Stone has been with man since the dawn of time, but still as popular as ever. It is now making its way rapidly into Del Mar luxury homes as one of the fastest growing decorating trends. Homeowners are abandoning the once popular 70's looks of wall-to-wall carpeting throughout the house. At a time, granite and marble can only be seen in office buildings, while rustic style stone was only used in vacation homes. People are trying to customize their home more than they did before. People are now using an assortment of materials like glass tiles and mosaics. Homeowners tend to want to give each room more personality by adding different types of products.

There are diverse choices of sizes, textures and styles of stone. The stylish look and sturdiness of stone is what makes it appealing to many homeowners. However, before decorating Del Mar luxury homes with stone, homeowners must first know its drawbacks. The most common problem is stains. Since stone is porous, it can easily absorb the liquid if you spill things onto it. Proper care such as sealing the stone can lessen this problem. Foot traffic should also be considered before putting in the stone floors. A polished marble will scratch and if you drop something acidic it will etch, which means the polish will be removed in that particular area. So there are greater maintenance issues with polished surfaces. The good thing with polished surfaces is that it shows less wear pattern.

Keep these tips in mind when deciding which stones to use in Del Mar luxury homes:

• Granite is most suited for kitchen and bar counters because it is the densest. It is also resistant to hot and cold and acidic foods will not damage the polish.

• Marble is best suited as bathroom flooring or on back splashes and fireplaces.

• Travertine is not as dense as marble but its density is greater than the density of limestone.

• Limestone is the softest and most porous of the stones. It requires sealing frequently.

For more information on Del Mar Luxury Real Estate for sale, contact:

Shawn Hethcock

Willis Allen Real Estate - Hethcock & Rodger

(858) 755-2280 or (858) 755-6761

valeriepekar@shawnrodger.com