Why Natural Stone Tiles Are A Sustainable Choice For Floors
In today’s busy world, full of frequent change, the only way to add value to your home and ensure its longevity is to use sustainable products and practices. One of these is using natural stone tiles for your floors.
The tiling sector has introduced many new products, claiming they will be the next big thing to last for years. However, this hasn't always been the case. One flooring option that has stood the test of time and remains popular to this day is natural stone.
Why Choose Natural Stone?
There are many reasons to choose natural stone tiling. One of the main reasons is that it is naturally occurring and ethically sourced. It will not damage the environment when used in your home. Let’s look at some other benefits of choosing natural stone.
Durability
If you want flooring that is durable and will stand the test of time, natural stone should be at the top of your list. You won’t need to worry about replacing your flooring due to wear and tear.
Recyclable
Using recycled natural stone can eliminate the energy, water, and other resources needed to create new products from raw materials. This reduces the environmental impact of renovating or rebuilding.
Industry Changes
The industry recognizes it cannot continue operating as it has for so long. It needs to consider and reduce the whole-life carbon impact of projects. What is 'whole-life carbon'? It includes embodied carbon (all the carbon emitted when producing materials) and operational carbon (the total carbon emitted when the building is in use).
Using natural stone is one method to reduce carbon impact in both embodied and operational carbon. Many research studies have compared the carbon and environmental impact of different construction materials. These studies found that the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of using natural stone tiles, compared to large-format ceramics, parquet, PVC, laminates, and carpet, was much lower. Natural stone effortlessly outperformed the other options.
A research study conducted by the German Natural Stone Association determined that large-format ceramic tiles have a 74% higher GWP than natural stone tiles, and terrazzo has a 24% higher GWP than natural stone tiles.
Sustainable design is here to stay. Natural stone offers many options for flooring, making interior design more creative and personalized. Consult an experienced stone professional about what will work for you based on your needs.