From rustic cottages to grand manor houses, stone floors have been laid underfoot for hundreds of years. Chosen for their natural good looks, longevity and wide variety of colours and styles, stone floors are an investment that will weather and age well. With care and attention the surface can last several lifetimes.

WHY CHOOSE STONE?
The most popular types of stone flooring are limestone, sandstone and slate. Many can be put off choosing stone due to the expense. Limestone costs from around £50 sq m: white limestone, £47 sq m, is Stone Age's least expensive limestone, but prices can rise to over £200 sq m for antique limestone. Slate can often be a more economical choice, costing from around £30 sq m: Autumn Riven slate, £32·49 sq m from Stonell Direct.
Stone floors should always be professionally laid so speak to the showroom and ask them to arrange a site visit before you purchase the stone. They can then advise on levelling the floor, removing existing flooring and can also measure the floor size. Take into account the depth of the slabs themselves: these can be several centimetres thick and so can raise the height of the finished floor quite considerably, something to bear in mind if new kitchen units or internal doors are to be fitted at the same time.
Porous stone floors, such as limestone and sandstone, need to be sealed or waxed when they are laid to protect the flags from dirt and stains. Your showroom can either seal the floor for you, or advise on the right product to use for the stone you have chosen. Once this is done, careful maintenance, such as immediately wiping any spills, can keep them ageing well for many years. Also available are vinyl, lino and rubber floors, as well as stone composite, which are designed to resemble natural stone.
Once sealed, stone is easy to keep clean and will age well, but it is cold and noisy, unlike wood, vinyl and other flooring alternatives. Its hardness means it may not be a safe choice for young families, who may prefer to lay a vinyl or rubber stone-effect flooring that gives the look of stone but a safer finish underfoot. With Amtico's vinyls costing from £45 sq m, Marmoleum (lino) from £28·50 sq m, and Dalsouple's rubber flooring from £46·50 sq m, these are often less expensive than stone, but are unlikely to have the same longevity. "

CHOOSING THE RIGHT STONE
Quarried all over the world, stone comes in a huge variety of colours and styles. Perennially popular are neutral tones, which suit both minimalist and traditional interiors: choose from the classic honey tones of Refined French limestone, £95 sq m, Smallbone Stone, or the hard marble-like qualities of antiqued Jerusalem limestone, £129 sq m, Smallbone Stone. For a dramatic finish try a darker shade: Irish Black limestone, £70·50 sq m, Stone Age.
The finish of the cut stones will influence the overall look. A shiny, polished floor in dark shades will look modern, while a rough finish is perfect for a country house. The size of the stone tiles and the way they are laid can alter the look too. Think laterally when planning the layout. Turning a grid-work of slabs 45° can have a dramatic effect: this device is often used to make halls seem wider. Individual designs can be created by mixing shapes, colours, and finishes.

TYPES OF STONE
LIMESTONE
Limestone ranges in colour from white, cream, beige and grey to deep blue, green and black. Limestone tends to be porous, but once sealed, can be laid both inside and out. It is generally used downstairs, although it can be fitted in bathrooms as long as the sub floor is strong enough. Use underfloor heating to prevent coldness underfoot.
MARBLE
Marble is a crystalline form of limestone, and in its pure form is semi-translucent white, but can also be coloured and veined. It is usually polished to a high gloss sheen. Colours include black, red, chocolate, green and mixtures of these shades. It can be attractive in bathrooms, provided it is treated to prevent slipping.
TRAVERTINE
A close relative of limestone, travertine is available in a palette of speckled creamy beiges and soft browns, and suits floors such as hallways, kitchens and conservatories.
GRANITE
Granite is one of the hardest and most durable types of stone. As well as black and graphite grey, granite also comes in red, green, brown and white. It suits kitchens or other downstairs rooms.
SLATE
Dense and finely grained, slate can be any colour from dark grey and green to unusual shades of blue, red, brown
and purple. Rough-finished slate gives a rustic appearance, but when polished to a high gloss it suits modern interiors.
COMPOSITE
Increasingly popular, composite stone mixes real, ground and/or chipped stone with a bonding agent. This mixture is then cast into tiles or slabs. Composite can be cut into thinner tiles than real stone, and an advantage is the price per square metre is often much cheaper than real stone.

STONE FINISHES

• Riven – A cleft surface typically associated with slate.
• Polished – A glossy, very smooth surface that is easy to maintain.
• Honed – A smooth surface with, depending on the stone, a matt to low-sheen gloss.
• Flamed – A rough surface developed through the application of intense heat.
• Brushed – An uneven surface created by wire brushing.
• Satino – A flamed and then brushed and waxed finish resulting in a surface that appears uneven but is smooth.
• Tumbled – A slightly rough, antique texture achieved by tumbling tiles in sand.
• Sandblasted – An irregular surface created by a pressurised flow of sand and water.
• Bush-hammered – A natural-looking, rough-textured surface created by hammering the stone with chisels.
• Sablino – Sandblasted and then brushed.

STONE-EFFECT CERAMIC AND PORCELAIN
Less convincing than composite stone when it comes to looking like real stone, stone-effect ceramic and porcelain tiles are nonetheless a good alternative. The tiles are strong, thin, light and easy to lay, which makes them suitable for upstairs bathrooms or larger areas where the budget won't stretch to wall-to-wall limestone. However, they can be as hard on the feet as stone and may need to be laid on specialist sound-proofing material, especially in large open-plan areas or when used on suspended floors.
The manufacturing process determines whether the tile will be vitrified (non-porous), which means it will not require sealing or glazing: a non-vitrified tile will need to be glazed or sealed before it can come into contact with water. Terracotta tiles are unglazed earthenware tiles and so are warm underfoot but need sealing; porcelain tiles are non-porous and extremely hard, which means they are cold underfoot but a good choice for kitchen floors.
Porcelain and terracotta tiles come in a wide variety of colours and textures, including soft muted tones designed to resemble the shades of natural stone. Surface's David Kong says that the very latest innovation is ultra-thin, super-large porcelain slabs, just three millimetres thick but three metres long.

STONE-EFFECT VINYL, LINOLEUM AND RUBBER
Vinyl, linoleum and rubber come in sheet or tile form and in a dazzling range of colours and designs. Lino is made from natural materials such as linseed oil, finely ground limestone and wood flour pressed on to hessian backing. The choice of colours range from natural shades, which mimic the muted tones of stone, such as beige, cream and brown, to brighter primary colours. Sheet lino can be customised to create bespoke flooring: showrooms can help customers design their floors using computer aided design to create intricate geometric patterns or one-off shapes. Specialist fitters then cut the lino to shape and lay it on the floor.
Synthetic vinyl flooring comes in both low-cost and luxury ranges, with patterns that imitate all types of natural flooring, including stone. Top of the range vinyls are designed to resemble marble floors, complete with inset squares. Amtico stocks a good selection of vinyl options.
Rubber flooring is available in shades and textures designed to resemble stone flooring: try Dalsouple for fun ranges, such as their fossil design (shown below). Rubber flooring is incredibly safe underfoot, with a non-slip finish which makes it perfect for children's rooms.
Vinyl, lino and rubber are all warm underfoot, easy to maintain and keep clean: ideal for those who love the look of stone but feel it isn't right for their family-orientated lifestyle.

DIRECTORY
Amtico 0800 667766; amtico.com. High-quality, imitation stone flooring, based on photographs of the real thing, in a vast number of options.
Armstrong (01235) 554848; rhinofloor.co.uk. Two cushioned stone-effect vinyl ranges.
Artisans of Devizes (01380) 720007. English limestones such as blue and white Portland.
B&Q 0845 609 6688; diy.com. Inexpensive vinyl floor tiles.
Bibliotheque (020) 8365 2084; bibliotheque.co.uk. Porcelain tiles along with refined limestone, quartz composite, and stone mosaic.
Burlington Stone (01229) 889661; burlingtonstone.co.uk. Five styles of slate flooring in various finishes, tile size and flooring pattern.
Classical Flagstones (0117) 937 1960; classical-flagstones.com. Convincing replica traditional flagstones and contemporary limestone flooring.
Dalsouple (01278) 727733; dalsouple.com. Three textured, stone-effect rubber flooring designs in any of the company's wide spectrum of colours. Also the marble-effect, Marbre, range.
The Downs Stone Company (01608) 658357; downstone.com. Cotswold limestone flags sawn to order.
Tumbled marble floor and wall tiles in four colours, plus slate flooring.
Elon (020) 8932 3000; elon.co.uk. Specialists in terracotta floor tiles.
European Heritage (020) 7381 6063; europeanheritage.co.uk. Vast range of stone tiles, including antiqued limestone, aged marbles and sandstone. Also porcelain flooring.
Fired Earth (01295) 814300; firedearth.com. Limestone, travertine, marble and mosaic flooring with a complementary range of wall tiles. Also ceramic stone tiles and mosaics.
Focus 0845 600 4244; focusdiy.co.uk. Affordable vinyl flooring options.
Forbo-Nairn (01592) 643777; marmoleum.co.uk. Environmentally friendly linoleum offering more than
60 marbled shades.
Gerflor (01926) 401500; gerflor.com. Various cushioned vinyl stone-effect flooring styles, and the new Caralium, a unique, composite mineral tile made from calcium carbonate and resin.
Hard Rock Flooring (01296) 658755; hardrockflooring.co.uk. Wide selection of slate, limestone and tumbled marble for rustic and traditional interiors.
Homebase 0845 077 8888; homebase.co.uk. Four new, exclusive floor and wall tile ranges featuring plain and mosaic ceramic and real stone.
Hyperion Tiles (01628) 475888; hyperiontiles.com. Ceramic, mosaic, pebble, marble, stone, cobble, granite, limestone, slate, and travertine flooring.
Island Stone 0800 083 9351; islandstone.co.uk. Unusual mosaic, pebble and crazy paving flooring tiles plus solid sandstone tiles.
Ivett & Reed (01223) 213500; ivettandreed.co.uk. Family-owned Cambridge stonemasonry firm supplying Ancaster Weatherbed, Black Granite and White Carrara marble cut in-house.
Karndean International (01386) 820100; karndean.co.uk. Four affordable, natural-looking stone tile ranges, including a mosaic design, in various colours. Also decorative borders and feature strips.
Kirkstone (01539) 433296; kirkstone.com. Limestone, granite, slate, and rustic stone flooring, along with unusual decorative borders.
Limestone Gallery (020) 7735 8555; limestonegallery.com. Over 150 styles of limestone flooring; also marble, onyx, granite and reclaimed stone.
Livra (020) 8944 8837; livra.co.uk. Fabricator and installer of decorative stone flooring as well as cladding, bathrooms and kitchens.
Mandarin (01600) 715444; mandarinstone.com. Natural stone floor and wallcoverings specialist;
90 per cent of stone held in stock.
Marble Granite Limestone Warehouse (020) 7720 9944; naturalstonefloor.com. Useful website cataloguing dozens of real and composite stones by name, colour and type.
MFS Stone Surfaces (0117) 965 6565; marbleflooring.co.uk. Marble, granite, conglomerates and terrazzo.
Montpellier Marble (01452) 714800; montpellier.co.uk. Wide range of marble along with limestones, travertines and granites.
Original Style (01392) 474058; originalstyle.com. Travertine, limestone, tumbled marble, unusual stone mosaics, slate, and realistic, textured ceramic stone floors.
Paris Ceramics (020) 7371 7778; parisceramics.com. Experts in reclaiming, restoring and relaying antique stone floors; also classically inspired intricate stone mosaics and antiqued limestone flooring.
Pergo 0800 374771; pergo.com. The Modern Tile Collection laminate flooring features a small selection of mix-and-match stone-like flooring tiles, which can be linked to the company's plank wood, laminate flooring.
Pisani (020) 8568 5001; pisani.co.uk. Extensive range of marble and stone imported from 40 countries.
Polyflor (0161) 767 1111; polyflor.com. Luxury vinyl tiles in classic stone, slate, marble and travertine designs, which can be combined with feature strips, borders and keysquares.
Porcelanosa 0800 915 4000; porcelanosa.co.uk. Huge range of ceramic, porcelain and marble floor tiles in various finishes including the unglazed porcelain range.
Reed Harris (020) 7736 7511; reedharris.co.uk. Smooth and textured porcelain stone tiles, including French limestone, travertine, sandstone and marble designs; real stone flooring.
Roma Marble (020) 8361 7544; romamarble.co.uk. Marbles, limestones, slates, granites and mosaics. Also, unusual composite options including Metallica, which is flecked with mineral sparkles.
Rudloe Stoneworks (01225) 816400; rudloe-stone.com. Natural and cast-stone fireplace manufacturers with a new range of cast-stone flooring.
Smallbone Stone (020) 7589 5998; smallbone.co.uk. A concise selection of ten stone floorings.
Spacers Ceramics (020) 8847 4641; spacers.co.uk. A small selection of stone-effect flooring including Ardesia, a slate-effect porcelain flooring.
Stone Age (020) 7384 9090; estone.co.uk. Specialists in flooring and features such as steps and cladding.
The Stone and Ceramic Warehouse (020) 8993 5545; stoneandceramicwarehouse.co.uk. Real and ceramic stone flooring.
The Stone Boutique (020) 7372 1591; megamarble.co.uk. Longstanding stone flooring specialists, also composite quartz-based collection.
Stonell Direct 08000 832283; stonelldirect.com. One of the largest stocks of limestone, marble, granite, travertine and slate in the UK.
Surface (020) 7819 2300; surfacetiles.co.uk. Porcelain, composite and real stone mosaic tiles, and numerous roomsets.
Tarkett (01905) 342700; tarkett-floors.com. An embossed vinyl flooring recreating quarry stone or tumbled marble or granite.
Telamon Europe (01635) 579261; telamoneurope.com. Porcelain stoneware, “manufactured” marble and granite and single-fired and double-fired ceramic tiles.
World's End Tiles (020) 7819 2100; worldsendtiles.co.uk. All styles of tiles, including porcelain and stone.

FEATURE ALI WATKINSON
APRIL 2005