Marble floor and wall tiles (Figure 1) offer a superb natural alternative for many applications, with a wide variety of types to choose from. Whether it's for a prestigious foyer floor or a bathroom, a marble tile can be found to suit the purpose.
Figure 1 - Marble wall tile
Marble tiles are not as easy to install for the diy home handyman as basic ceramic tile. Marble tiles require a wet saw for cutting and diamond drill bits and hole saws. However, the finished result is much more impressive! If you have patience you can install marble floors and walls as your next home improvement project.
Figure 2 - Tumbled marble floor medallion
What are Marble tiles?
Marble is a crystalline compact variety of Limestone, primarily calcite (CaCo3) but impurities add color in variegated patterns and marble is capable of taking a very high polish.
Quarried all over the World and available in an almost endless variety of colors. The industry standard size for Marble tiles is 305x305x10mm although many alternative sizes are available particularly for flooring when larger sizes are often used.
Marble is a natural product so marble tiles can vary in shade and markings. This is the appeal of this material but it is important to discuss your requirements before deciding.
Polished Marble Tiles:
As the name indicates the marble is given a highly polished surface. This in the correct situation is fabulous but remember that it can show minute scratches over time however this is not considered an issue, look at the number of Hotels in the World that have Marble floors and Bathrooms.
Afyon Creme
Forest Brown
Rosso Levanto
Forest Green
Figure 3 - Cutting marble tile
Cutting Marble Tile:
Marble tile can only be cut using a diamond blade that is continuously lubricated with water - wet saw. Wet saws can be purchased or rented.
MK Diamond 157222 MK-170 1/2 Horsepower 7-Inch Bench Wet Tile Saw
Northern Industrial Wet Tile Saw - 7in. Blade Size
