Natural stone flooring is not a new idea. Buildings from pre-history can be found that have stone slabs laid carefully flat on the ground to provide a good stable floor. The principle today is little changed, though now we have a much greater choice because of commercially produced stone tiles.

Stone flooring is now available in a wide variety of textures and colours, as well as having built-in durability and suitability for different conditions. When choosing a flooring material you should consider this: natural stone flooring is the only material that actually improves over time. It will last forever. That's why the floors of pre-historic houses can still look surprisingly modern.

There are few flooring choices that have better hard-wearing qualities than stone. Over time it will acquire its own patina adding a distinct characteristic that can only be found in flooring made from natural stone. It is easy to keep clean and depending on your choice, it is stylish and as modern looking as any other type of flooring.

The rock that stone floors come from can be divided into three basic types: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. Travertine and limestone are examples of sedimentary stone, granite is an example of igneous stone, and slate and marble are examples of metamorphic stone.

Reconstituted stone or replica stone is not real stone. Tiles made like this can never compare with the natural beauty of stone that is just as nature made it. Manufacturers have tried hard over the years to reproduce the effect of natural stone, but without success. Some of their products are very good to be fair, but they are not real stone.

Man-made stone tiles are new. Real stone on the other hand has, in some cases, been 300 million years in the making. Nature takes its time, but just look at the results and you will have to agree that they are truly unbeatable. Natural stone flooring has no real competitor, and that is something unlikely to ever change.

Flooring made from real stone doesn't have to be rough. In fact, it doesn't really have to look like our idea of stone at all. It can be polished to a high shine finish, or kept matte allowing the texture to shine through. It can be dark or even black, or light coloured, or indeed anything in between.

Maintenance of a floor made from natural stone is easy and trouble-free. It needs to be sealed to maintain its integrity, but once that is done cleaning is easy. A good sealant will also help to prevent staining, it should not change the natural colour in any way, and it will help to prolong the useful life of the floor.

Natural stone flooring is the sustainable choice for everyone. It will last as many lifetimes as you wish to name. If proof is needed, then consider that the oldest stone floor in Britain, one made of limestone, is around 7,000 years old and still in remarkably good condition. That should be sustainable enough for anyone.