Designing a home comes with a lot of responsibilities. Be it the budget, design, decor, or the furniture you choose, a lot of pros and cons have to be weighed. As it is going to remain the same way for a long time, you need to give it your thought, mind, and time to make your home the way you visualized it.
Due to their ever-increasing importance, tiles now form an integral part of any home decor discussion. It is a tile that sets the tone of your home flooring, or even the wall for that matter. Hence, choosing the right tile and installing it correctly matters a lot. With technological advancements, today there are multiple options for seekers of both contemporary and traditional tiles – practically a tile for all the choices.
The question arises: Do you know how many tiles exist and are circulating in the market? While you might be familiar with cement, ceramic, and porcelain tiles, several more tiles have made a space for themselves. To explore more, let’s have a look at the different types of tiles and their uses.
However, before starting, let’s navigate the benefits of tile flooring in the house.
Benefits of Tile Flooring
Varied Design Choices
If you prefer the usual white, black, or beige flooring, you can always find your pick there. However, with multiple options now available in tile flooring, you can go for designs and collections like Moroccan tiles, salt and pepper tiles, endless vein tiles, book-match tiles, etc. With such a multiplicity of options in patterns and designs, you can now ensure that each room of the house has a distinct appearance. Ultimately, all these different appearances add to form a fabulous overall look for your home.
Easy To Maintain
Possibly the biggest benefits of tile flooring compared to natural stone flooring are the ease of maintenance and cleaning. As most tiles manufactured these days have a low water absorption rate, they barely absorb moisture, which extends their longevity. Another such benefit is that you can now mop the surface with water and floor cleaner without any worries regarding water seepage.
Rugged Durability
For instance, while hardwood or natural flooring can appear visually appealing, maintaining them, in the long run, can prove tedious, especially during the monsoon and winters. Instead, you can opt for wooden tiles or wood-look tiles, or even stone tiles that give you the authentic aesthetics of hardwood and stone, all while being equipped with rugged durability that can sustain water, spills stains, and heavy foot traffic. What else do you need!
Cooler Flooring
Several tiles are specifically created to sustain hot or cold weather. For instance, porcelain, or vinyl tiles stay cool during hot weather, and then there are some that can sustain the cold climate. In that sense, you can choose the tiles as per the climate you are mostly exposed to.
With the benefits of tiles clear, now it’s time to explore
Types Of Tiles Available In The Market
Ceramic Tile
Ceramic tiles are simply a mixture of clays and other natural materials and are one of the most sought-after tiles for flooring in both residential and commercial spaces. They are useful in high-traffic areas like kitchens, hallways, and living rooms. They also feel softer on the feet due to their surface. Moreover, these tiles stay cooler than porcelain tiles, making them an easy choice for homes in warmer climates.
Marble Tiles
Although a bit expensive, marble tiles give your home an instant luxurious, and classy look. A texture and depth are central characteristics of this tile due to their patterns and veins, which ultimately add to their USP. These tiles provide better durability compared to natural marble.
However, these tiles are comparatively more prone to scratches and stains. Thus, it would be a good idea to limit marble tile application to smaller spaces and avoid it in higher foot-traffic areas and stain-prone zones like kitchen countertops, backsplashes, shower floors, etc.
Limestone Tiles
Similar to marble, limestone is another natural stone made with sedimentary rocks with natural tone variation and shade. On installation, limestone tiles deliver an appearance reminiscent of vintage architectural spaces like museums and heritage sites. If you are looking for that grand historic aesthetic for your home, limestone tiles can be your go-to.
However, again like marble tiles, they are high maintenance tiles and need to be sealed properly by professionals during installation due to their porosity and susceptibility to stains. Having said that, they are still pretty durable and can be used in most practical situations.
Onyx Tiles
Resembling the calciferous stone called onyx, onyx tiles are translucent thanks to the stone’s high mineral density. This translucent, rich look suits areas like living rooms and dining rooms. They are made using resin or fibreglass backing to enhance their strength, as onyx alone is fragile as a stone.
Wooden Tile
Hardwood flooring can be difficult to maintain in the long run. However, you would be glad to know that you can get the same look of hardwood flooring with wooden or wood-look tiles. They are durable, visually appealing, and function well without extra maintenance even during winters and monsoon. Moreover, unlike natural wood that has limited shades, you can find several colours and patterns in these wooden tiles.
Parquet Tiles
Parquet flooring is simply made with small blocks or strips of wood laid to create a pattern, whether regular or geometric. The first parquet was reportedly produced in France in 1400 CE, which then spread throughout Europe in residences, landscapes, etc.
Finding the right tile for your home can be fun if you know how many choices you have to deal with. Depending on the mood board and a discussion with your interior designer and tile expert, you can choose tiles that score high on durability and visual appeal that you wanted in your budget. You can also use visualiser tools like TriaLook that allow you to upload a picture of your space and see it fitted with the tiles of your choice – all from the convenience of your home using smartphones or laptops.
So which one have you chosen as your preferred tile flooring in your home?
