How to Choose the Best Kitchen Floor Tile- the second part of the article

In our previous article How to Choose the Best Kitchen Floor Tile we wrote about what to pay attention to when buying tiles for the kitchen. We have written about the choice of durability, size, color, texture and installation of tiles.

What else should we pay attention to if we want to choose the best floor tiles for the kitchen?

Wood

Older homes were built with hardwood flooring in the kitchen and throughout most of the other rooms as well. Now it is trending again for the kitchen flooring of newer homes. If you choose natural hardwood, then you’ll need to do regular maintenance on it. This involves either resealing or laminating the wood. Lamination is a better option because it is more durable and won’t get scratched up like a reseal does.

If you’d rather choose a cheaper wood alternative, then go with porcelain tile which is designed to resemble wood. The only problem is porcelain tile is tougher to install.

Porcelain Tiles

 

People typically confuse ceramic tiles with porcelain tiles because of how similar they look. Their size, color, and shape are almost identical. However, there are some things which make these tiles different from one another. For instance, the clay mixture used to make porcelain has sand added to it. Heated pressure makes the porcelain dense, durable, and less porous. In fact, porcelain tiles are more durable than ceramic tiles, which is why outside patios typically have porcelain tiles on them. They’re strong enough to withstand bad weather conditions and temperatures. The clay includes a color additive to give the porcelain a rich color which doesn’t fade. Read more Ceramic vs. porcelain – the main distincions between ceramic and porcelain tile.

If you’re dealing with glazed porcelain, then it looks more like glass because it’s glazed during the firing procedure. When added color is used, it makes the tile look uneven. Glazed porcelain is less resistant to scratches, much smoother, and more slippery than non-glazed porcelain. 

You need a lot of special equipment and tools to perform the installation of porcelain tile. If this is a DIY project, then follow the recommendations of the manufacturer carefully.

  Ceramic Tiles

 

 

Ceramic tiles have more pores and smoothness than porcelain tiles. A glazing process is still used to make the ceramic tiling, which is the reason for its hard surface.

You can find a variety of textures and colors available for ceramic tiles. The ceramic surface is still softer than porcelain, but it is hard enough to make cleaning stains and spills easy. Therefore, the maintenance won’t be a problem. 

On the downside, porcelain is easier to install than ceramic. But then again, no tile installation is ever easy if you’re new to the whole process. One little mistake along the way can ruin the entire project. 

Have patience as you perform your preparation work. Follow the step-by-step guide for performing ceramic tile installations once you’re ready to begin.

Stone Floor Tiles

 

Stone floor tiles are made from natural stones rather than sand or clay. These could be stones like marble, travertine, limestone, granite, or slate. Since they’re a natural material, you need to reseal the flooring every 2 to 3 years. The stone tiles can either be honed or polished.

Polished stone is naturally slippery, even if it is not wet. Although it looks beautiful and vibrant, you need to be careful of slip and fall accidents. Honed stone has an unattractive color, but it has more texture to prevent slipping and falling. You can find some neat finishes and textures to help with the appearance.

 Stone tile is normally available in bigger sizes and costs more money compared to ceramic and porcelain tiles. You must also use different types of cutters and saws than you would use with porcelain and ceramic.

 Conclusion

Adding or replacing the tiling in your kitchen is the best cosmetic improvement you could ever give it. You have a choice between attractive glass or decorative tiles which are slippery and fragile or stone tiles which are durable, rugged and require a lot of maintenance.

Wood tiles are more popular now, even though porcelain and ceramic are traditionally popular.

If you’re still confused about which type of flooring to purchase for your kitchen, visit our blog and our gallery to get an idea about what will work best in your particular kitchen.

Visit our site to see everything we have to offer so that you can choose the best tile for you. If you’re still unsure of what kind of flooring you should choose for your kitchen, check out our tile idea blog.

 For more information on how https://www.majestictiles.com can help you buy the best kitchen floor tiles, please visit our contact form or contact us.