At least a decade ago, the late San Francisco designer Michael Taylor installed a natural stone floor in the exclusive McGuire Furniture wholesale showroom in the San Francisco Design Center area. Because Taylor was so influential and so many high-end interior designers visit that showroom annually, Gibson says, the showroom's floor may have been the impetus for more use of natural stone today. I think it may also be sort of a reaction against the embossed concretes that have been so popular recently. Cost is one big reason, says Gibson. The quality, thickness and type of stone chosen, plus how it is laid, will affect the cost, he said.
Cost is the greatest deterrent to using stone.
Natural stone materials are usually more expensive, but when you get into real defined concrete and doing special finishes, it can be very expensive, too. Dhetchai Allison, a landscape architect who works for Bushnell's Landscape Creations in Granite Bay, says using natural stone makes sense in such areas as Granite Bay and Folsom, where there are many natural rock outcroppings. And natural stone looks great in the oak environment out here. For one Granite Bay landscape application, Allison used quartzite to face for some areas around a pool. For continuity he said it also made sense to use it on the floor of the client's gazebo nearby.