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How to Choose the Best Kitchen Floor Tile

Updated:
11/17/19
By Lukas Saluda

The home improvement industry has never been more popular, thanks to enthusiastic young homeowners and the home improvement shows on HGTV. In 2018, a reported estimate showed that Americans paid over $380 billion on materials, supplies, and/or labor for their home improvement projects. The most popular projects were floor renovations in the kitchen and bathroom.

Most people think of the 

kitchen as the most important room in their home

. It is the core of the home where food is cooked and eaten. It is where people go to refuel themselves and restore their energy. For this reason, a kitchen floor should have tile which looks good and feels great on your feet.

Unique European tiles store Chicago Wheeling

About Kitchen Renovations

Out of all the home improvement renovations performed, 79% of them have something to do with the kitchen. These types of renovations can get expensive, though. On average, it costs about $22,700 per kitchen renovation project. But the cost really depends on the materials required and the sophistication of the workmanship needed.

For instance, a kitchen countertop could be made from granite, Carrera marble, or quartz. Your kitchen cabinets must be durable enough to withstand the people in your home who constantly open and close them each day. They must also be durable enough to endure the weight of the dishes, glasses, and other kitchenware that you store in them.  

 As for kitchen flooring, it needs to be made of heavy-duty material because people are going to be walking over it constantly each day. A hundred years ago, kitchen flooring was primarily made of linoleum. But due to the advancements in 

flooring technology

, linoleum is not used as much anymore.There are so many other flooring options available now. In fact, a lot of flooring materials are imported from other countries because of the advancements in logistics.

Choosing the Best Kitchen Floor Tile

Before we talk about the different flooring materials available, let’s discuss the qualities you should look for in the ideal kitchen floor tile.

kitchen tile floor

Durability

You can expect lots of traffic to go through your kitchen each day. So naturally, it makes sense to have durable flooring. Do not choose the cheap vinyl tiles that you stick onto your floor because they’ll get ruined within months. Either the adhesives won’t stick anymore, or the tiles will get torn up.

The PEI rating indicates the durability of the tile.

Use this rating to help you figure out where the tile is supposed to be installed. Here is what the PEI ratings mean:

PEI 1 – Wall tiles; not strong enough to go on the floor because they cannot handle foot traffic.

PEI 2 – Can go on the walls or floor. However, it should only be used for flooring which experiences light amounts of foot traffic, such as a guest bathroom.

PEI 3 – Suitable for walls, countertops, and most types of flooring. Moderate foot traffic on the flooring should be okay.

PEI 4 – Primarily used for residential flooring and several types of industrial flooring. Heavy foot traffic should be okay.

PEI 5 – Can tolerate extra heavy foot traffic. More suitable for industrial flooring and commercial flooring.

Some tile manufacturers won’t print a PEI rating, but they should tell you where the tiles can be installed.

 Size

There are 

several tile sizes available

. You may choose 24-inch tiles if you have a big kitchen or 12-inch tiles if you have a smaller kitchen. The important thing to do is select a size that will fit properly in your kitchen.

Some people like smaller tiles because they’re more decorative and aesthetically pleasing for things like countertops. Since they’re not as durable, then you can sacrifice durability for aesthetics if you need the tiles for countertops or something that doesn’t get stepped on.

The most popular tile sizes for kitchens are 12 inches and 18 inches. You must take proper measurements to see which tile size is right for your kitchen. If you are not accurate in your measurements, then you could be making a costly mistake when it comes time to order your tile and install it. Unless you’re experienced as a do-it-yourself handyman, you should hire a professional contractor to at least take the measurements and possibly perform the installation of the tile flooring.

Once you’re confident about the measurements, then you can go ahead and purchase plenty of tiling to complete the flooring project. You can find tile available at your local home improvement store or big box store. Don’t be surprised if your desired tile is all sold out because tile sells quickly.

Kitchen- majestic Tiles- gallery

Color

There are several options available for colors. You should choose the color you like and the color which goes with the other features of your kitchen. Darker colors tend to make the size of a kitchen look smaller, while lighter colors can make kitchens look bigger and more vibrant. Only use darker colors if you want to hide more of your kitchen.

stone floor tiles

Texture

Texture has a lot to do with safety. If you don’t want your tile to get slippery, then choose a textured tile instead of a smooth or glass tile.

It is common for kitchen floors to get wet from water spills, grease spills, or beverage spills. Wet floors are slippery, which is another reason to consider getting textured tiles instead of smooth tiles.

Best Kitchen Floor Tile

Installation

If you’ve never 

performed tile preparations or installations before

, then pay close attention to the suggestions laid out by the manufacturer. They’ll tell you which tile saw you need to use. Your nearest hardware store or home improvement store might rent out the necessary equipment you need. But if you need to purchase one, it shouldn’t be too expensive.

Besides a saw and tile, other items that you’ll need are a trowel, grout float, level, and tile spacers. You can find a lot of helpful suggestions online on how to use tile spaces properly.

Maintenance

Tile maintenance is important to extend its longevity. The way you clean your tile flooring depends on its material.

You will find a lot of important information about the purchase and installation of tiles on our blog.  

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

Majestic Tiles LMP INC.

1643 Sheridan Rd, North Chicago, IL 60064

Phones: Lucas: 773 987 5994 Peter: 847 778 2445

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?

tiles like wood

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.

ceramic tiles designed to resemble wood

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 in kitchen

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

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://majestictiles.com can help you buy the best kitchen floor tiles, please visit our contact form or contact us.

Majestic Tiles LMP INC.

1643 Sheridan Rd, North Chicago, IL 60064

Lukas Saluda
Owner

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