“Usually people come here looking for stone because that’s what we do. They usually have questions about how porous slate and tile are,” says Connor Ferster of Universal Slate.

While some may have an urge to shy away from the hard choices such as slate, this may stem from a lack of awareness of its natural characteristics—which people are surprised to learn includes warmth. Another deterrent is a belief that stone tiles are too porous to work well in the home, says Ferster. “All natural stone is porous, and will therefore absorb liquid, so what we do is seal it,” he says, “Once it’s sealed you are not going to have any trouble with it.”

He suggests sealing all natural stone every year in a simple process he likens to cleaning the shower, wiping on the liquid sealant with a dry towel or sponge.

Tile and Stone Unearthed
“Travertine is kind of a mystery. Travertine is actually limestone which has absorbed water and been re-deposited,” says Ferster.
The name gets its roots from the Italian town, Tivoli, where extensive deposits of the sedimentary stone still exist. Mexico, Croatia and Turkey are also big suppliers of travertine, which is sometimes called travertine limestone or travertine marble.

“Travertine has a lot of pits, and once laid properly, you really have to try to break it,” he continues. Because of the way it forms, it is also marked by pits or cavities, which add depth and character to the classic natural material.

Limestone is a smooth, generally matte and relatively uniform stone made of calcium carbonate, mostly white in hue but which may be coloured by impurities, with iron oxide making it brown, yellow, or red and carbon making it blue, black, or grey. Like slate or travertine, limestone is installed by grouting between tiles, and as with slate, the only way to cut tiles is with a wet saw. Though classically beautiful, safe to walk on, and generally warm to the touch, limestone’s one down side is its difficulty to seal, limiting the use on areas such as kitchen countertops, which can be a haven for bacteria.

Marble is limestone subjected to years and years of the elements, including extreme heat and pressure, which gives the flooring and countertop favourite not only its density and hardness, but also its characteristic sheen. The “veined” stone ranges in colour from snow-white to grey and black, many varieties being some shade of red, yellow, pink, green, or buff.

Slate is a natural stone formed in layers, adding strength and durability, and making it a great choice for flooring for its non-slip surface. While slate comes from a variety of locales, such as India, China, Brazil and South Africa, Canadian slate, says Ferster, is deemed among the best. Ironically, it can also be some of the priciest.
But not all slate is created equal, says Ferster, who suggests knowing where it hails from and buying from a reputable retailer.

Often to ease installation, slate tiles come gauged or calibrated on the undersurface, giving them grooves which help level the surface when laying the product. While most commonly seen in the muted, natural state, slate is also available in polished varieties, adding the look of depth and lending a metallic appearance.

Granite hails from igneous rocks, which were formed by slowly cooling pockets of magma trapped beneath the earth’s surface or after volcanoes erupt, then the lava cools. Granite has a history in its use on monuments, trim and decoration on buildings, but in either tile, or more often in slab form, has also long been a hot button for kitchens and bathrooms.

Porcelain is a common type of man-made tile for flooring and other decor applications, such as kitchen and bathroom backsplashes and fireplace tile surrounds, thanks to its strength and lack of maintenance required. Porcelain tiles usually have a much lower water absorption rate than their non-porcelain counterparts—also making them frost resistant or frost-proof. Often confused with ceramic (which is one type of porcelain, generally quick and cheap to produce and better suited to walls than floors), porcelain tile is available in two styles, glazed or full-bodied.

Glazed porcelain tiles are much harder and more wear- and damage-resistant than non-porcelain ceramic tiles. Full-bodied porcelain tiles carry the colour and pattern through the entire thickness of the tile making them virtually impervious to wear and suitable for any application. “There’s a lot going on with full-bodied porcelain. In my mind that’s where the modern homes are going,” says Ferster. “Porcelains excel in areas where stone can’t and vice versa.”

Stacking up in popularity against natural stones and porcelain are glass and stainless steel tiles, with a recent trend heading toward small sizes dubbed mosaics. Mosaics are any tiles, glazed or unglazed, two inches square or less (but not always square in shape.  “There is generally a larger price jump when it comes to mosaics,” says Ferster, adding much of the increase comes from its labour intensity in applying the tiny tiles, which come attached to sheets of mesh or paper.

The old adage of less is more applies when it comes to mosaics, particularly stainless steel, which Ferster suggests alternating with glass mosaics for a one-of-a-kind look on a backsplash or as a feature wall.

While glass mosaics have grown in popularity of late in home décor in rooms from bathrooms to kitchens and beyond, they are actually far from novel. “These have been around for thousands of years. You see it in places like Turkey. What happened is once North America became a civilization, you started seeing more of it here.”

And stainless steel, though high on the cost scale, is becoming a “home-show favourite,” and a designer darling, says Ferster. But much like kitchen appliances made of the same, stainless steel can be a magnet for scratches, so many opt for just a few accent pieces in, for example, a backsplash or feature wall. As they can scratch and break, glass tiles are not the best choice for flooring.

Those who prefer a uniform look may want to steer away from the natural stones, as they are just that—from nature, and therefore innately unique.

“No stone supplier can guarantee a colour. We usually suggest clients have an idea of colour and choose the character of stone they like,” says Ferster. While limestone and travertine can be a little more consistent from one tile to the next, slate—of which Universal carries 37 different variations—is highly unpredictable.

What is guaranteed is a myriad of choices. From raw slate to honed or polished varieties (polished to a smooth, non-reflective finish), there is plenty of variety afoot in the stone.
As for sizes, standard 12-inch by 12-inch tiles are popular with homebuyers, but larger tiles are cementing a place in today’s homes as well—with 16-inch by 16-inch, 12-inch by 24-inch—and even massive 18-inch by 36-inch choices stacking up. Larger tile means having fewer grout lines, notes Ferster, who says it’s a misnomer larger tiles don’t work in small spaces. “Any time you change a room it’s going to make it look bigger.”

And floors, showers and backsplashes are not the only spaces in the home tiling one on; fireplace surrounds are also hot beds of tile activity. Ferster says a common perception he sees with new homebuyers seems to be that tile in the home must match. He urges people to mix it up, choosing whatever suits their taste, whether that’s slate, limestone, marble, or glass and porcelain tile. “You don’t have to use just one tile—you can easily mix a travertine with a limestone.”

Also popular is tiling entire walls in bathrooms and even ceilings in showers. “That way you never have to worry about drywall peeling overhead,” says Ferster, who suggests not going larger than a four-inch tile overhead for safety reasons. CL