. However, given the wide selection of choices that you have for the materials, knowing the most relevant choice for you can be rather difficult. To aid you in the same, we’ve compiled a detailed guide that will ensure that you pick the right choice of materials for your workplace/home. If you wish to browse the aforementioned flooring choices, you can do so at OpuStone.
What are the initial choices?
There are several domains of material available that you can choose from. However, if the place that you wish to work upon endures a daily flow of heavy traffic, it is recommended that you choose a material that is built to sustain this exact situation. The initial choices that you have for the same are Granite, Tiles, and Stone, each of which is strong enough to maintain its durability even through years of heavy traffic flow.
It is worth noting that each of the materials above has various other variants that differ in characteristics and appearance. The following details, each of the same to better guide you to pick the most appropriate material for your place.
Granite: What Makes it Special?
Granite is one of the most used materials for flooring and all for a good reason. Granite is mainly known for its strength and the ability to adapt itself to its surrounding owing to its varying types and finishes. Granite, as a flooring material, has 4 main types:-
- Flamed Granite – As the name implies, this type of granite is known for its texture and appearance which is mainly due to the fact that it is subjected to high-intensity flames. The fire treatment that this type of granite is subjected to gives it unique and appealing textures.
- Brushed Granite – This type of granite finish is owing to the repeated brushing process that it is subjected to. Due to the same, the surface of Brushed Granite is extremely smooth and seems to be silky in appearance. The brushed finish gives the material a finely sculpted framework that is both elegant and durable.
- Honed Granite – Formed when the manufacturers polish the granite to a level where it is not extremely glossy but matte in appearance. This type of granite is ideal for high traffic areas since the granite still retains its strengthened structure.
- Polished Granite – This type of granite finish is better suited for areas with a low traffic flow since the surface of the granite becomes extremely shiny and slippery. The texture and reflective surface are created by polishing the material until the inner framework of the material is visible. Owing to the same, each piece of polished is unique in both texture and appearance.
Regardless of the type of finish you choose, Granite will be relatively more durable and rarely needs any maintenance except for the case of polished granite pieces. The notable aspect of granite is its durability, water resistant nature, and its unique selection of designs and texture.
Tiles: What Makes it Special?
It is known for its wide selection of choices, inexpensive installation and maintenance, and for the affordability that it provides to customers. Tile, as a flooring option, is widely recognized as the most economical choice. Added to that, it is relatively resistant to staining. Tile flooring mainly comes in two variants:-
- Ceramic Tiles – These types of tiles are formed by shaping clay and heating it until the material strengthens itself. Ceramic tiles are not very strong and are relatively more porous. Due to its porous nature, it is susceptible to water damage. Although to make it water resistant, these types of tiles are often glazed.
- Vitrified Tiles – Vitrified Tiles are subjected to a process referred to as vitrification that involves heating the material to temperatures that are enough to turn the material into a liquid. Immediately after, they are rapidly cooled to create a solid which is extremely durable. Due to the same, the tiles formed are non-porous and resistant to stains and water damage.
Regardless of the type of tile that you choose, the selected material will offer you a wide selection of choices and designs. You can customize the look of the tiles to match your place. This enables it to blend within the environment and creates an appealing appearance.
Stone: What Makes it Special?
This type of flooring material is created by mining and polishing it to an extent where it gives a glossy and polished appearance. Since the material occurs naturally, each stone flooring piece is certain to be unique in appearance but identical when it comes to durable aspects of the same. The characteristics that make this material a popular choice as a flooring material is its durable nature and its unique textures and designs. However, stone flooring demands regular maintenance session for its to retain its shiny and appealing appearance. The following are the types of stone flooring that you can choose from:-
- Marble – Marble is a popular choice as a stone flooring material mainly because of its seamless and elegant appearance. This type of stone flooring is known for its dense framework that enables it to last long while maintaining its timeless looks. However, it is worth noting that marble is also known to be relatively expensive while being extremely vulnerable to stains and water damage.
- Kota – Kota is a variant of limestone with the differing characteristic being the fact that it is more finely-grained compared to limestone. It is known for its inexpensive and durable nature. Added to that, Kota Stone is a material that boasts of a wide selection of design and texture choices. Along with its durable nature, it is also water and stain resistant.
Stone flooring is ideal if you are willing to provide it with regular cleaning and polishing sessions. Other than that, stone flooring is known to be incredibly durable and well-built for areas with a high-traffic flow.