Contents
- 1 Tips for Picking the Perfect Floor Tiles
- 2 Final Thoughts
Tips for Picking the Perfect Floor Tiles
For any homeowners who have built or renovated their own homes, they’ll tell you just how many tile variations you have to choose from. Getting the right one for your floors can be a challenge, so it’s essential to do a little research before you start investing in your new home.
So, let’s get ready to lay it all down and help you find the best tiles for your floor!
Understanding Which Tiles Are Suitable for Your Floors
Tiles can make a brilliant addition to almost any construction project. They’re great for flooring in bathrooms, kitchens, walkways, or anywhere that gets a lot of foot traffic or needs to be easily cleaned. But can you use just any tile?
Some tiles are best used for purely decorative purposes. Floor tiling, however, needs to be able to withstand a certain amount of pressure, or else you’ll find yourself replacing tiles every week. Here are some essential characteristics of flooring tiles:
- Easy cleaning
- Durability
- Colour permanence
- Fireproof
- Stain-resistant
- Scratch-resistant
- Low porosity
The Most Suitable Tiles for Your Flooring Needs
Now, after noticing the characteristics of tiles that are suitable for flooring, you may think that you wouldn’t get a lot of options. Well, the good news is that you’re able to find gorgeous tiles with all the necessary criteria.
However, there’s still a little more to choosing a tile for your floors than choosing one that is durable because you still want it to fit your aesthetic. So let’s take a look at:
- Types of tiles
- Tile styles
- Tile ratings
- Tile shapes
- Tile sizes
Types of Tiles That Make Great Flooring Choices
Are the tiles outside or in a heavy foot traffic area? You’ll need to consider where your tiles are going as this will impact your decision. Here are some types of tiles that could be just what you’re looking for:
Porcelain tiles
Porcelain tiles are made with finer clay packed at higher pressures and baked at higher temperatures. This makes them more durable than ceramic tiles and also makes them not as porous.
Ceramic tiles
While ceramic tiles aren’t as durable as porcelain ones, they are cheaper and more readily available, meaning you’ll most likely find more options to choose from. They’re also easier to cut and add texture to, which is a plus.
Quarry tiles
Hard and unglazed paving tiles and quarry tiles are other great candidates for flooring. They are comprised of minerals formed and fired in a similar way to bricks. These bricks have incredible durability and are a popular and inexpensive option in areas that experience high foot traffic and outdoor spaces.
Marble tiles
A tile with a timeless look that can match almost any aesthetic, and still be incredibly high-impact is a marble tile. It does lean more towards the pricier side of the tiling options and requires more cleaning, but it’s hard not to fall in love with its classic look.
Vitrified tiles
Formed by blending clay and silica together in the process of vitrification, vitrified tiles are incredibly non-porous tiles, great for flooring. This is a very popular and cheaper alternative to marble and is stain-resistant and more durable.
Natural Stone Tiles
For a floor tile that screams strength, elegance, and easy maintenance it’s natural stone flooring. It definitely adds a unique aesthetic, but it’s also great for those who want heated floors.
Smart Tips for Choosing the Best Tiles for Your Floors
Tile Styles
When picking a tile suitable for flooring, choosing the style of flooring is where it can get tricky. For some people, they know exactly what tiles style they want. Tiles can have so many patterns and designs. This makes it tough to choose sometimes.
We suggest getting an idea of the tile design you want before going to the shops. That way, you can compare your preferences to what you find in the shops and make a more decisive decision. Here are some types of tile styles to choose from:
- Basketweaves
- Chevrons
- Diamonds
- Herringbones
- Mosaic
- Offsets
- Pinwheels
- Versailles
Tile ratings
Next, we need to take a look at tile ratings. Most individuals just rely on the contractor to help them choose the right tile, but by doing that, you can end up with cheaper tiles that’ll need replacing. Tile rating refers to how resistant and durable the tile is.
There are five hardness rating classes, with the higher rating being the best. These ratings are as follows:
- Class 1: For wall application only
- Class 2: Ideal for bathrooms and areas with light traffic
- Class 3: Good for areas that get routine traffic
- Class 4: Perfect for home use with moderate traffic
- Class 5: the strongest tile class, ideal for commercial use
Tile shapes
The shape is also something to think about. Standard tiles usually come in squares, but you can get several different tile shapes that could bring a new dynamic to your home. Here’s a list of tile shapes to choose from:
- Circles
- Diamonds
- Hexagons
- Octagon
- Ovals
- Parallelogram
- Rectangles
- Squares
- Trapezoid
- Triangles
Tile Sizes
Size is another aspect to consider. Tiles come in a few sizes, whether large, small, or even extra small. Tiles are considered large when they exceed 38cm. They usually come in squares but can be found in different shapes or ordered in a custom design. It’s important to consider the size of the tiles you want to use because this would have a significant impact on the quantity needed to fill the room you’re installing them into.
Choosing The Right Tile For You
Deciding on your floor tiles doesn’t have to be the most complicated decision when it comes to remodeling and building a house. We always suggest that people invest in tiles that’ll last longer, so that’s tiles with a rank of three up.
There’s nothing worse than having a beautifully tiled floor, and then suddenly, one tile is cracked or horribly chipped. For the rest, we’d suggest you go for what fits the aesthetic of your home both in looks and function.
Final Thoughts
Building or remodeling is an exciting time. You get to kit out your home with new and exciting features and provide it with a new, refreshing look. Whether you’re using tiles or not, we hope this tile guide has made the choice a whole lot easier for you.
