Trendy Tuesday – Marble or Porcelain?
BWG News • August 20, 2019
Trendy Tuesday – When looking at current design trends – marble looks are still some of the most sought after visuals in design. Marble exudes luxury and prestige – making any room in your house feel beautiful, stylish and elegant! But is natural marble the best choice for you? With all of the new marble-look porcelain tile options that are now available – and with manufacturers getting better and better at mimicking the look and producing excellent quality graphics – let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each so you can decide what’s best for your home.
Natural Marble offers a gorgeous variety of patterns and colors. It is completely unique and no two tiles will be the same. Marble is a terrific conductor of heat, so it works well with radiant heat options if you wish to install them. However, on the negative side, marble is a relatively soft and porous stone, meaning it is susceptible to moisture and can be stained and scratched easily. If you plan to use marble in the kitchen or bathroom area of your home, it will require regular maintenance. It should be sealed initially upon installation and resealed every 6 to 12 months. Marble is also heavier and generally more expensive than it’s porcelain counterparts.
If you want the unique look of marble, but not the extra cost and maintenance of the real thing, consider porcelain tile as an alternative. With the innovations of porcelain tile manufacturers, the options available seem endless. With every new product that arrives in the market, there are more color choices, pattern options and sizes available than ever before. And with the ease of installation and a lower price point, you can bring the elegance of marble into any room in your home. Here at The Belknap White Group, there is no shortage of options available for every application – including floors, walls and countertops!
Joining some of our tried and true favorite marble-look porcelains – like Marvel and MarvelPro by Atlas Concorde – are two brand-new options that have just launched this summer: Historia from Marazzi and American Olean’s Ideology. Historia is a Colorbody Porcelain that offers a stone-look with dramatic veining and multiple color options that range from light to dark. Available in large format sizes and a 4″x8″ Half Hex for unique designs, the antiqued, aged-to-perfection style of Historia is hard to resist.
Ideology from American Olean brings a different marble option to the table. Recreating the classic, rich look of natural marble, Ideology offers a phenomenal depth and clarity that brings together the history of white marble with contemporary design. It is also available in large format sizes and has a chevron mosaic and a cool white and black deco for a dramatic design detail.
All of these and much more is available through BWG. And of course, if you want the real thing, we have that, too! Contact your sales representative for more information on any of these products and to discuss which option is best for your project.
(Pictured below from left to right: American Olean Ideology, Marazzi Historia, Atlas Concorde Marvel – click on the images for more information)