Dead forum members,

I'm thinking of replacing the flooring of my house from its existing porcelain tiles to marble. I personally like the cooling effect marble gives when standing on it.

I have the following question :

1)Is local marble inferior to imported ones? I read they are less porous and more environmental friendly.

2) does the dimension of tiles make a lot of difference? Ie 2*2 2*1 1*1

3) I find broken marbles to be beautiful despite being cheaper. I like how they are randomly cut and aligned. Is it a bad idea to do it on a 800sqft living room + dining area?

Thank you

tiles change to broken marble?

Broken marble look nice. Where is your location?

Doesn't quite make sense right I know.

Anyway this is the best quotation I have so far:

Natural Egypt Beige Marble polished (3'x3')
Rm20 per square feet
800sf x 20 = RM 16k

Waterproofing bottom and surface
1600sf x RM 1.70 = RM 2720

Installation (sand and cement)
800sf x RM9 = RM 7200

Repolish with epoxy
800sf x RM4.5 = RM 3600

Is it reasonable?

So...the old tiles need to remove also?


This post has been edited by CarsonYee: Apr 27 2015, 04:19 PM

Can I have ur contact number?and whr u location?

1) Yes, local marble is not that good compare to some of the foreign countries.
2) You should take note on the thickness, as marble is usually thicker than tile.
3) It is a personal preference

Imported marbles are relatively thicker than local marble. If you put marbles next to tiles, you can feel they are generally cooler. Local marbles are said to be more environmentally friendly because they are closer us, the end users.

Generally rarer marbles, and those from more affluent countries like Italy as compared to Iran and China, cost more.

Precut marble slabs come in roughly 10x4 ft. They are then cut into smaller sizes. Make sure you ask the factory to label them before they cut, so you can ask the marble specialist to 'join' the them back when they lay them down, so the grains flow smoothly. Before you buy, go to the factory to select the precut slabs.

Make sure you get a good marble specialist to lay your exquisite marbles, and they do charge a premium, roughly RM 10 psf without cement glue, cement, sand, water proofing, polishing etc. Add another RM4 psf for the rest. Bigger slab make your room more harmonious but the marble specialists will definitely charge more psf for a, let's say, 4ft x 4ft slab.

Smaller slab like 1x1 ft are cheaper because they are usually the leftovers. Laying cost is also much cheaper.

Make sure you water proof the bottom of the marbles, otherwise you may end up with marks that look like water stain after a year or two, and the problem cannot be rectified. Do make sure they use water proof grout, otherwise you will end up with dirty looking grout after a few years. Post laying polishing is very important to give a mirror look when viewed from afar.

You wont regret paying a premium for nice marble slabs. Do reserve early, 6 months ahead, as marble slabs do vary a lot, even from the same mine!

This post has been edited by newbie99: Apr 27 2015, 05:03 PM

Thank you for your kind replies. I appreciate it.
Yes I can feel with my fingers the cooling effect of marble compared to tiles. I gathered that the standard thickness of marbles are around 18-20mm. Was told the thickness doesn't effect the quality as it's mainly kept thick enough to prevent slabs from breaking too easily. However, was told polishing do reduce its thickness by 2mm.
Dear newbie99,
Any personal recommendation for quality and reasonable priced marble as well as workmanship?

Where's your location?
Most shops with their own factory with cutting facilities sell around the same price. More importantly is to see the precut slabs yourself, as different slabs do differ a lot in terms of colour, hue, grains and 'defects'.

This post has been edited by newbie99: Apr 28 2015, 11:43 AM

My house is at Cyberjaya. I was told Kampung Subang has a lot of factories.

The guys who lay mine will only do jobs from Penang to Taiping. Try to ask the factory you got the marbles from to recommend a few.

Anyone could help me with the following, I tried asking around and the answers I got were inconsistent.

Mainly regarding Ipoh marble for flooring

1) Local marble (aka Ipoh marble) feels colder than imported ones. True? Mind you top grade (clear with little veins) Ipoh marble are just as expensive as imported ones

2) thinner local marble tiles (12mm-14mm) at 1x2ft are as good as 2x2 (18mm) tiles in terms of durability and cooling effect despite being much cheaper

3) local marble doesn't need waterproofing

Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you

What I learned before, local marble is the best but unfortunately it is too young might take another 100 years before it on par with marble from italy/iran.

Hi, on par in what terms exactly?

Outstanding.

But problem with veins.

Lastly we decide to use ipoh for small area and china for most of the units.

i understand from marble contractor that there is no need to do waterproofing for ipoh marble.. but i am not sure why..


prices of some ipoh marble (white) is quite expensive..rm30 psf ... translates to rm120 per piece of 2x2. cost abt rm15k to cover 500sf area (just cost of marble only).. some more price quoted direct from factory at simpang pulai when i went there tocheck out a few weeks ago.

This post has been edited by nikki-san: Jun 24 2016, 01:56 PM

Personally I was at Simpang Pulai for no less than 4 times in the past month. Currently I'm leaning towards imported Iranian marble but I'm a bit concerned of the fissures and veins that is characteristic of it. Ipoh marble seems "stronger" without the netting and epoxy treatment during fabrication that is common for imported ones.

Have you decided yet my friend?😃

i would hv chosen imported marbles if $$$ is of no concern..

if we buy from simpang pulai factory, we still need to arrange for transportation..not just normal lorry..need a lorry with a crane to load/unload the marble slabs..

most probably i will just get my ipoh marble from KL.. size 1'x2' which is cheaper..

so what's yr final decision my lowyat fren?

1) China marble is a wise choice, although there is some Italy marble which produce from china, export from Italy

2) the best size for marble is 800 x 800, price abit higher than 600 x 600 (2'x2')


3) Compress marble is a good to go , but will looks abit old style