If you are considering adding marble flooring to your existing home or new construction, there’s a lot you need to know. Marble is one of the oldest and most popular flooring materials because of its beauty and durability.

But today there are so many different types and styles of marble to choose from that newcomers to the marble flooring world are often left a little overwhelmed. At Love Marble, we have worked with every type of marble imaginable. So we have a lot of knowledge about which types of marble you should consider.

Popular Marble Types

There are probably dozens of types of marble, each of which has its own distinctive features. But the most popular are:

• Breccia — A dark, warm marble that features impressive swirl and grain patterns that frequently look like tiny bubbles trapped inside the rock. Breccia marble usually can be found in shades of gold, red, or tan.
• Carrara — This is the kind of marble you find in ancient Greek and Roman ruins and statues. It’s usually white with streaks of gray. Today, Carrara marble is used mostly for floors and architectural details, such as fireplace surrounds.
• Calacatta — Similar to Carrara, Calacatta marble has an even purer white finish but with bolder streaks. Prized for its rarity and luxurious appearance, Calacatta is often used in the most exclusive homes and businesses.

All three types of marble are widely used today and come in a variety of sizes and shapes.

Marble Finishes

There are two basic marble finishes:

• Polished — As the name implies, polished marble has a shiny finish that accentuates the beauty and grain of the rock. But when used on floors, polished marble can easily become slick and slippery when wet.
• Honed — While polished to a degree, honed marble is often a more sensible choice for flooring, kitchens, and baths. It has a slightly rougher texture that reduces the risk of slips and falls.

Whichever type or style of marble you choose, Love Marble is there to install, maintain, clean, and repair all of your marble surfaces.