Limestone flooring - the new glamorous greys

Beige and honey-toned limestone flooring is always a popular choice. But have you ever considered a darker option? Smoky greys and inky blacks create a very bold and glamorous style statement - and they bring lots of practical benefits too.

Grey and black-toned limestone tends to be denser because it contains grains of clay or sand, non-calcium organic remains and irons. This makes the stone more hardwearing. Darker limestone flooring often has a mottled appearance, with lots of colour variation, so it’s very good at disguising boot and paw marks too.

I’m often asked which dark stones are my favourites. I’d have to say Ink, Imperial and Oratory – and they’re all very different.

Ink

Ink has a gentle, mottled appearance, with blue-grey tones mixing with paler shades. Honed, square edges give the limestone flooring a very contemporary look, creating almost invisible joints, so the subtle swirls of colour aren’t interrupted. It’s a really accommodating, adaptable design that suits all sorts of settings. It’s not too overpowering, so if you’re looking for a neutral grey, it’s a really good choice.

Imperial

Imperial is one of our proven limestone flooring favourites. It’s darker in tone – from dark blue/grey to ebony – and gently tumbled which gives an authentic, aged look. Colour variation is more dramatic than Ink and the individual tiles can differ a lot, so the overall effect’s more hotch-potch; a hint to a bygone age. Imperial tiles come in two linear formats and also an Opus pattern, which includes four different stones that fit together. Opus is a classic masonry style that dates back to medieval times; the finished effect is more rustic and informal than linear.

Oratory

Oratory is the darkest design and it’s fairly new to our limestone flooring collection. It’s tumbled but less mottled than Ink and Imperial, with an overall dark grey/black tone. This gives a more robust, classical look that can be softened with lighter shades and sumptuous fabrics.

Styling darker limestone flooring

In terms of room design, dark limestone flooring, like Oratory, is ideal for mono-toned schemes. Dark grey tones with crisp white and red accents work really well for a solid, historical feel. Lighter and more mottled shades, like Ink and Imperial, give a softer feel. Using different shades of grey, and different textures, the colour scheme can be ‘layered’ to create a very sophisticated luxe-look.

For more inspiration browse our limestone collection, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Or, pop into our Burford showroom to talk through ideas, and compare different stone samples over a coffee.