If you’re choosing tiles for your kitchen, office spaces, or bathroom floor (or perhaps the floor in another area), you’ll be thinking about colors and designs and browsing the mind-boggling range in the catalogs. But you’ll find there’s a lot more to consider, too, including size, shape, and durability, not to mention the price. But don’t let all these complications spoil the fun. This simple summary will clarify the options for you.
Colour and pattern
When browsing the color range, remember you’ll be living with whatever you choose, day in and day out, perhaps for many years, so avoid anything too extreme that might get on your nerves over time. Think about the effect you wish to create; do you want a fresh, calm look or a warm one, for instance. Will the color blend with your furniture, fittings, and walls, and will it suit the size of the room. A bright color can be overwhelming in a small room, whereas a pale tone can look insipid in a large area. It may be helpful to buy a few different sample tiles first, to check how they look in the room itself.
Safety and practicality
Consider your practical needs. Some floor tiles are slippery, especially when wet, which might be hazardous in your bathroom, particularly for children and the infirm or elderly. If the tiles are for your kitchen, you’ll want them to match other accessories in your kitchen, like your oven and kitchen splashback, you also might want them to be heat-resistant for hot pans. If the floor tiles are for office spaces, you might want your floor tiles with custom design that improves your workspaces productivities, such as raised floors for cable management and install strong floor panels to support floor tiles. As for thickness, lightweight tiles will be easier for handling and cutting, and possibly a bit cheaper, but thick ones offer more durability for heavy-duty wear, so it’s a matter of weighing up the pros and cons.
Tiles come in various materials, such as slate, porcelain, ceramic, stone, and anthracite. They’re all serviceable but their features vary, so you might want to check them out, either with your store assistant or online. Ask friends and family for their findings, too. You can’t go wrong with a first-hand recommendation.
Cost
A single tile can seem relatively inexpensive. But multiply the price by the number required, allowing for spares in case of breakages, and the total could be a lot higher than you anticipated. Do a rough calculation at the start, and check the bank balance. On the plus side, your tiles will be a long-term investment, especially compared with a carpet, and they’re sure to look great with your careful choosing.
Availability
Before making your choice, check that the store has a plentiful supply of your preferred tile. You may need extra packs later to replace ones that have cracked during the cutting and laying process. Or perhaps you’ll want more to repeat the effect in other rooms.
Tile-effect vinyl
If easy cleaning is important to you, it could be worth cheating with tile-effect vinyl floor covering. That will mean you can sweep, vacuum, or wash the area without having to check for trapped dirt between any real tile grooves. It could work out a lot cheaper than tiles, too. On the other hand, it’s unlikely to wear as well as actual tiles, and may not look quite so classy, so it depends on what your priorities are.
Once you cut and lay your new tiles (or look-alike covering), your room will look so smart that you won’t give the other options a backward glance. You may want to start working on the other rooms, though.
