Natural and Composite Marble tiles

When one thinks of marble, one tends to visualise majestic structures such as the Taj Mahal or the statues of Ancient Greece or Rome hewn from the creamy white rock. Marble has been used for millennia by stone masons as it's easy to work with and can be polished beautifully, giving many of the ancient statues an almost lifelike glow. Although very often white or near white, it comes in a variety of colours and hues ranging from green to yellow, purple to pink and red to brown. These colour variations coupled with the interlocking crystalline swirls of this material make it a highly desirable stone and its use for wall and floor tiles has been common for centuries.

These days, marble tiles are commonly made from composite; being marble dust bound with resin and one of the most popular is 'dark emperador marble tiles'. Although natural marble tiles are readily available, they are usually more expensive. I must point out though to us laymen, you'd struggle to tell the difference as natural marble, being a metamorphic rock is already a naturally occurring 'composite' of older stones. For example, cappuccino tiles are cut from natural marble and are also manufactured as composite tiles, yet visually, the two are virtually identical.

Composite marble, or artificial marble is also commonly used for marble bathtubs, shower trays and other bathroom fixtures where natural marble would be prohibitively expensive. In the case of a marble bathtub, for example, the weight of water once filled may easily cause weaknesses within the natural stone to give way, resulting in a hugely expensive pile of broken marble. In such cases, composite marble is used as its load bearing qualities in complex structures such as a bathtub, shower tray or wash basin are far superior to natural marble, yet it retains the same aesthetic qualities as its natural cousin.

Dark emperador marble tiles are sourced from both China and Spain. Its deep brown hue contrasts beautifully with the pale crystalline veins which criss cross its surface. Being one of the darker marble tiles makes it ideal for large bathrooms and kitchens where white marble would give the illusion of too much space. If dark tiles are not to your taste, then consider something in the mid range such as cappuccino marble tiles (also known as beige!). These feature the same crystalline veins yet set against a middling tone makes them easier on the eye than the stark white or darker tiles. Whatever colour you choose, having your walls and floors clad in marble gives a warmth and timeless elegance which is hard to match.