Grand Foyer Marble Floor
Palos Verdes Estates
About This Project
This foyer floor project in a Malaga Cove estate replaced a dated travertine installation that had developed hollow spots and cracked grout throughout. The replacement material was a large-format polished gray marble in a 24x24 format with a white inset border running the perimeter of the room. The border detail required precise mitered cuts at the inside corners, and the field tile layout was centered on the room's visual axis from the front door to the staircase rather than on the room's geometric center, which would have placed cuts awkwardly behind the door swing. Natural marble at this scale requires back-buttering in addition to the notched trowel application on the substrate, because large polished slabs have very little flex tolerance and any hollow spot will eventually crack under foot traffic. The marble was pre-sealed before installation and sealed again after grouting with a penetrating impregnating sealer appropriate for a polished stone surface.
Project Details
- Service
- Bathroom and Shower Remodel Tile
- Area
- Palos Verdes Estates
- Materials
- Polished gray marble (24x24), white marble border inset, penetrating stone sealer, unsanded grout
- Scope
- Residential estate foyer floor
- Timeline
- Multi-day install
What We Did
Demo of existing travertine; substrate grinding to remove adhesive residue; floor leveled before new installation began.
Layout axis established from entry to staircase; border layout planned with mitered inside corners confirmed before any marble was cut.
Pre-sealing of all marble panels; back-butter technique applied to each piece; large-format tiles set with full adhesive coverage verified by lifting test pieces.
Unsanded grout applied after 24-hour cure; final penetrating sealer applied after grout cure; surface polished and inspected.
Planning a foyer or large-format floor tile project in Palos Verdes Estates? Request a written estimate or call (323) 795-2774.
