OK let’s look at it the other way. Who are you going to use if it is not professional stone flooring installers? Do it yourself…? Non specialists…? Buy the stone and hire an installer…?
Actually those are really the choices.
Firstly, we’ve seen some floors done by individuals in their own homes that are excellent. Unsurprisingly, the owner will be doing their best and likely taking their time. Assuming you’ve got something like the right skills and are prepared to work diligently, this can work out fine. The risk here is what you don’t know. Trouble with flooring is of course often poor work, but poor work is very often bound up with a lack of knowledge. And it can be something simple.
For example, the stone turns up wet, it sometimes does! Two things, some stones are moisture sensitive and even when stones are dry you need to use special adhesives that are specifically formulated to limit moisture making its way into the back of the stone as it can leave a strange appearance. If the limestone is wet, you get a capillary action where the moisture from the adhesive is pulled deeply into the back of the stone along with the polymers from that adhesive, causing this very effect. Perhaps it’ll look better when you seal it? Definitely not. You have now locked in this moisture. It will come out but it’ll take months. If it is a blue limestone it might turn brown. Theres a lot to know and its not obvious.
You could ask the builders to do it, after all, surely it is better if you use one organisation to do the whole job? Certainly there are benefits with using one organisation but only if they themselves are going to use specialists. Many general tilers, experts as they may be, end up being asked to lay stone floors when they don’t have adequate experience. You can’t treat stone as though it is a porcelain tile. Edges can be uneven, they can vary in thickness a fraction and you might even have the odd scratch or chip that you need to polish out. You will certainly have to do some selecting of the product. These are not things that general tilerswill expect or know how to deal with.
So what if you buy the stone and you have an expert installer? You are now the buyer and the project manager. From the installers point of view, this is Your stone. They are not responsible for chips, bumps, scratches, delays, short supply, more serious damage in transit or any colour variation in the stone that is not expected… and they don’t want to be held up! Who is doing the subfloor preparation? Who is doing any remedial work later? Who is offering any guarantees? Your floor levels are different now, who is trimming the doors and making the nice wooden door thresholds for you?
What if you could select your stone floor and have it installed by the same professional company who will take care of everything?
At Naos, we do more than just supply the stone. Our team will look after your entire project, guiding you from the first conversation through to the finished floor.
Our complete flooring installation service will include:
Working with one knowledgeable team keeps the process simpler and more reassuring. You will know what is happening at each stage, and your flooring project will be managed from start to finish.
Visit the Naos showroom
Stone floors are superb. Come and see us and let us show you!
You are welcome any time but on the other hand it is useful to know when people are coming so give us a call or an email with a time that suits.
