What type of tile should you use for your home’s flooring? This is an interesting question, and the answer depends on several factors. For example, you need to consider the following:
- Budget
- Aesthetic preferences
- Intended room
- Level of traffic
- Required durability and strength
To help with your decision, here are five of the best tile types!
Ceramic
If you’re wondering how ceramic comes to be in a house, it starts as quarried clay. From here, experts prepare and mould the clay and the material is then made available in several forms. For example, you’ll find glazed/polished and unglazed/non-polished forms of the material.
Why choose ceramic? Well, it’s affordable for all budgets and noticeably cheaper than materials like porcelain. Also, homeowners with a certain degree of skill can cut and install the tiles without too much help.
Faux Wood
In recent years, this is the material that has gained the most attention. For most homeowners, they choose a wooden appearance because of the warmth and character it provides. Just imagine relaxing in the summer, wooden tiles on the floor, outdoor fireplace roaring, and reading a good book. Does it get any better?
Why choose faux wood? The material is often just as durable as ceramic and it’s also resistant to stains and water. What’s more, you’ll find plenty of designs and faux wood doesn’t require too much maintenance.
Porcelain
Lots of people believe that porcelain is the best all-round material for tiling, and it’s hard to disagree with this view. As a dense material, it’s naturally durable and strong. Depending on what you need, porcelain also comes in lots of different styles so you can choose one that imitates hardwood, marble, stone, or another material.
Why choose porcelain? It’s less porous than ceramic, contains fewer impurities than ceramic, and will last the test of time (even when placed in high-traffic areas!). The only way you’ll damage porcelain is if you drop a heavy object and cause a chip or crack. Otherwise, it’s quite difficult to scratch or stain porcelain – this is ideal for those with young children.
Natural Stone
As the fourth suggestion, lots of homeowners turn to stone (excuse the pun) when they need tiles for their home’s flooring. For one thing, natural stone is versatile because you can choose between limestone, granite, marble, and plenty of other stones. While not necessarily natural, concrete floor tiles are also a durable option and can stand up to anything. Concrete tiles are a little more affordable than the aforementioned, however, when choosing a stone for your flooring, make sure you research durability and strength because they all differ.
Why choose natural stone? With so many types of natural stone, you can find one that matches your needs in terms of appearance, strength, water resistance, and other considerations. If you’re looking for a bathroom or living room flooring solution, granite and marble are two good starting points.
Terracotta
Finally, we have a material made from natural clay. As well as working as a flooring material, interior designers commonly experiment with terracotta on walls too. Especially in living areas, terracotta has a warmth and a character that sometimes isn’t readily available from some of the colder materials.
Why choose terracotta? In addition to durability, terracotta resists water well and becomes even stronger when glazed. Although the word terracotta often leads to specific images in the mind, there are actually many different variations of colour with the material. Therefore, you can choose a hue that matches the rest of the decor in your home.
Remember, there’s no universal ‘best’ tile type because it depends on your needs, the rest of your home, and many other factors. Make sure you choose the tile that suits YOUR home!
