Flooring is a permanent finish placed over the floor to create a walk able surface that offers comfort, durability, and safety. With all these benefits, flooring also enhances the aesthetic appeal and the value of your house. There are various types of flooring options available to add beauty to your home. These include wooden flooring, marble flooring, tile flooring, Kota stone flooring, and many more.
In this blog, we will discuss Kota stone flooring. This is one of the most cost-effective, durable, and attractive flooring options that is both natural and sustainable. The flooring type gets its name because it comes from Ramganj Mandi in the Kota district of Rajasthan. These sturdy rocks are cut to make Kota stone. It is available in a wide range of colours and finishes, making it suitable for a variety of applications. Different types of kota stone used in home flooring look stunning!
First, let’s start with what Kota stone is:
What is Kota Stone?
Kota and Jhalawar regions in Rajasthan are the origins of this sedimentary rock, which is a member of the limestone family. A type of fine-grained limestone known as Kota stone contains silica (24–25%), magnesium oxide (4%–5%), and calcium carbonate (38%–40%) in its chemical makeup. It has a uniform cross-section, is hard and compact, and is a sedimentary rock.
In addition to its raw, earthy colour, Kota stone is popular for its durability, lustre, hardness, low porosity, uniformity, and affordability. These characteristics make it a very adaptable stone. Different types of Kota stone are used in home flooring, and many community buildings, including offices, schools, hospitals, and railway stations, to name a few, have Kota stone floor designs. However, it lacks the appearance of marble or granite and instead has a rustic appearance.
Colours and Types of Kota Stone
Let’s begin by discussing the floor Kota stone colours.
Colours of Kota Stone
There is a wide range of colours available in Kota stone, although greenish-blue and brown Kota stone flooring have become very popular. The following are some Kota stone colours that can create a subtle blend of luxury.
- Black
- Pink
- Honey
- Grey
- Beige
- Brown
- Green
- Greenish-Blue
- White
- Lemon Yellow
Types of Surface Finish of Kota Stone
Kota stone is readily available in many locations with a variety of surface finishes and will add appeal to your indoor or exterior flooring. Some types of Kota stone flooring surface finishes include:
- Natural Polish
- Semi-Polished
- High-Polished
- Mirror Polished
- Short Blast
- Leather Finished
- Lappato Finish
- Matte-Finish
- Fluted-Finish
9 Kota Stone Flooring Designs and Applications for Your Home’s Interior or Outdoors
Here are some Kota stone flooring design ideas and how to use them in the interior and exterior of your home.
01. Ideas for a Large Porch and Wide Pathways
The brightly coloured veranda wall blends perfectly with the traditional grey Kota. These tiles perform well in outdoor areas like patios. Your Kota stone flooring pattern will remain vibrant whether it’s sunny or rainy. Use grey Kota slabs for walkways or footpaths. Avoid polishing it to make it non-slip and rustic. Leather-finish Kota stone flooring is ideal for flooring outside shops and cafés, pathways leading to parks, or even outside buildings, but within the boundaries of a compound wall or border.
02. Earthy Tones for your Verandah
Depending on the overall design scheme, brown Kota stone flooring will look pleasing to the eyes in partly open spaces like verandahs, cafes, restaurants, spas etc. The brown colour of Kota stone works well with the rustic colour scheme, creating a uniform design for the entire area.
03. Corridors and Walkways
Use grey, blue or black Kota stone flooring to create a lovely contrast with the warm brown tones in the furniture and other décor items in the passageway. Corridor Kota carpeting patterns are typically less monochromatic. The slight variation in grey tones or green Kota stone flooring will play a role in tile design and texture; all these factors add texture to the interior design of the space.
04. Rooms with Traditional Design
Different types of Kota stone used in home flooring depend on the general look you want; unpolished Kota flooring patterns can be fantastic. Light-absorbing flooring can enhance traditional, rustic settings. If you are contemplating Kota stone for your bedroom flooring, have a look at the overall design scheme that you have decided on.
05. Opening from a Bedroom to a Balcony
There are many Kota stone flooring colours that can add to the beauty of a verandah and give it an airy, open feel. The brownish Kota stone gives the verandah a flat look that does not stand out. This directs the eye straight to the view outside the doors and verandah.
06. Luxurious Living Areas
The distinct muted grey, greyish-blue tones and green Kota stone flooring designs enhance the beauty of a home with the brown-toned furniture. Likewise, the trendy black Kota stone flooring creates the same effect. These tones of Kota stone add so much style and warmth to the room.
07. Interesting Kota Flooring Designs: Playing with Tile Patterns
Brown Kota stone flooring looks stunning. Create designs in the room’s centre or borders by adding Kota stone with other tiles. Kota stone flooring with white marble or black granite can create a mesmerizing look. In the middle of the space, you can also create a floral design using marble and Kota stone. Modern flooring patterns feature Kota stone and marble.
You can use Kota flooring with other flooring tiles, such as granite, marble or sandstone to create designs all over a room. This style can go well in a living room or a bedroom because it will never be hidden by your furniture.
08. Modest Bedrooms
Ideally, opt for unpolished grey or dull green Kota stone flooring for minimalist bedrooms. Neutral tones work well with Kota stones, creating a cozy bedroom. If your bedrooms are small, use large Kota stone slabs, which will make the area appear larger.
09. Deeper, More Muted Shades
Kota stone absorbs a lot of light; an unpolished surface absorbs more light rather than reflecting it. The goal is to create a warm, welcoming area, and darker Kota stone slabs help achieve this goal.
Kota stone or leather-finish Kota stone flooring works well both indoors and outdoors, covering parking lots, stairways, balconies, terraces, and cooking platforms. It is used in industrial and commercial structures, as well as occasionally in wall cladding.
Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of Kota stone flooring.
Advantages of Kota Stone
01. Durable and Low Maintenance
Kota is durable and requires very little maintenance. Plus, you can create multiple patterned flooring designs with Kota stones because they are all similar and usually homogeneous.
02. Non-slip Material
Kota stone is a non-slip material; leather-finish Kota stone flooring is an excellent choice for bathrooms and decks, where moisture and heavy foot traffic can create a slipping hazard.
03. Excellent in all Weather Conditions
Despite the heat, Kota is always pleasant and cool. Even when exposed to extreme weather conditions like rain, sun, or humidity, Kota stone floor designs will not degrade.
04. Economical to Use
Kota stone is one of the cheapest natural stones. It is widely used in commercial spaces because of its availability and inertness. Kota stone flooring colour options are many.
05. Benefits of the Polishing Process
There are various types of Kota stone flooring based on colour, texture, and surface finish. Kota stone can be polished. They can be cut manually or mechanically, depending on your requirements. The surface can be re-polished to maintain its appearance after a few years.
06. Looks Lavish
Kota stone floor designs are cost-effective and project a sense of luxury that matches other aesthetically pleasing natural stones like granite and slate.
07. Sustainable and Long-lasting Flooring
Kota stone flooring is long-lasting. It is elegant, even when it wears out over time. It is green and biodegradable.
08. Kota Stone Slurry Benefits Black Cotton Soil
Black cotton soil can benefit from the stabilizing or admixing properties of Kota stone slurry powder. According to Tak Dayanand, Prof. J. K. Sharma, & Prof. K. S. Grover(Authors of the article – Performance Evaluation of Waste Kota stone slurry powder mixed with black cotton soil) it helps save space. It is environmentally sustainable and maintains the fertility of the area and is easily available.
Limitations with Kota Stone
01. Lacks the Shine
It lacks the shine of granite or the lustre of marble, even when polished.
02. Big Slabs are not Easily Available
Due to the stone’s natural softness, very large slabs are not available. The most common sizes found are generally 2 x 2 feet or 2 x 4 feet and 3 x 3 feet or 4 x 6 feet. Installing large slabs can be challenging, as they can crack or break. Therefore, always choose small tiles.
03. Has more Thickness
The thickness of Kota stone can reach 1.5 inches in larger sizes. It increases the thickness of the flooring. This poses a challenge, especially when matching Kota with thinner slabs or tiles.
04. Kota Stone’s Color is Irregular
Kota stone flooring colours are uneven. While those who appreciate nature’s imperfections may not see it as a disadvantage, many may not like it. Kota stone surely lacks the perfection of marble or granite and has a more rustic look.
05. Surface Flaking During Polishing
Surface flaking occurs while polishing the surface because there may be changes in roughness.
06. Gets Damaged from Harsh Use
The stone will flake or stain over time if its surface is unsealed. Moreover, because Kota stone is a type of limestone, it may react with harsh or acidic cleaners and lose its colour or integrity.
07. Requires more Precaution
Using Kota stone as kitchen platforms requires extra caution because substances like oil or lime can harm the material’s look.
08. Handling Mining Waste is Difficult
Energy and resources are required to handle and dispose of waste from Kota stone mining. According to Harshwardhan Singh Chouhan, et al. (Authors of journal article – Effect of Kota stone slurry on strength properties of cement mortar mixes) fine particles produced during stone polishing are harmful to both human health and the environment.
Key Takeaways
This concludes our discussion on Kota stone, its types, and indoor and outdoor flooring design ideas. Now that you know the advantages and disadvantages of Kota stone flooring, you are better equipped to decide whether Kota stone flooring is the most suitable option for you.
Kota stone flooring is a great option for residential and commercial areas. Perhaps the patterns and benefits of Kota stone flooring have given you the motivation to get the most out of this versatile natural stone. However, it is important to consider the types of Kota stone flooring, the quality of the stone, installation techniques, and proper maintenance to ensure that the flooring lasts for a long time.
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