Read on for the lowdown on stone flooring options.

Source: Woods and Associates

Luxury in Your Living Room

Varun D'mello, Architect says, "For a formal feel in the living room, Ita Gold marble is ideal, especially with a combination of wooden wall panelling." Marble is available in black, cream, red, white, green, gold, grey, and pink. However widely used colours are white and off white.

Varun also recommends Baroda green stone for borders or diamond shaped designs on the floor. These are available for Rs.450 per square foot. An exquisite option in Italian marble is Chianti. It is priced at Rs.900 per square foot.

For an exclusive, yet economical option, do up your living room with Limestone or Jaiselmer stone.

Architect, Rihayad Kundanmal advises, "Make sure the stone is installed with a lacquered matt or gloss finish. This preserves it and prevents scratches."

Avoid hard stone like granite for your living room It cannot be re-polished. If scratched or stained, you will have to replace the slab.

Posh Patio

For outdoor spaces like balconies and terraces, use non-porous stones like rough sandstone or any other rough stone. They are durable and will withstand changing climates.

Beautiful Bathrooms

A good option for the bathroom is rough, unpolished granite. It is water resistant and anti-slip. Never use polished granite. It can be dangerously slippery.

Go with a dark colour so stains are camouflaged. Its price ranges between Rs.110 and Rs.350. Unlike marble, granite is not available in pure white colours. If the cost is not a problem, you can opt for Italian marble.

Classy Kitchens

Granite is the toughest stone flooring option and is ideal for the kitchen. Go with dark shades of polished granite for kitchen counters and un-polished granite for the floor.

Stay away from porous stone. Such varieties can't take the spluttering oil from all those purees and samosas. They absorb oil and dust easily and become a breeding ground for germs. Also, any spills have to be cleaned immediately. Else the stone will get discoloured and even start to smell after a while.

Keep 'em Sparkling

Here are a few pointers on maintaining stone flooring.

• Dust mop and damp mop the floor at least once a day. You can also use a vacuum cleaner. Just be careful not to scratch the floor.
• Since most stone flooring is porous, be sure to blot any spills immediately.
• Do not use cleaning products that contain any acid content like lemon juice, vinegar or ammonia based cleaners. Acid corrodes stone and takes away the lustre of the stone.
• Never drag heavy objects across the floor. This will scratch or chip the slabs.