Nothing else can quite match the look of marble tile in your home. Marble tile installation is done just about like ceramic tile installation with a few slight variations. Maybe you are even thinking about installing marble yourself. It's not that difficult and it's certainly a way to save some money and get just the results you want. So how does marble tile differ from ceramic tile?
Marble tile is a completely natural material. It's mined from natural deposits and is a form of limestone. Using marble in construction isn't new. Cathedrals, temples and palaces hundreds of years old use marble on many surfaces.
The natural variation in marble gives it a character so that every project is a bit different and most interesting. Color varies within the deposits and so do the tiles. The other variation that gives it character is the veining which often contains streaks of a different color. The problem is that veining is actually small cracks. These are easy places for tiles to crack.
Cracking and breaking of marble tiles can easily occur during installation, so you must be careful. But also if the base over which the tile is installed isn't solid and flat the stress on the tiles will also cause tile cracking, especially in marble flooring. So make sure the tile base is flat and has no flex or give. Skip this careful preparation and the tile may crack.
Another potential problem with marble tile is called lippage. Tile is ground flat with machinery from the natural mined slabs. The heat of grinding causes some variation in the thickness of individual tiles. The installer must allow for the variation. Lippage is the variation in the height of the tile edges on a surface. If the edges are up and down too much this really detracts from the look of the surface.
Marble makes for a great looking natural surface but there are some tricks to laying marble tile correctly. Visit our site for more marble tile installation tips.
Al Bullington invites you to visit http://www.InstallingCeramicTile.net for free answers to your tile questions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Al_Bullington
No comments:
Post a Comment