Homeowners, especially ones in enjoyable climates, often put a lot of thought and time into the design of their outdoor space. While there are a variety of ways to decorate and coordinate your patio or yard, the flooring is the base that everything stems from. Choosing the proper flooring is not only essential in creating the fundamentals of your outdoor space, but it’s also an important decision to make given the weather conditions and wear and tear it will endure. While marble is typically a common flooring choice for indoor rooms, like bathrooms and kitchen spaces, it can also be a gorgeous and practical option for the outdoors.

Choosing Outdoor Marble

As you may have guessed, not just any marble will hold well exposed to the outside elements. The polished marble countertop you have in your kitchen, for example, is not something that would work well in your patio. Steer away from polished marble stones for any outdoor use, as they can be very easily damaged when exposed to outdoor elements.

Instead, opt for marble picks like Coliseum Stone Rustic, Seashell or sandblasted Crema Europa. These stand up well to different climates and have a very natural look, perfect for an outdoor area. You’ll find that marble stones that work well in outdoor spaces will typically have a slightly textured surface, different than what you’d find used on an indoor countertop.

When choosing marble for your outdoor space you will want to consider the size of the tile and the overall look you want to provide. Remember, the bigger the tile, the more spacious an area will appear.

Keep in mind that outdoor tile isn’t just for flooring. Depending on your outdoor space and your style, you can also use marble tile to create an outdoor accent wall. This is the perfect area to display potted plants and water fountains.

Maintaining Outdoor Marble

Weather conditions can effect outdoor marble tile quickly causing them to look matte, stained, dull or dirty. You should still maintain and properly care for your outdoor stone by knowing the proper cleaning methods. For dirt and grime, use a natural stone cleaner. These cleaners are the right consistency to effectively clean marble, as well as gentle enough to prevent damage.

Outdoor marble can become stained from harsh weather and exposure to the outdoors. If there are just a few small stains you can mix baking soda and water together to form a paste. Gently scrub the stains with the mixture until they are removed.

Marble is a natural stone that can make any outdoor space, big or small appear elegant, sophisticated and well put together. Choosing the proper look and style for your desired outdoor living space and maintaining proper care of the marble will provide you with years of enjoyment.