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Two questions,

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   Umer Inayat
Monday, February 8, 2010 03:52 AM 
Reply: >
Dear Forum Fellows

Constructing my home in Lahore (8 marla) two questions if someone can reply and oblige:

1. Roof Treatment, which type, company and cost per sq ft? is it really worth to do it?

2. What are the main benefits of marble on tile (as personally i like tiles finish)?

thanks in advance to all.

Umer Inayat
Hussain Kaisrani replied on Monday, February 8, 2010 04:01 PM 

Umar Inayat Sahib,
Congratulations.
I am yet not in the position to provide you proper reply of your first question. The reply of your second question is:
Nowadays there are no main benefits of marble on tiles. Few years ago tiles were very expensive, the variety was very limited and availability of tile technician were big issues. Due to these problems people used to use marble. The main benefit of marble was that if workmanship was not good then after RAGRAI and polish every mistakes were wiped off. In case of tiles all the problems were more obvious after finalizing and cleaning.
Some people think that tiles work is expensive than marble but as per my research there is no much difference.
Finally tiles are in the fashion now. Nowadays marble is generally being used only in the boundary area or in porch.
Khaloo replied on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 02:52 AM 

Benefits of Marble:

Hard to have cracks and even when there is a crack, you can replace it with another piece.
It can contain variances as it does not have one unique color.

If polish is gone, no problem, you can again do the “Ragraee” and re-polish whereas in tiles you cannot do that!

Tiles definitely change hue with the passage of time but Marble may lose polish but does not change its color.

Disadvantages:

Some marbles are radioactive but who will tell us the “curies” reading as instruments are very expensive to check radiations. 4.5 cury reading is acceptable for a healthy man.

All Granites are radioactive so they are not advised to put on floors but on house fronts, no problem!
One Kanal house total flooring granite will give damage equal to smoking a 20-cigarette pack each day.
MAS replied on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 07:45 AM 

Before everyone gets scared of Marbles, let us separate facts from fear. I am sure you know that Potassium in Bananas contain radioactivity as well. If not, check out this link. http://chemistry.about.com/b/2008/08/11/bananas-are-radioactive.htm

Radioactivity is present in most natural materials such as Sand, Bricks, and yes in higher amounts in granite. But nobody uses granite for entire flooring. They are only used for counter tops. Here is a link that should help you overcome fear of granites. http://www.graniteland.com/infos/home/is-granite-radioactive
Here is another research on granites: http://www.marble-institute.com/industryresources/assessingexposurereport.pdf Go to the conclusion part on page 50. Here is an excerpt from this part: “The level of risk is less than many familiar events in our everyday environment. For example the lifetime risk of dying from falling out of bed is approximately 3 times higher than the risk posed by typical installation of granite counter-top”.

It is good to be cautious and make sure that the kind of material available in our market is safe. So check out this link that has (average)result of research conducted on various Marbles available in Pakistan: http://chemistry.about.com/b/2008/08/11/bananas-are-radioactive.htm (go down to the second paragraph which is in English). Now if some particular marble is too high in radioactivity, how can we ever know?

Finally, all this concern about marbles would make sense if ceramic tiles were known to be free of radioactivity, but they are not. Check out this link: http://www.orau.org/PTP/collection/consumer%20products/uraniumceramicsgeneralinfo.htm

And don’t forget to have your banana today.
MAS replied on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 07:51 AM 

Enough about radioactivity. I think it is a matter of personal choice. Whichever looks better to you is the right choice for you. Personally I prefer marbles for all the benefits mentioned by Khaloo above. Also, I find tiles to be too glossy. Marble gives me a more natural feel. But the ultimate satisfaction depends on the kind of marble chosen for flooring. There are only a few kinds of marbles that give a high class finish.

If you do choose tiles, don’t buy the cheap ones. The cheap ones look as good as the expensive ones initially but fade out and wear and crack very easily because they are Earthenware. Good ceramic tiles are made of Stoneware which is much stronger than Earthenware. As with marbles, it is the quality and color of the tiles as well as floor design that will make all the difference in the world. If some architect/designer does good work for you please do share their contact.
MAS replied on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 08:06 AM 

For the marbles available in Pakistan the correct link was http://www.radioprotection.org/index.php?option=article&access=standard&Itemid=129&url=/articles/radiopro/pdf/2000/03/tufail.pdf
Just check the conclusion
Khaloo replied on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 07:20 PM 

Thanks very much, MAS, for such informative article.

Stones are sure better than tiles but for radiation thing, although I have mentioned what what I know of but then there is one more thing, I forgot to mention;

I have a friend working with me who belongs to the highest livable area in northern Pakistan and He was born and brought up there!

There is granite everywhere in his native place and He is probably the most health man among all of us!

May be being exposed to the stone radiation and having no effects, has to do with the difference in " having radiation in open or confined space". But granite is radioactive on full flooring in confined space and it is a proven fact!
MAS replied on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 05:50 AM 

Mr.Khaloo yes you are correct. Granites have much higher radiation than most Marbles. You have done a service to all of us by mentioning that granites should not be used for flooring. The article I quoted above approves granite just for counter top use which is a very small area. I would definitely not use it extensively (especially inside the house).

I feel comfortable with marbles because most Pakistani marbles seem to be okay as per quoted article. But no one can guarantee every lot in the market so use your own judgment.

Tiles are man made products so one can expect that manufacturers would make sure that they are within acceptable limits of radiation. I read some research on Chinese tiles which says they are okay.

Thank you for helping me clarify my post. In fact what you wrote originally was quite accurate.
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