Natural stone has long been used as a surfacing material for walls and floors due to its beauty and durability. But in light of newer materials like laminates that are equal to or even better than stone, does it make sense any longer to use natural stone? The answer may surprise you. Nature's Best Features Duplicated First, understand why stone has been used at all. When looking for surface material thousands of years ago, people turned to the heaviest, most durable, and prevalent product they could find. And it was right under foot, literally. Fieldstone acted as the first stone surface material . When quarrying and cutting techniques developed , granite and marble slabs could be sliced directly out of the earth. But stone was heavy, unwieldy, difficult to obtain. Despite its thickness and strength, moisture could still affect it. Ceramic tiles represented an improvement on stone. Made of minerals, it was a dense, stone-like product. Its thinness, light weight, and moi...