Tile flooring is an attractive, hard, long-term choice that’s ideal for floors. Perfect in foyers and mudrooms for wear-resistant durability; stylish enough for living rooms and bedrooms alike; easily maintained for living areas without taking on additional slip-resistant features in bathrooms for slip-resistant cleanliness and antibacterial resistance; tile is easy to clean while remaining slip resistant in bathrooms for safe foot traffic flow.
Tile products offer a vast array of styles to meet the aesthetic goals and home design preferences of homeowners. Selecting an ideal tile flooring for your home involves understanding various types of tiles as well as their respective advantages and disadvantages.
Ceramic
Ceramic tile flooring is an attractive, long-term flooring choice that stands up well against moisture and cleaning, as it can be either glazed or unglazed and may include glass, stone, or clay components. Furthermore, there are various textures to add grip and reduce risk of slipperiness.
Non-porous and hygienic, it makes this material perfect for kitchens, bathrooms, swimming pools and public structures. Furthermore, its resistance to germs and bacteria make it particularly suitable for hospitals and offices.
Due to its hardness, ceramic tile may not be ideal for extended standing periods and can even crack over time; however, it remains one of the more cost-effective tile solutions on the market thanks to modern printing technology which can produce unlimited colors, patterns and styles to match any color scheme or theme.
Porcelain
Technically a type of ceramic tile, porcelain is made by crafting it out of higher-grade clay and firing at even higher temperatures to form stronger, denser and less porous tiles than their ceramic counterparts. As a result, porcelain tiles offer increased moisture resistance — ideal for bathrooms and foyers where steam, raindrops, snowmelt and condensation could collect and damage other kinds.
Porcelain tile can be “through-bodied,” with the color running all the way through it to hide chips and scratches, as well as being available in multiple textures and patterns such as wood-look tile that can increase its resale value.
Search for porcelain tiles certified by the Porcelain Tile Certification Agency, which conducts tests to make sure it absorbs no more than 0.5% water.
Glass
Glass flooring tiles offer a modern and eye-catching solution, allowing natural light to flood the room and creating an airy ambiance. Not only are they extremely durable and easy to maintain; you can even stain or acid-etch them for a personalized touch that complements any project perfectly!
Structural glass floors (also referred to as walkable skylights) are engineered with failure redundancy in mind; should one panel crack or break, the remaining ones can still support your floor. They’re typically constructed out of toughened glass – five times stronger than standard glass created through intense heating and rapid cooling processes – for this purpose.
Structural glass floors can draw attention to underground features like historic well covers or luxury homeowners’ wine cellars, but are also great ways to make an eye-catching statement on rooftop decks or other areas where design makes an impactful statement.
Vinyl
Vinyl tiles come in an assortment of styles, ranging from stone tile and geometric porcelain patterns to classic parquet or checkerboard patterns. Plus, they’re easy to keep clean, durable and slip resistant – all qualities that make vinyl an excellent choice for high traffic areas such as bathrooms or children’s playrooms.
Flooring materials made of ceramic tile require less maintenance, being resistant to water, dirt, oil and stain than many other options available on the market. Furthermore, ceramic tiles are more hygienic, mold resistant and help combat bacteria and rhinovirus infections than most alternatives.
However, vinyl tiles’ production process isn’t exactly eco-friendly; using chemicals like polyvinyl chloride and plasticizers as well as chlorine can harm both the environment and lead to respiratory issues in some people. Vinyl tiles also tend to tear easily despite being easily replaceable when necessary.
Cement
Cement tiles have long been recognized for adding charm and character to homes. Available in various shapes and colors, cement tiles allow homeowners to craft one-of-a-kind designs with them. Plus they are durable enough for heavy foot traffic on floors – though moisture-sensitive ones should be sealed regularly to maintain appearances.
Cement tiles can be found adorning floors of landmark buildings around the world, from Los Angeles Union Station to London’s Houses of Parliament Central Lobby. Crafted through an artisanal process involving adding natural pigments to dry cement before pouring it into metal molds and hydraulically pressing it, cement tile flooring can be found everywhere from Los Angeles Union Station to Central Lobby of Houses of Parliament Central Lobby in London.
Due to the handcrafted nature of this flooring material, each tile is one-of-a-kind and may feature surface imperfections, color variations and fine cracks known as crazing that add character and charm – all part of what makes these beautiful decorative tiles durable yet decorative!