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Author: chicagostonepro Subject: Advice on installation and upkeep
Posted: 14 Jan 2007 at 1:34pm
Crema Marfil is simply a very nice looking stone. It's also great to decorate around. A room of Crema Marfil appears very warm, inviting. Of course people are attracted to it.
The reality of living with it is, however, a very different matter.
Crema Marfil is soft. It's normally resin finished, which gives the illusion of being a little harder than it really is. It is easily damaged, mechanically and chemically. It's got absolutely no tolerance for less than perfect subfloor and framing. It's got little tolerance for less than full coverage setting, as voids and missed corners will eventually crush down.
The good side is it's easily refinished. One of the least expensive materials to refinish, also. That's about the only good technical thing about this material.
I'm not sure what joh is referring to above. You should not have to grind the floor in place to get it flat. I may be spoiled, but I'm used to installers that set floors with a machinist's level, large areas that reflect window mullions like a big mirror- no offsets at any joints. These guys do this in reasonably good time, too. A quality installation like that makes any subsequent refinishing less expensive, because there's no "lippage" to grind.
I'd very much advise against crema marfil, either honed or polished, on a first floor, especially the kitchen. Never, ever, in a kitchen. It does well in interior areas, safely tucked away behind yards of carpet and rugs, so any grit from your feet can't get to it.
In a master bath, "her" vanity will usually look good for two or three years at a time, while the "his" vanity would often seem to need refinishing two or three times each year.
I understand the attraction to this stuff. It's the right look, for so many people, in so many circumstances. Until you use it a bit.
I haven't been in the flooring end things for a few years, and am not up on the names, but I've seen some very good crema marfil style porcelain bodied tile. It's gotten so good, it can fool a stone guy, even. I'd really recommend doing some research, and finding one of those in an 18x18, or 16x16.
Keep in mind the porcelain stone look-alike tile will cost more than the natural marble, and even laid very well, won't likely be as "perfect" as the floor I described above, but it will be a low-maintenance joy to you for many, many years. What you spend up front on a quality porcelain tile, you'll more than save ongoing.
Either way, get the floor planned ahead of everything else, so you can accommodate everything else to a proper subfloor/floor system.
Regards,
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Marble : Advice on installation and upkeep 
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