Carrara marble
Carrara is the classic marble associated with Roman and Greek temples and statues. It's a warm white marble streaked with subtle bands of gray. In addition to marble flooring, carrara often is used for architectural details, such as fireplace surrounds.
Calacatta marble often is confused with carrara. They're similar, but classic calacatta typically is a more pure white color with bolder streaks. Calacatta is the rarer of the two and prized for its upscale appearance. Consequently, it’s more expensive.
Marble flooring comes in tiles of various shapes, from large rectangles to smaller mosaics. Prices range from $5 to $50 per square foot. Like many types of natural stone, marble floors can be tricky to install and a challenging DIY project. Skilled professional installers can cut marble into various shapes to create curves and patterns, but you’ll pay installation charges of $15 to $50 per square foot for the privilege.
Marble flooring tiles come in two basic finishes:
Polished marble is finished to a high sheen that shows off the beauty and grain of the stone. However, the finish can be slick and slippery, especially when wet. One strategy is to make liberal use of area rugs to protect from slipping. A lot of maintenance is required to keep polished marble floors looking good.