Its a Irreversible process , if its visible cover it with A rug .

You can use natural stone like marble for floor but do not use granite for floor at all as it is very slippery when wet. As for tiles do not go for glazed vitrified tiles for the floor for the same reason. ( floor becomes slippery once wet and may cause mishap) Go for ceramic anti skid tiles that are specially meant for bathroom floor. For wall tiles you can use whatever you like and then decide over the matching anti skid floor tile/ marble. Double charged vitrified tiles are usually used for flooring in rest of the house.

are their cheap yet attractive substitutes for tiles?

​Shivam, personal fit would depend on the usage/purpose of the tile in the project. Essentially the differences are very subtle and all options have a distinct USP advantage over others. From your other posts on tiles we can suggest you to use double charged vitrified tiles for your flooring  and porcelain tiles in wet area floors. Kajaria, RAK, AGL, Somany are some good brands . Thanks, Cornerstone Designs Bangalore