No stone-cold walls these!

When it comes to using stone in home décor, it is considered to be one of the most versatile of construction materials.While you can create huge arches, pathways and even line walls with them, they can also be customised to be used in nooks and corners on a much smaller scale as well. Essentially bathrooms and any place with wetness are considered ideal for the use of stone. This is in relation to the interiors of a home.

There are a number of stones that can be used depending on your aesthetic sense. While some go in for marble, others opt for variations of granite and for those with a penchant for the bizarre you even have materials like onyx that are used.  

The bathroom is a popular place for the usage of stone. The elegance it brings, as well as the connect to nature is unbeatable.

There are of course a number of stone based tiles that can give you the effect you are looking for, but the texture of stone is unmatchable.

Now considering the city of Bangalore, we seem to have more of an apartment culture than independent houses. Sudhakar Prabhu, architectural 3D visualiser says that for an apartment, a stone bathroom can prove to be heavy on the slab below. Installing of stone will require additional supplementation to the slab. Aesthetically, if you look at apartment bathrooms, they are smaller and this gives you lesser space to make full use of stone based features.”  

Use of pebbles

Stones in the bathroom can be incorporated in several ways. You could have small pebbles randomly placed in a setting around your washbasin, framing your bathtub, covering the walls of the bathroom and more. You could think of using larger stones to form the base of your bathing area.

Sudhakar explains, that your floors will have to be treated in a special way to accommodate stone.

“If you are trying to make it flush (on the same level) with the rest of the floor, you will have to chip more into the slab. Stone slabs are thicker than tile and therefore this requirement. If you are not going to make it to the same level, then you will have to make a raiser in concrete and place the stones in it. This however, could eat up into your bathroom space,” he says.  

Many uses

There are several advantages to having a stone based bathroom. For one, the aesthetic feel is great. It is rugged and rusty especially rough cut granite. Stones are naturally rough materials and if kept the same way, can provide for great grip in the bathroom especially on wet surfaces.

The relatively smaller disadvantages are that they are not comfortably incorporated in to smaller bathrooms.

Ideally, a bathroom needs to be at least 8ft by 6ft to accommodate a stone bathroom. Also, this form of styling can take up a serious amount of space if not planned into your original design. Some popular stones used in bathrooms are Sadarahalli granite stones as well rough cut granite are used. These can be smoothened or rough depending on your aesthetic sense. But rough is better, to give you a better grip in the bathroom.

Maintenance

Cleaning your stone bathroom is also important. If marble has been used, you have to remember that it contains calcium and therefore reacts to acid based cleaning agent. Lime deposits if any should be washed off with appropriate cleaning agent and any water spots should be wiped off instantly. Stains on granite can be cleaned with a mild solution of ammonia and water. Using small amounts of bleach can also help sanitise the area.  

Stone bathrooms are a great way to add finesse to your home and décor. Though they may come a bit expensive as far as sourcing of stones and installation goes, they can be a thing a beauty for a long time to come with good maintenance.