Constructing elegant spaces that reflect your personality, likes, tastes, and preferences gives you a sense of satisfaction and ownership. Flooring is one of the most critical areas you should pay special attention to when building. Flooring exposes you to different favourite materials like tile. The market has many floor tiles design from which you can choose. But how do you select the right design for your house? Here are practical tips to help you make an informed decision that gives you value for your money.
1 .Style
You must consider style before choosing the correct tile for your home. First, factor in your house’s style. Ensure your tile’s style matches your home’s.
Second, consider your tile’s style before settling for it. Going for a tumbled, stone-looking, or rustic style can match any interior décor. Such tiles are good at hiding dirt. Opting for marbleized tiles gives your home a formal appearance.
2. Color
Color is another factor to consider when selecting the right tile design for your home. You must consider the general feeling you want to achieve in the space requiring tiling. Do you want to achieve an atmospheric, serene, or relaxing mood?
A relaxing mood is excellent for your bathroom. Thus, choose appropriate tile colors that blend perfectly. For your kitchen, you might need a more vibrant mood; hence, go for contrasting colors.
3. Room Size
Your room size is another essential factor to consider. Using larger tiles makes your room feel airier and larger. Therefore, use smaller tiles in larger rooms. You may also use light to dark-colored tiles for bigger spaces. If you have smaller spaces, you need to use light-colored tiles to make them feel bigger.
4. Tile Size
Tile size should also inform your final choice. Smaller tiles are suitable for spaces like bathrooms, toilets, and kitchens. The best tile sizes range between 3/8″ mosaics and 5’x10’ porcelain panels. Proper tile sizing requires capturing a room’s proportional and relative appearance. Tiling with larger tiles helps limit the pattern effects of grout, making rooms look bigger and more spacious.
5. Grout
Choosing the correct grout color is also necessary for selecting the right tile design. Selecting a contrasting grout emphasizes design and lines. Inversely, grout with a contemporary color creates a subtle effect. Only remember to seal your grouting areas to prevent staining.
6. Porosity
Porosity is another essential dimension when opting for a given tile design. The ratio of air holes to solids during a tile determines a tile’s porosity, directly impacting its water absorption power. Pay attention to the tile’s rating when tiling moisture-prone spaces like mud rooms, bathrooms, laundry, and kitchens. Tile porosity comes in the following classifications:
- Impervious: It has water absorption of 0.5% or less and is ideal for kitchens and bathrooms.
- Vitreous: Has water absorption of 0.5% to 3%.
- Semi Vitreous: It has water absorption of 3% – 7%.
- Non-Vitreous: Its water absorption is 7%, and isn’t ideal for floor use.
7. An Ideal Tile Finish
Picking your perfect tile finish is another factor to consider when choosing your tiles. You can select from these finishes:
- Gloss
Tiles with this finish have a mirror-like sheen. They reflect light, add brightness, and give your rooms a spacious look. These tiles aren’t suitable for kitchens or bathrooms because they get slippery when wet.
- Matte
Tiles with a matte finish are slip-resistant and non-reflective. They hide stains and dirt. Also, they reduce the risk of falling in moisture-prone spaces like bathrooms and kitchens. We recommend choosing tiles with a COF (coefficient of friction) value of over 0.6 for maximum safety.
- Semi-matter or lappato
Tiles with this finish have a higher shine than matte tiles and are non-slip, minimizing slip-and-fall accidents and injuries.
8. Tile Durability and Hardness
Durability and hardness are other issues to pay attention to when choosing the right tile. You can determine your tile’s hardness using a simple rating system called the PEI scale. This scale classifies tiles between classes 1 and 5, where class 5 has the highest abrasion resistance. This scale considers factors like the tile’s ability to withstand pedestrian activity, wear, and tear.
- Class I: This class includes tiles that can’t withstand moving traffic, making them ideal for walls.
- Class II: These tiles are suitable for light traffic or interior wall applications. They’re appropriate for areas with little foot traffic, such as restrooms and rooms without outside access.
- Class III: Such tiles can accommodate light to moderate traffic. They’re perfect for countertops and walls. You may use them in any room except those with heavy traffic areas like kitchens and lobbies.
- Class IV: Such tiles can withstand moderate to heavy traffic. You can install them in all house areas, like kitchens, halls, and entryways.
- Class V: These tiles are the strongest and can accommodate heavy to extra-heavy traffic. They work well in all rooms and commercial spaces.
9. Pattern and Texture
Don’t forget to pay attention to the tile’s texture and pattern. You can choose your tiles from various patterns. Technological advancement enables manufacturers to print tiles to simulate the feel and looks of natural stone, wood, and marble. You may also mix and match two or more tiles to create excellent patterns.
10. Slip Resistance
Slip resistance is a critical factor to consider when choosing tiles. Most tiles are slippery when exposed to water, exposing people to fall accidents. Bathrooms and showers are some of the riskiest areas. Therefore, pay particular attention when deciding.
11. Calculate the Cost
Lastly, remember cost implications before choosing a particular tile type and design. You must calculate the number of tiles required for your project and add 10% to cover wastage. Ensure your tiles’ cost fits your tiling budget.
Let’s Help You Tile Your Floor Today
Choosing the right tile design for your house is critical. We hope the insights we shared in this post will help you choose correctly to get value for your money.
Don’t forget that working with a reputable contractor is still necessary for your tiling project’s success. So, contact us today for a free consultation and quote.