When it comes down to selecting the right flooring tiles for your home or office, things can become a bit hectic. The options seem limitless and most of the time, you will believe that all tiles are the same. However, that is not true at all. Although patterns, finishes, and colors may appear similar, all tiles are not the same. In the past, it was possible to walk into a home and tell how old the building was just by looking at its tiles. Nowadays, you can give any of the rooms in your house an elegant, rustic, or luxurious impression just by utilizing any of the amazing variety of tiles.
Tile types for floors
Tiles are products of sand and clay mixtures that are widely available in nature. Generally speaking, there are around three tile types available in the market. Vitrified, ceramic, and porcelain. Ceramic tiles come in many designs and different finishes such as glossy, glazed, or matte. In terms of cost, they are cheaper than vitrified tiles and normally ideal for places that experience moderate traffic. On the other hand, porcelain tiles are a variety of ceramic tiles also vitrified to a particular extent. Vitrified tiles are porcelain and ceramic tiles subjected to a different firing process due to which they have a glass protective layer and are more durable and stronger. These are the most common tiles you can use for your flooring project.
What to consider
Before purchasing tiles for your floor, there are several things you need to take into consideration. Aside from the finish, pattern, color, and price, there is more to selecting a tile than may meet the eye. Area is one of the first things you need to take into account. This will help you decide what kind of tile will work best. You need to establish whether the area you intend to tile experiences high traffic or not. Whether it is outdoors or indoors and whether the area is big or small. Having answers to all these questions will help you choose the correct tiles for your floor. Slip resistance is another thing to consider. You do not want to install tiles that will cause falls in your home because they could be quite fatal. Due to their finishes, some tiles are suitable for particular areas only. For instance, you should get slip resistant tiles for wet areas such as your bathroom.
Your options
It is important to establish whether you are buying tiles for a flooring project that is indoors or outdoors. You should also consider the size of the space you want to tile. Because tiles come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, you may want to install larger tiles for smaller spaces and vice versa. Large tiles will work exceptionally well in wide-open spaces. As such, even when choosing your tile color, always ask for samples that you can take home to see if they add or detract from the overall look of your space.
