Choosing The Perfect Tiles For Your Home

Choosing The Perfect Tiles For Your Home

Designing or remodeling a home involves plenty of tough decisions. From opting for practical design features to picking out a complementary color scheme, the options available when it comes to interior design can be overwhelming.

Today, we’re making your task a little easier by taking a look at the pros and cons of the most popular kitchen and bathroom tile materials – giving you confidence in the tile finish that you choose for your home. From taking a look at the properties of each tiling material, to breaking down the finishes available, our informative guide to all-things tiling means you can get one step closer to finishing your dream interior design project!

TRAVERTINE

Closely related to limestone, travertine is a popular tiling option. It’s quarried from hot springs and rivers, meaning no travertine tile is identical to another. Unique in every cut, the pale tones of travertine tiling reflect a room’s natural light – making it an optimum material choice for space-limited areas or darker parts of the home.

While initial installation may be a little more expensive than other materials, travertine’s durability makes this natural stone great value in the long-term – with a finish guaranteed to last for years to come. Another great feature of travertine tile is its excellent heat-conducting properties, making it ideal for use in bathrooms with an underfloor heating system.

PORCELAIN

As a man-made ceramic, porcelain can be a little more expensive than traditional clay ceramic tiles. That being said, porcelain is a highly refined material – making it incredibly strong and durable. In high footfall areas such as kitchens and busy hallways, porcelain is an ideal choice. Easy to clean and water resistant, it offers an attractive and low-maintenance finish. Its non-porous properties also make porcelain stain resistant – you’ll be grateful when you drop that jar of pasta sauce on the kitchen floor!

MARBLE

Gone are the days of marble only being used for Ancient Greek buildings and sculptures. Marble is making a comeback in the world of interior design, and it’s not hard to see why. Encompassing a sweeping spectrum of hues from whites to blacks, this metamorphic rock is widely considered to be one of the classiest tiling options available. Whether it’s honed, polished or tumbled, marble is sure to be strong and durable. The hardness of the stone means marble is resistant to chipping, and its surface is easy to clean too. With minimal maintenance costs, marble could be the perfect long-term flooring investment.

GRANITE

Out of all the natural stone finishes available, granite tiles create the most striking impact. This igneous rock’s mineral content is what makes the material so strong and resistant to abrasion and weathering. While durable and heat resistant, granite can stain unless cared for properly – so ensure you’re willing to maintain it before opting for this finish. Available in rich blacks, shimmering creams and earthy tones, granite is a top-shelf tiling choice. For a sleek and stylish aesthetic, granite can be left matt or polished to a brilliant gloss finish – and it’s often a popular choice for kitchen floors, offering an elegant and luxurious finish.

THE FINISH

Depending on your décor, you’ll either be seeking something sleek and sparkly, or far more unassuming with a matt finish. For a gleam like no other, opt for polished porcelain or granite. Its immaculate gloss finish reflects light and can create the illusion of space. A polished finish also benefits from easy cleaning, with gloss surfaces allowing you to wipe away spills and dirt with ease – gloss finishes are ideal for busy kitchens and hallways.

When looking for floor tiles, the anti-slip variety is ideal for wet areas. Unhoned finishes and matt tiles are also less slippery when wet. A matt finish can also create a striking and contemporary effect – especially in brighter areas where you won’t miss the extra light offered by a gloss finish. Matt tiles create a cosy and warm effect, ideal for living areas and verandas.

Whether you opt for matt or polished, the finish is entirely down to practicality and personal taste. Tile stores offer a range of finish options for most materials – so whether you’re after travertine or porcelain, you’re guaranteed to find the perfect finishing touch.