The quarries of carrara yield several grades of marble that are ranked by builders.
Marble tile grades.
The higher quality stones have no holes that need to be filled with epoxy or resin.
Obviously the thicker the marble tile the better as marble tiles naturally contain flaws.
The thickness of tile its calibration offers one indication of its quality.
If the back of the tile appears to be covered in a mesh or net this marble is more fragile than others.
Flip the marble tile over and look at the back.
There may be dry veins which means a separation between naturally occurring materials and some filling of minor imperfections may be required to improve appearance and soundness of the material.
This classification of marble contains a few flaws as in grade a but may also display some pitting.
Premium standard and commercial.
Grade a is pure subtly veined marble with few geological flaws.
They can stand up to moderate foot traffic and everyday wear and tear and are acceptable for light commercial applications such as offices or small shops.
Some stones such as thassos white marble will only have fill in the lower grades.
Marble tiles flooring marble tile flooring sets a perfect statement in any entryway or floor space within your home or a commercial space.
For most commercial installations grade 4 tile is recommended.
Stones with fill that.
Most tiles that are designated as residential floor tiles are grade 3.
Premium grade which is sometimes called first grade is a tile that has been perfectly cut and has a uniform thickness throughout with very little filler.
Both marble and porcelain are hard materials but porcelain is rated on a pei scale.
They can also be used as outdoor porcelain tile.
Marble with the a grade unlike school indicates marble that is not quite as aesthetically appealing as other grades.
Bailey founder and principal designer of prudence home design in this kitchen she used 4x8 subway tiles to give the illusion of a bigger space and then added 1x3 carrara marble tiles in a herringbone pattern for the backsplash.
Marble has a reputation of being one of the most luxurious home design materials and its attractive veining and color options can truly make it stand out in any room.
It s so fun to mix tile of different textures and sizes in a kitchen as it gives the room much more visual depth says prudence c.
Every collector has their own opinion and no two collectors will ever agree on the exact grading of a particular marble collectors use interchangeably a descriptive grading system mint near mint good collectible and a numerical grading system based on a scale of 1 to 10.
A pei rating of 3 is good for residential and only light commercial traffic.
Marble grading guide the grading of condition is very subjective.