Limestone Floors

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Author Message Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 47 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 01:07 pm:    Client is requesting the use of polished limestone tile for bathroom floors in the residences of a condominium project. We understand that limestone requires sealing, however we wonder if polishing the limestone might be a safety problem in a bathroom and a maintenance problem over time. Anyone have any experiences with limestone floors for residential applications? John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 267 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 02:00 pm:    Limestone is particularly susceptible to deterioration from acid, i.e. urine. Even though this is only residential, and would not be as problematic as in commercial, I would expect over time that the polish around the toilet will not survive. Anne Whitacre, CCS CSI Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 126 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 02:50 pm:    I don't see why polished limestone (outside of the issue raised by John) would be any more problematic than polished marble or glazed tile -- all of which seem to be used in residential bathrooms these days. Limestone is often filled in the same manner that terrazzo is filled and it then is easier to keep clean, since it tends to be rather porous and absorbtive. Polishing will help with both of those issues. I've used limestone in residential (and commercial) lobbies, but our office likes the non-polished surface appearance better. We do use a "non-slip" coating on it, much like you use on terrazzo flooring. John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 268 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 08:52 am:    As I think about this, would limestone take the kind of polish that you would be able to get on other stone? Due to it's sandy and less-dense structure, I'm wondering, Anne, how well that works. Richard Howard, AIA CSI CCS Senior Member Username: rick_howard Post Number: 33 Registered: 07-2003 Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 10:20 am:    If you choose a denser limestone, dolomitic vs oolitic (i.e. Indiana limestone) you can get as smooth a finish as with marble. In fact, some stones marketed as buff-color marble are actually limestone. As for slip resistance, polished stone is a potential problem where water is likely. We would think twice about using polished stone in a commerical office lobby, but I see polished stone and porcelain tile used frequently in residential construction. Perhaps liability is not as big an issue with some home builders as with most design professionals. Most homeowners want durable and easily maintained finishes and it is easier to keep a polished surface clean than a textured surface. There are surface treatments available that will make the stone less slippery when wet than when it is dry. I am not sure how they stand up against some of the more aggresive cleaning products that have become popular. These orange-based products are surprisingly tough on finishes. Personally, I would try to steer the client to a porcelain tile. Some of them can mimic polished limestone stone and they are more impervious and easier to maintain. William C. Pegues, FCSI, CCS Senior Member Username: wpegues Post Number: 311 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 11:24 am:    Some of the French limestones are more durable than granite and have lower absorption rates as well. You can't just say limestone. That's like saying only granite. What type do you want, or what does the developer want - discover that and then go from there using limestones that can get that coloring and finish in the harder and lower absorption types of limestones. There are some suppliers that keep stock of tile thickness of these limestones in stock since they are becoming more popular as a flooring material the past several years. Typically tiles are available only in a polished finish, and I doubt that you would be using dimensional stone thicknesses inside the units of condos unless they are outrageously high end. William Curt Norton, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: curtn Post Number: 66 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 11:41 am:    Geologica by Graniti Fiandre is another option. It is a man-made stone in a tile format. Has several advantages over natural stone. www.granitifiandre.com Marc C Chavez Senior Member Username: mchavez Post Number: 47 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 12:57 pm:    As a former Geology student I just HAVE to participate. Mr. Pegues is quite correct that the softer granites (and there are literally hundreds of granites) can be very soft relatively (to each other) due to the varying chemical composition Quartz has a hardness of 7 Feldspar 6, Olivine 7 etc. The composition of Granite varies due to the composition of the magma and the rate of cooling of the granitic body this sub field of Igneous Petrology is called mineral equlibira and its perversity is well known. And we’ll just leave it at that. Limestones can be formed by any number of sedimentary processes from the death of small creatures (fossiliferous) to the evaporation in shallow warm marine environments evaporates of CaCO3 as aragonite (which in time recrystallizes as calcite) These can literally “snowball” into oolites etc. below from http://www.stonecaretechniques.com/ Limestone Mohs’ Scale 2 to 5 (“Soft to Hard” Some varieties are as hard and dense as granite.) Porosity 0.6 - 31.0 Absorption 0.2 - 12.0 Granite Mohs’ Scale 5 to 7 “Hard”. Porosity 0.4 - 1.5 Absorption 0.2 -0.5 Marble Mohs’ Scale 3 to 5.5 Soft to Hard...Generally Soft to Medium Porosity 0.5 - 2 Absorption 0.2 -0.6 Look at Porosity and Absorption!!!! But to make a long story shorter if you put limestone in a bathroom you’re a nut. Hardness aside, any limestone is more susceptible to chemical erosion than almost any granite due to its simple and reactive chemical nature (that goes for marble too)and porosity and absorption as noted above. Sorry, I just could not help myself.