FLOORS | CRAZY MARBLE

CRAZY MARBLE - MAN MADE USING NATURAL MATERIALS
Crazy Marble floor like mosaic/terrazzo floor, is made from waste and cut marble and stone pieces laid on a white cement-concrete base. When marble flooring is installed in the main building the waste and cut pieces can be utilized in laying this flooring around the exterior of the house.

Here, I have described the Characteristics of Crazy marble along with my rating. The overall rating will help you compare Crazy marble with other floor options.

CHARACTERISTICS OF CRAZY MARBLE FLOOR:

Composition: Marble, granite, quartz and/or glass chips mixed with white cement - marble powder mix.

Occurrence:  Crazy marble is man-made, but is composed of natural material.* 7

Physical Characteristics: Crazy marble floor is hard, durable and long lasting. * 8

Seamless flooring: Crazy marble floors are cast and polished at site and have a seamless appearance. * 9

Porosity:  If properly sealed Crazy marble floors are impenetrable to water.  * 7

Scratches: Crazy marble floors are durable and do not take as much scratches as Marble * 8



Stains: Crazy marble floors are stain-resistant when sealed well. * 7

Choices: Different colours, patterns and polishes can be created on Crazy marble floors.  * 7

Cost: Crazy marble floors are easy to install and use waste marble pieces. Hence the cost is considerably lesser than other types of floors. * 9

Maintenance:Crazy marble floor is easy to maintain because of it’s shiny surface but requires periodic polishing. *7

Green rating: Crazy marble floor doesn't harm the environment as it is made of natural materials including sand, marble, and other types of stone.* 9

OVERALL RATING OF CRAZY MARBLE FLOOR: 7.8

ADVANTAGES OF CRAZY MARBLE FLOOR:

Durable: Can last a lifetime.

Dense and water-resistant: if sealed well. 

Easy to maintain: You simply have to sweep up the floor often.

Cool under foot: but not too cold.

Appearance: Crazy Marble  provides a decorative look to a space.

Easy installation: Crazy marble flooring can be installed by anyone using the waste and cut marble and stone pieces.

Environment-friendly: Crazy Marble flooring is recyclable.

DISADVANTAGES OF CRAZY MARBLE FLOOR:

Relatively expensive: If the marble pieces are the waste leftovers from the marble used in the building, it works out as a relatively cheap option. On the other hand, if marble is bought for using in crazy marble flooring, it is an expensive alternative.

Slippery: when wet.

Hard underfoot: because crazy marble floor doesn’t have any cushioning.

Heat loss: Crazy marble floor is a good conductor of heat so it leads to heat loss.

Stains: Crazy Marble floor gets stained by acidic substances like vinegar and tamarind.

Polishing: Crazy marble flooring requires heavy polishing at the time of laying. Periodic polishing is required to maintain the shine.

SUITABILITY OF CRAZY MARBLE FLOOR:

Crazy Marble Flooring being an extremely durable, resistant to weathering and cheap option (waste marble) is used outside the house, in external areas such as driveways, private road, verandahs and courtyards etc. But the irregular appearance does not make it a popular choice indoors. Ceramic or Vitrified tiles or terrazzo that are comparable in price are preferred inside the house.

For information on other flooring options, go to:

FLOORS | CONCRETE

CONCRETE - MAN-MADE MATERIAL

Normally, Concrete floor slabs are covered with another flooring material such as  Marble and Granite or vitrified tiles. However, concrete floors that are polished and used as such, without any additional flooring material are gaining popularity in commercial buildings since they provide low-cost yet highly durable flooring surface.


Here, I have described the characteristics of concrete floors along with my rating. The overall rating will help you compare concrete with other floor options.

CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE:

Composition: Concrete is produced by mixing cement with fine aggregate (sand), coarse aggregate (gravel or crushed stone), water, and various chemicals called admixtures which control setting time and plasticity.

Occurrence: Concrete is man-made. * 6

Physical Characteristics: Concrete is hard, heavy, unyielding and resilient. * 8.

Seamless flooring: Concrete floors are poured and polished at the site and so has a seamless appearance. * 10

Porosity:  If properly sealed Concrete floors are impenetrable to water.  * 7



Scratches: Concrete floors are durable and do not take as much scratches as Marble. * 8

Stains: Concrete floors are stain-resistant when sealed well. *8

Choices: Different colours, patterns, textures and polishes can be done on Concrete floors.  * 7

Cost: Concrete is relatively cheap as it does not need additional flooring.  * 9

Maintenance: Concrete flooring is easy to maintain because of it’s shiny surface. *9

Green rating: Concrete is man-made material and a lot of carbon dioxide is released into the environment during the manufacture of cement. * 7

OVERALL RATING FOR CONCRETE FLOORING: * 7.9

ADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE FLOORING:

Cost : It’s the cheapest flooring option because it does not require another floor covering.

Easy installation: It’s easy to cast/install.

Highly durable and resilient: Will not be damaged by high heels, furniture legs, pet claws or dropped items.

Long Lasting: Can last indefinitely and does not need to be replaced. However, it needs to be sealed or waxed every 3-9 months.

Finish: Concrete can be polished to a smooth shine.

Design options: Colouring concrete or applying textures, patterns, saw cuts, etc., can bring new life to this traditional substrate.

Versatile: The concrete slab can be covered with any other flooring material at a later date.

Non-allergic: Concrete is a good alternative to carpet.

Environmentally Friendly: A concrete floor does not require any other flooring covering and so there is less depletion of resources.

DISADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE FLOORING:

Hard floor: If you trip and fall you are probably going to hurt yourself. Items dropped on these surfaces are also more likely to shatter or crack.

Uncomfortable: Due to it's hardness and unyielding nature, it is uncomfortable to stand on Concrete for long periods of time.

Man-made material: Concrete does not have the natural beauty of Marble or Granite.

Durability: Concrete flooring is not as durable as Terrazzo or Marble flooring.

Cold underfoot: Concrete gets cold underfoot as it does not retain heat very well.

Moisture: Moisture can penetrate through the concrete floor, if it is not properly sealed on both top and bottom surfaces.

Not a green option: While no extra flooring material is required for a concrete slab, Concrete is not a green option because of the presence of cement which causes a significant expenditure of energy and carbon dioxide during manufacture.

SUITABILTY OF CONCRETE FLOOR:

Concrete can take on colour, texture and polish, is durable, economical, easy maintenance. Therefore it is becoming a very popular choice in commercial and public areas. In fact it is a better option to Hardwood flooring. But Concrete can never have the beauty of natural flooring materials.

For information on other flooring options, go to:

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