Natural Stone Tile in Los Angeles, CA

Marble, travertine, limestone and slate: how the stones behave

Every stone is different, and even two boxes of the same marble vary. The table gives the general character of the stones most often used as tile.

If you like the look of stone but not the upkeep, porcelain made to resemble marble is worth a side-by-side comparison; porcelain vs. ceramic vs. natural stone tile lays out the differences.

Stone tile sealing and everyday care

Sealing does not make stone stain-proof. A penetrating sealer slows liquids from soaking in, which buys time to wipe up coffee, wine or oil. It does nothing against etching, the dull mark acids such as lemon juice, vinegar and many bathroom cleaners leave on marble, travertine and limestone.

• Seal after installation and once the grout has cured, following the sealer’s label.
• Test with a few drops of water: if it darkens the stone within a few minutes instead of beading, it is time to reseal.
• Clean with a pH-neutral stone cleaner; skip vinegar, bleach sprays and abrasive powders.
• Use doormats and felt pads; grit from outside scratches polished stone faster than anything else.
• Squeegee stone showers after use to cut down on mineral spots from hard Los Angeles water.

Grout care follows the same routine; grout color and sealing has the details.

Signs an existing stone floor needs more than a reseal

• A crack running through several tiles in a line usually follows a slab crack, so new stone needs a crack-isolation membrane.
• Hollow-sounding tiles mean the bond has failed, and loose pieces keep cracking.
• Etching so widespread the whole floor looks dull calls for a stone refinisher, or a switch to honed tile.

Is marble tile slippery when wet?

Polished marble is, and that is the main reason to think about finish before color. Honed (matte) and tumbled finishes have far more grip and hide scratches better. On a bathroom floor, honed marble is the usual choice; in the shower, small hexagons or mosaics add grout lines for traction. Many stone suppliers list a wet DCOF figure, which you can compare with the 0.42 minimum the ANSI A137.1 standard uses for level interior floors walked on wet. Save polished stone for walls, backsplashes and dry areas.

Natural stone flooring: what the subfloor has to handle

Stone is less forgiving of floor movement than porcelain. TCNA guidance calls for wood-framed floors under natural stone to meet a stiffer deflection limit (L/720) than the L/360 used for ceramic and porcelain, which often means extra sheathing or blocking on a raised floor. On concrete slabs, an uncoupling or crack-isolation membrane helps keep slab cracks from breaking the stone above.

• Thinset: many light-colored marbles need a white setting material so gray mortar doesn’t shadow through.
• Moisture-sensitive stone: some green marbles warp with water-based thinset and need a specialty setting material.
• Lippage: gauged (uniform-thickness) tile sets flatter; ungauged stone needs more mortar adjustment.
• Slab vs. raised floor: many Valley homes sit on slabs, while older hillside and Craftsman houses often have raised wood floors that need checking first.

Choosing stone floor tile and wall tile at the showroom

1. 1

   Start with finish and room

   Decide honed, polished or tumbled based on where the tile goes and who uses the room.

2. 2

   Look at several pieces

   Ask to see multiple tiles from the actual lot. Stone is natural, so the range of veining matters more than any one sample.

3. 3

   Compare with nearby surfaces

   Set the stone beside your vanity, cabinet door or countertop sample, since veining can clash with a busy granite.

4. 4

   Pick grout and setting material

   Choose a grout color that suits the stone and confirm the thinset type the stone requires.

5. 5

   Order with extra for culling

   Add overage for cuts and for pieces set aside because their color doesn’t blend.

6. 6

   Install, seal and protect

   Blend tiles from several boxes as they go down, then seal. Read the tile installation page for prep and timing.

What makes a stone tile job cost more?

• Stone type and grade: rare marbles and select grades cost more than common travertine or slate.
• Finish: honed, polished, brushed and tumbled finishes are priced differently.
• Subfloor reinforcement: stiffening a raised wood floor to suit stone adds carpentry before tiling.
• Specialty setting materials: white or rapid-setting thinsets cost more than standard gray mortar.
• Sealing: initial sealing, and later resealing, is part of the cost of ownership.
• Waste: culling for color and careful cutting create more waste than porcelain.

Do you need a permit for stone tile, and which license should the setter hold?

Swapping one floor or wall finish for another in the same room is usually treated as cosmetic. A permit comes in when work goes past the surface: a shower rebuilt with a moved drain or valve, new framing to stiffen a floor, or a changed layout. In the City of Los Angeles that permit comes from LADBS; Glendale, Pasadena and Beverly Hills issue their own, and LA County Building & Safety covers unincorporated communities.

For the tile itself, CSLB’s C-54 (ceramic and mosaic tile) classification is the one to check, and plumbing changes belong to a C-36 plumbing contractor; license numbers can be checked at cslb.ca.gov. In pre-1978 homes, disturbing painted walls during demolition falls under the EPA’s lead-safe RRP rule.

Why choose Adcom for natural stone tile in Los Angeles?

• Stone in context. Natural stone tile sits near granite, marble and quartz countertops and the cabinetry it will be paired with, so veining is chosen against the whole room.
• Marble used in real projects. Hexagon marble shower floors went into a 4-plex one Google reviewer wrote about.
• Sourcing. According to Google reviewers, staff will chase down a tile the showroom doesn’t have on hand.
• Installation on request. Have your stone set as part of the purchase, or give it to your own setter.

Want a matching stone surface for the vanity or kitchen? See marble countertops. A stone backsplash can also be built from tile or slab; compare both on the kitchen backsplash page.

Stone tile in homes around the region

Natural stone suits many local house styles. Travertine and marble fit the Mediterranean and Spanish-revival homes common in Beverly Hills and Glendale, honed marble bathrooms are a frequent choice in older Pasadena houses, and stone entries turn up across Los Angeles. In every case the same rules apply: check the subfloor, pick the finish for the room, and plan the sealing routine before the first piece is set.