Creative Tile: Natural stones in bathrooms...

Natural stone is a beautiful addition to any bathroom whether it's on the countertop, floor, or walls. Cared for properly, it will last forever! People are often scared of natural stone because it will stain, scratch, weather, etc. However, did you know that Michaelangelo's David stood outside for more than 300 years (with poor grade marble), and well, he still looks pretty good...so do the walls and mosaics of Pompeii, the columns of the Athenian Temple, and the tower of Pisa (despite its angle). Marble, travertine, and limestone are easy to care for, as long as you use the proper cleaning products. These stones are composed of calcium carbonate which is easily susceptible to acidic products, and whatever you do, never use CLR on a soft natural stone. CLR stands for Calcium Lime Remover, and if your stone is composed of calcium, well, you get the idea. Acidic products such as certain foods and cleaning products can etch the stone. Therefore, you must use a pH neutral cleaner. It's best to find a product that is specifically formulated for natural stone such as DuPont's StoneTech Professional cleaning and restoration products. StoneTech is available for purchase at both Creative Tile locations, and if you need to find out more about their products and how to care for natural stone, visit www.stonetechpro.com or the Marble Institute of America at www.marble-institute.com. If you have natural stone anywhere in your home, it's a good idea to keep all pH-neutral cleaning products on hand so that another family member or cleaning person cannot accidentally grab a bleach or ammonia bottle and ruin your beautiful installation.

Natural stones are no more difficult to care for than a fine wood, and as long as you have the proper cleaning products, they'll offer you no trouble at all. We regularly recommend and install natural stone showers, floors, and countertops in bathrooms, not only in customers homes but our own as well, and as you can see below, and the results are stunning!

Granite is also applicable to bathrooms but is most often used on countertops alone due to its slippery nature when wet. However, it is much more durable than your softer marbles, travertines, and limestones, as discussed above, and is not as difficult to care for...more on that in the next installment. :)