Tile Trends: Natural Stone Tiles

Natural stone tiles provide an everlasting, high quality and timeless finish in any interior design project, from home renovations and new builds to commercial and retail spaces that are looking to add a luxurious element. Natural products provide a spectacular finish that is always on trend, making them an excellent choice in projects where a timeless quality is desired. From luxurious marble tiles to patterned terrazzo and more, you can use natural stone tiles to create a truly unique and stylish look in your next design project. 

The Different Types of Natural Stone Tiles

Natural stone tiles come in all shapes, sizes and of course, different types of stone to choose from. From luscious natural marbles in an assortment of exciting colours to terrazzo, travertine and even sandstone, there are many different types of natural stone tiles to consider with each option offering a unique look to your project. 

Providing endless appeal in this classically styled bathroom, Calacatta marble is perhaps one of the most popular natural stone options for the home, allowing for a vast range of combinations and pairings with different colours and finishes to create a truly unique look.

Each of these materials provides its own distinct range of qualities and character to a project; marble tiles will create a luxurious design whereas sandstone and basalt products will perfectly fit into a more modern design scheme, providing an earthy touch to the space. Natural stone tiles have been used widely throughout history, showing up in historical structures, places of worship and luxurious homes throughout history, solidifying their timeless appeal in the world of interior design. 

Where can I use Natural Stone Tiles?

Depending on which material you choose, natural stone tiles can be used right throughout the home, from indoor spaces such as the kitchen and bathroom to outdoor areas and walkways.

Natural Stone Floor Tiles

Natural stones that are most favoured as flooring option include: Terrazzo tiles, Travertine, Marble, Limestone, Slate and Sandstone. These options offer a luscious finish that is stable underfoot ensuring a flooring solution that will last a lifetime.

Natural Stone Bathroom Tiles

Using natural stone in the bathroom creates an elegant look in the space, ensuring a truly timeless look that will always be in style. The most popular natural stone options that can be used in the bathroom include marble, basalt and terrazzo tiles, each offering its own distinct look and character to the design and allowing the creation of a multitude of different design styles, from classical to contemporary.

Our very modern Basalt natural stone collection creates a stunning textured surface for a stylish multi-toned effect. Basalt can be comfortably used in the bathroom or kitchen as a wall finish for a luxe and modern touch in a contemporary styled home.

Natural Stone Kitchen Tiles

Using natural stone in the kitchen can create a true air of luxury and refinement that will last a lifetime. Marble stone tiles are perhaps the most popular option here thanks to their unique ability to perfectly complement just about any style of kitchen design, from a classically styled space to an urban design. Terrazzo tiles are another exciting option for the kitchen, offering immense strength and durability while also allowing for the perfect bridge between your selected finishes, as demonstrated in the modern kitchen design below. 

Our luxurious terrazzo tiles are used in this modern kitchen design as a splashback, perfectly tying together the contrasting black and white finishes in the space thanks to the varying colours present in the speckled terrazzo finish.

Care & Maintenance of Natural Stone Tiles

Being a natural product, stone tiles are porous in nature making them more susceptible to staining or discolouration as a result of absorbing liquids. We recommend the use of the right sealing product which is usually applied before installation and every few years thereafter in order to help maintain the stone’s quality finish. A quality sealant will create an invisible protective barrier over the surface of your new stone tiles and grout that will help prevent  absorbing liquids and help to avoid damage from occurring. This however cannot be guaranteed as unfortunately some liquid / stains may still penetrate especially in areas where the sealer has worn off.

In terms of cleaning your natural stone tiles, it is always recommended that harsh, acidic cleaning products such as bleach or vinegar be avoided as these can potentially damage the surface finish overt time and cause discolouration in the stone. Instead, we offer a range of more gentle cleaners that can be used on a daily basis to ensure the integrity of your natural stone tiles while still offering a complete and thorough deep clean. 

As you can see, there are many different types and styles of natural stone tiles, each of which provides its own range of unique characteristics to any interior design project. It is especially important to consider your selected stone’s properties when making your tile selection in order to better understand any necessary care or maintenance advice which will ensure the material’s longevity and quality finish. Our team at Perini Tiles can recommend the best materials to suit your specific requirements and preferences, ensuring a tile selection that will be enjoyed for a lifetime!