Natural Stone FAQs

  Natural stone flooring integrates the infinite beauty and strength of earth elements with your home's decor in a way that few materials can match. Our design team can explain different textures and hardness plus assist you with choosing colors.
 

  Happy Feet Floors has years of experience as suppliers and installers of natural stone flooring in the Friendswood and South region. We can help you decide which stone material is best for your particular application together with available options and a preferred work schedule. Please contact our Showroom for more details.     

  Slate is also a metamorphic stone. It's composed of sediment from decomposed organic matter and stone that was hardened by the earth's heat and pressure. 

• Slate can be used for residential floors and commercial applications. 
• Slate is used in both interior and exterior applications. In exterior applications, you'll want to make sure the environment won't be too harsh, that is, freeze & thaw, or constantly wet conditions. 
• All slate should be sealed to aid in cleaning and to resist staining. 
• Variations in color and texture are inherent in all natural stones. Slate should be blended from box to box, or from the pallets during installation to give a uniform distribution of color and texture. 
• Slate can be used for flooring, backsplash, fireplace and furniture. 

  Limestone is a sedimentary rock produced by the compacting of loose particles such as mud, sand, pebbles and the remains of plants and animals that become bonded by the extreme pressure of the earth, or by the crystallization process of certain minerals causing a bond. It is composed primarily of calcite, or dolomite and is often rich in fossils. Limestone and sandstone typically have a smooth surface with very little veining or crystalline structure.         

• All limestone and sandstone should be sealed before or after installation to prevent staining. 
• Sandstone and Limestone can both be used for flooring, walls, fireplaces as well as furniture. 
• Limestone should be blended from box to box, or from pallet to pallet as it is being installed to show a balanced color blend. 

  Travertine is a sedimentary stone formed by calcite accumulation from mineral-rich, hot springs. Travertine contains irregular pits and holes formed by boiling water and sulfur bubbles rising up through the limestone slurry. The holes can be filled with a synthetic resin or cement. Once the travertine is filled, the stone is referred to as a filled travertine. The stone itself will take a polish --THE FILL WILL NOT. A more rustic appearance can be achieved by leaving these imperfections and holes unfilled.

• Travertine presents a delightful variation in color and texture. 
• All travertines should be sealed after their installations in order to be resistant to stains. 
• Travertine has a wide variety of uses including floors, walls, fireplaces, countertops and furniture. 
• The material should be mixed well from box to box, or pallets during the install so the final application has a balanced combination of colors.      

  Granite is an igneous rock (formed by the cooling down and solidification of the molten magmas and lava). As they cool, crystals form and grow upon one another until the entire molten body has turned to stone. This group of rock is said to be the earliest to form on the planet and today comprises up 95% of the earths crust. Granite is the parent rock of all other rocks and primarily composed of quartz and feldspar. Granite provides a heavy granular, crystalline appearance with variations in shading and colors of its mineral grains.           

• Granite is the hardest natural stone for floor covering. 
• Granite is well suited for many high performance applications in food service areas such as cooking tops, islands, butler's pantry, bar tops and kitchen countertops. 
• Granite is an excellent material for floors as well as bath area applications, including high performance elements such as steam showers. 
• Granite should be sealed. 
• Granite is resistant to most acids. 
• Granite pieces need to be blended together as they're installed so the final application will coalesce into a balanced mixture of shades and colors. 

 Marble is a metamorphic stone (metamorphic means physical change in form). Essentially, marble is the recrystallization of limestone that formed when a limestone strata was softened due to tremendous sub-surface heat and pressure.       

• Marble comes in many colors and can be heavily veined. One of the greatest assets of marbles is the large number of available colors. 
• Marble can be used on floors, walls, vanity tops, fireplaces, backsplash and furniture. 
• Variations in color and texture are inherit in all natural stone materials. Marble should be blended from box to box, or pallet to pallet as it is being installed to provide a balanced blend of color. 
• Marble must be sealed to resist staining. 

*Note: Not all marbles are appropriate for floor applications.