Different Types of Floor Tiles

Interested in providing your room the new flooring you ‘ ve been wanting to have? If you are then you might be thinking of tile, carpet, or linoleum. However, at this time you have a lot of choices and you might find it very difficult to come up with a decision right away. Having your own new flooring is quite expensive so it is important to shop or look around first to make sure you are able to purchase the exact type that you want. Settling for the second best option may be the only way however having your own new flooring may still be exciting. Prior to starting your search, you need to familiarize yourself first with the various floor tile types available.

Hard Surface

The ceramic type of tiles are known to be the most common and also most popular. These are made up of few basic ingredients such as clay composites, fire from the kiln, and soil. Ceramic tiles come in different grades. When thinking about tiles, you will probably think how slick these tiles can be every time you wet your feet. You can buy non-slip type of tiles, which can be utilized in kitchens and in bathrooms. This type of tiles is very porous and unglazed, so they are able to absorb wetness.

For that old-fashioned porcelain look, there are various available types to select from today. These tiles can last longer since they are fired at high temperature, which enables them to withstand even areas with high traffic. They can also be used both indoors and outdoors.

Soft Surface

Vinyl tiles are soft surface type of tiles and one of the cheapest and most common. They can easily be put down however they are also very durable as the rest. Installing these tiles is not that difficult. Grout is not a problem with this type of tiles. Cleaning and wiping off is also easy with these tiles.

One effective way to provide your floor its needed facelift without spending that much amount is through the use of linoleum. Most of the time, the linoleum are easily put down. You can also choose from a variety of this type of tile and can add them up to any of the new look.

Stone tiles

Another popular type is the stone tiles. These can provide someone several beauty years with color coordination that are not difficult to match. If you are not into stone tiles, then paying extra amount can get you the marble tiles. This type of tiles can usually be seen in upscale homes however it does not mean that you cannot use them in your own house to make its look and design come alive.

You can protect your complete flooring through the use of modern rugs. These rugs are unique and can complete whatever look or style you are aiming for. You may select from the variety of rugs available, which include the yellow rugs, red rugs, bamboo, flokati, and several others. You have endless choices.

These area rugs can help you protect the new tile you have by keeping your floors warmer even during wintertime. They can help bring out every color you have in the room. Using the area rug in order to emphasize a particular item or place inside your room can also be done.

Floor Tile Layout

Preparation of dry laying your tiles are important and must be done for obvious reasons. This task may seem time-consuming at first, however you can actually benefit from it while you are doing your own floor tile project . Figuring out all your tile patterns in advance can help you keep going on a constant basis when laying the floor tiles once you start spreading the mortar.

Realistically speaking, you cannot just stop midway while laying tile into the wet mortar or else you will find that it ‘ s already drying out even before you can have the chance to insert your own floor tile. You will only be wasting materials if this happens. The consistency changes of mortar can also make it hard to correctly embed the tiles. This will eventually extend the time you need to spend doing the job.

Once the final dry layout has been planned with several cuts performed ahead to quicken the tile laying process, you can now start figuring out the direction and the order of the laying you’re doing. The most effective way is working around your room ‘ s edges, while leaving a minimum gap of 2 feet in order to work within the floor ‘ s center and finally toward your doorway area. This is done to refrain from being cornered and standing on the freshly laid tiles to leave your room.

Standing on unsettled tile might accidentally lead you to pushing the tile down even further into its mortar bed than necessary. This could result in a tile surface that is uneven, the tile twisted out from its own alignment of grout line , and squeezing out excess mortar to the grout lines, which can be difficult to remove once dried. With a case like this, the best thing to do is pop back the tile so you can lay it fresh again. However, all of these can be prevented by sticking with your plan and determining the tile ‘ s laying direction.

Even if you want to start working toward your door ‘ s direction, this kind of tile must still function as the starting projection point or area from where the floor pattern can extend since it ‘ s the last one to be laid at your door area. This tile foundation must be situated in the appropriate spot or area when doing the dry laying. You can then mark it out against your floor by tracing a line around the area using a pencil. After which, you can then extend the finished layout from that single spot.

For the tile to transition your floor to the opposing floor with a carpet, you need to make allowances in advance for the transition to be possible. Most of the time it is not that difficult to cut from your carpet piece than extend it thus you need to keep in mind to further project this tile foundation toward your carpeted floor’s direction than necessary when first tracing it using your pencil first. Do not directly butt it to where your carpet ends or you will only suffer a major headache. This rule should be applied to most of the transitions so you can compensate for it and at the same time think ahead.