Ceramic or Stone flooring ?

From the past until today, different materials are used to cover the floor of the buildings. Natural stones and ceramics are among the most widely used materials. There are many similarities between these two floor materials, but also there are some differences between them.

Comparison between natural stone and ceramic flooring

Generally, we use natural stones such as marble, onyx, and some travertine stones as the stone flooring of the building. Ceramics are also used to cover the floor of the building. There are many similarities between ceramics and natural stones. Both of them are hard materials which generally have very little water absorption and they are resistant to water penetration.

Therefore, because of these features, they can easily be used for long time as indoor and outdoor flooring. However, there are differences between them that make each of them a unique material with special features. Now the question is, which of them is better for the floor of the building? In this article, we will help you to choose the suitable flooring material by comparing the advantages and features of each of them.

Natural stone features

Natural building stones have their own appearance and they are somehow unique. All stones, have cracks and veins and substances or liquids may penetrate into them and eventually damage the stone. In contrast to natural stones, ceramics have a uniform surface and they don’t have cracks. Ceramics also have stable and similar colors which is an advantage for them. After all, if you want to design a uniform building, ceramics are a very good option for you. But if you like different designs and patterns, natural stones are recommended.

Durability of natural stone and ceramics

The resistance of different types of ceramics is affected by the firing temperature and their materials. Firing at a higher temperature make them more resistant. Crystal ceramics, which are baked at a temperature of about 1200 degrees, are more resistant than other kinds of ceramics. The durability and hardness of natural stones vary according to the type of stone. Granite, marble and onyx stones are very resistant and more durable than those which have porosity.

How to clean the stone or ceramic flooring

Natural stones are vulnerable to acid detergents, so acid cleaners should not be used to clean the natural stones. For ceramics that are glazed, you can use different detergents, but keep this in mind, if you use stronger chemicals, you should be careful of breaking down the bond lines between the ceramics.

The last word

In general, the choice of natural stone or ceramic for flooring, according to their own features, still needs the taste of the architect and the owner of the building. They can choose the appropriate flooring according to their taste and what they want to use for the interior or exterior design of a building.

Ceramics are the right choice for low-maintenance floors. Be careful that ceramics don’t have a completely natural material and although they look very similar to natural stones, they are not able to have the resistance, strength and full beauty of natural stones. Because of the beauty of natural stones, most people tend to use natural materials such as natural building stones to give their building a special and unique effect.