Natural stone has been used for many purposes throughout history, but none so consistent and pronounced as its use in construction, building and design. Stone has been integrated into homes and lifestyles since the days of cavemen. The sophistication of stone grew with stately Egyptian pyramids and ancient Roman buildings that survived war and weather for centuries. But stone was not only for the high and mighty. Natural stone's durability and usefulness was carried across continents to fill the villages and rural areas of commoners with stone bridges and houses that continue to beautify countryside landscapes.

Today, you'll find natural stone floors in posh metropolitan city homes and rustic rural retreats. Natural stone can convey the calmness of a running brook, the energy of an autumn hike, or the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. Natural stone exudes a timeless confidence that breathes strength and stability into a room – the confidence of natural stone will also raise the resale value of your home.

Whether your desire is to bring a strong outdoor element into your home, to fill your home with wall-to-wall historical inspirations, or to add a savoring structure and design, our Chicago area showrooms have the natural stone selections that will increase the value of your home and help you build the home of your dreams.

If you're living or traveling through Illinois and are near the counties of DuPage, Cook, Will, Kane, Lake, McHenry or Chicagoland, take time for a leisurely look at our natural stone selections at our stores located in Chicago, Bolingbrook, Itasca, Joliet, Lombard, Matteson, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Naperville or Woodstock. Floor Specialists will be on hand to answer any questions you might have on your natural stone selection, and you'll experience the pleasure of seeing and feeling the true timeless beauty that a natural stone floor can offer.

If you can't make it to our showroom, or just have a quick question before you visit, feel free to email or call and we'll be more than happy to help. But we sincerely hope you'll visit. You'll be more than satisfied with our natural stone selection and our installation services, and we have a wide variety of stones in stock. You'll be able to see and touch durable granite, exquisite marble, artistic travertine, colorful tumbled stone, and the traditional slate and limestone. Of course we can't take credit for creating the stone, natural earth processes that began centuries ago can only take credit for that.

The Art of Forming Stone

Some of you may recall from your early school years that stones are classified as three types: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.

Igneous rocks are made from hot rock: Lava, which is from volcanoes, or magma, which is a hot liquid rock formed below the earth's surface. If the hot liquid rises from below the earth's surface (magma) then cools, it becomes a rock with grains and minerals you can see, like granite. Granite is one of the hardest rocks used for flooring. Lava turned to stone won't have the same grainy properties – pumice is a type of rock formed from hardened lava.

Heat and pressure create metamorphic rocks, such as marble, which is created from pressurized limestone. Limestone, however, is a sedimentary rock because it is created from particles that have built up over the years. Cement is actually a man-made sedimentary rock.

If you change the conditions the rock is exposed to, you have to potential to change its form. For instance, an igneous or sedimentary rock can turn into a metamorphic rock. These formative conditions and elements are what creates the natural design and durability of the stones you will choose for your natural stone floor.

Because uncontrollable acts of nature have such a large role in forming the natural stones that will be selected for your home, your lasting natural stone floor will be a unique composition created by nature solely for you.

If you'd like to learn more about natural stone floors, take a look at our other articles on this website. You'll find more information on types of stone and the process of natural stone floor installation. We hope that you'll find our website a useful guide in determining the natural floor covering selection for your home remodeling adventure.