Which Marble Is Better, Indian or Italian?

 Nowadays, many expensive, premium apartment and villa projects provide marble as a flooring option. Is Indian marble better than the Italian marble to command such a premium? People also very often ask this question: should I go for Indian or Italian marble?

Which one is better?

Well, that depends. Before going any further talking about Indian and Italian marble, let's first understand what does better mean here. Are we talking about better in terms of quality? Or better in terms of looks?

Looks

Looks is subjective. Often times, it looks as important as exclusivity. For instance, if your neighbors or friends have already put in some nice italian marble in their home and you want something that is more exclusive, Indian marble is a good and easy option. Indian marbles color vary quite a bit as compared to Italian marble. Or in other words, appearing different is easier. Not only that, colors like tones of brown or beige, which are quite rare in Italian Marble, also available in Indian marble.

Quality

Now, about better in terms of quality. Which one is actually better, Indian or Italian?

First things first, marble is a stone. And, it is heavy. As we all know, heavy things are expensive to ship. Unless you are very rich, chances are that you may not be buying the best quality in Indian marble. Cracks and more importantly, porous stones, may be common in Indian marble. That is, if you are far away from Makrana. And often, the stone is covered by transparent epoxy. It holds its looks. Yet, the touch is gone.That's the Indian. What about the Indian marbles?

The short answer is it is good. If you need convincing, just look at Victoria Memorial and Taj Mahal. Both stood the test of time. Both have been standing for centuries now. The color ranges in Indian marble include black, brown, green and pink.

Some of the marbles, such as Katni marble, has nice shades and patterns. It may not be as strong as Makrana, which is milky white, but still, it looks are really interesting.

Which one to choose, then?

Any marble surface is good. After all, you can re-polish its surface after few years and you will get a new surface. If you are looking for cheaper marble, you may want to go for the Italian marble. However, there is not much variety of them. Indeed. There is not much variety of figures and colors. So, your option may be limited. If the color available is what you want, then this is not a problem