I wanted marble............ but no money, so ended up with porcelain tiles.

Still looks good to me though.

how to take care of marble /stone? it is more porous than ceramic tiles and easy to stain (maybe ceramic got glaze eg sodium silicate coating can prevent stain?
even a drop or oil /solvent/chemicals will stain the floor. how to prevent?

Easy. If you spill something, wipe it off immediately. Do not let water or any liquid sit on the marble for too long.

Also use marble specific floor soap, it's more mild in comparison to normal floor soap.

wax it. The wax prevents liquid from getting suck in. The wax also prevent scratching and it shines like car wax.

marble a bit old fashion , i thought the trend now is tiles?

Tile? becasue the big tile manufacturers keep advertising and you believe it. Marble is scare, they cut and cut all the hills in Ipoh and now cant find nice looking quality ones. Of course tile is easier to maintain, need not polishing.

there are stains even short while after i spill some solvent/oil on it.
i tried to brush some insecticide on door frame. how to remove the stain?

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Added on January 23, 2012, 1:51 amhow to wax?
u mean polish with wax? or wax emulsion?
do we need machine (like small size rotated grinding machine) or just by hand will do?

i found the marble tile nowaday already polished (at factory) and already shining, unlike those day the broken marble need to polish for shining(from matt surfce). Most marble tiles is shining on top, matt surface at bottom.

This post has been edited by lucerne: Jan 23 2012, 01:51 AM

My preference will be tiles. Main factor Easier maintenance

Really depends on the type and size of the marble used. If you use Ipoh White marble then yes it looks old fashion.

If you use things like White Carrera which stone qualities in terms of the coloration and veins in the marble is totally different from Ipoh White then yes it would look a whole lot more classy but be prepared to pay RM25 above per sq/ft.

Really depends on what you want and whether budget allows for it. If you look at the 5 star hotels in KL or even in Singapore the majority of them use marble flooring. Heck even Prince Court Hospital uses expensive marble flooring.

Polishing of the floor is vital but you don't have to do so with such frequency, once every couple of years or so is good enough.

Marble is timeless, it is never old fashioned.
Marble and wood - these materials are used in the most expensive houses or condos.
Tile cannot compare as it is not a natural material. It is cheap no doubt, maintenance-free but does not look classy.
The beauty of natural material is that no two pieces are the same because the grain.
You walk bare-footed on marble and on tiles, the feeling is different.
Marble is relatively softer and more porous compared to granite. Marble is like female (soft) while granite is like male (hard).
Of course there are different types of marble, lower grade like Ipoh white marble to genuine Italian marble.

my condo are all marble, but i found it is not shinning as in hotel. shud 1 polish again?
i went to a marble shop and found marble tiles are pre polished and shinning. why the developer chose the not so shinning one? lower cost or due of safety?

You got hire the marble polisher to polish the whole floor and they will wax it. Waxing not only the marble surfaces but also the grout/joints, the whole floor. With this you will not feel the joints. Use specialy marble cleaner to clean and have to mop with clean mop, dirty mop will only get the dirt stains. Use a lot of water when mob without marble cleaner.

i think my marble has been polished before, (no feel the joints etc), onli thing it is not shinning as hotels etc.
my bathrooms wall and floor also not so shining as well...

since i already moved in, i think i can only polish again after i moved out all furniture. shud polish before move in.. regret.

I remember there was polisher for sale some long time ago that you can buy and diy a small part at a time. The areas where the big furniture are not need to polish. But not sure if there is anymore in the market. It is not a big polisher but a small handheld one. The pro when they polish they use a lot of water like flooding the whole floor with some 4 or 5 people doing at the same time.

On marble floor you should not wear shoes, moving heavy object or have children riding tricycle. Walking on it with bear foot will not harm its polish. The shin is like cloud. Chinese called it as cloud stone.

DIY polisher - my contractor did that but seen lot of patches here and there. i think we still need the big machine with lot of water.

i want to choose between marble and solid wood for my single storey house, but my wife prefer tiles, reason: easy maintenance.

i always believe pretty/beauty need a lot of effort/time/money to maintain/obtain/lasting...

yes marble look more elegant.
just imagine 5 star hotel using ceramic tiles at their lobby...

Nope, is more of good practice and attitude. If you keep house clean, mop frequent anything can be lasting.

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Added on January 30, 2012, 9:44 amTiles may not be the best easy maintenance. Concrete floor is the most easy maintenance.

This post has been edited by weikee: Jan 30 2012, 09:44 AM

Tiles is easiest to maintain. Spoiled pieces can be replaced (have to keep spare tiles or colour wont match).
Marble needs special care as it is easy to scratch, porous and get stained.
Concrete floor is prone to cracks especially big areas. The surface has to be well polished to look good. No choice of colour - dark grey.