Tiles are a mainstay of modern homes, offices, and even industrial infrastructure. Of all the options for tiling, floor tiles are the most common denominator for building quality infrastructure. If you are constructing your house, knowing the types of floor tiles and which one to select will be instrumental for you.
Let’s have a look at the steps of selecting the tiles and then dwell deeper into each step. Here’s how to go about selecting the best floor tiles for your home:
- Understand the basics of different floor tiles types
- Understand the floor quality required in different spaces in your house
- Check the floor tile prices in your locality
Types of Floor Tiles
You can divide all the floor tile options available to you into two major categories – manufactured and natural tile materials. Here’s a list of tiles under both categories:
| Manufactured Tiles Glazed Ceramic TilesGlazed Vitrified TilesFull Body Vitrified TilesPolished Vitrified Tiles | Natural Materials Marble TilesGranite TilesWood Plank TilesSandstoneSlate TilesLimestone Tiles |
Manufactured Tiles vs Natural Stone & Wood Tiles
While natural stones are the first choice for a luxurious interior, manufactured tiles have several advantages over natural materials.
- Depending on your region, few natural floor tile materials can be available more easily than others. However, you can source almost the same quality of manufactured floor tiles in any region in India.
- Manufactured tiles, especially vitrified tiles, are completely water and stain proof
- You purchase tiles mimicking natural stone and wood designs
- Manufactured tiles offer pre-cut sizes and surface finishes, meaning you can simply install the tiles and start using the floor, unlike natural tiles which will need polishing and treatment
- Natural tiles like marble can be high maintenance, requiring sealing polishes from time to time
- You can install manufactured matt finish tiles offering anti-skid properties on bathroom and kitchen floors.
Different Spaces for Floor Tile Selection
- Bathroom
- Kitchen
- Bedroom
- Living Room
- Terrace Floor
- Outdoor Seating Area
- Pavements (Outdoor)
- Garden & Outdoor Parking
Floor Tiles for the Bathroom
Floor tiles for the bathroom need to have slightly different characteristics than the tiles for other spaces. The bathroom floor receives a lot of water, soap and other chemicals on its surface and can become slippery leading to accidents.
This is why you need a floor with a rough texture offering superior grip even when covered with water and other home chemicals. Thus, matt finish floor tiles are the best for bathrooms.
You can consider using porcelain or glazed vitrified floor tiles for a non-slip and durable floor. Vitrified tiles do not absorb water and automatically avoid bacterial and fungal infections on the surface.
Thus, vitrified tiles add stain-free, skid-resistant, and germ-free features to your bathroom floor.
Floor Tiles for the Kitchen
Kitchen floor tile requirements are similar to the bathroom. However, you may want to match the tile design and size with the living room in a modern house. The modern home interior often features an open kitchen attached to the living room.
So, if you want a continuity and homogeneous-looking floor, keep the kitchen tile design and size the same as the living room. But, you can get the same floor tile design with an anti-skid surface, i.e., satin or matte finish.
Floor Tiles for The Living Room
Living room floor tiles can feature high gloss surfaces. However, rustic and wood finish surfaces are also popular for living room floor tiles. Do consider the kind of footfall you aim to receive in your living room.
Matt, sugar, satin matt, and wood finish may do well for medium to high footfall. However, high-gloss and polished surfaces need extra care to maintain their appearance and are better suited to low traffic areas.
Floor Tiles for the Bedroom
The bedroom is quite a personal space and usually relaxing materials and designs are popular choices for floor tiles. Wooden plank tiles, terracotta texture, and marble lookalike tiles are the most popular floor tile options for your bedroom.
Due to low footfall, you have little to worry about surface damage. So, even high gloss tiles will do well in bedrooms.
Floor Tile for Outdoor Seating Area
The outdoor seating area can be exposed to dust, wind, and water. You would want to ensure a safer experience in the area during any weather. Thus, antiskid tiles are a good choice for outdoor areas.
Rustic finish full body vitrified tiles are perfect floor tiles for such areas. H&R Johnson’s Arcade tiles are a good option to consider. The collection offers several designs and patterns in 40×40 cm sizes, perfect for tiling the floors for outdoor seating.
Floor Tiles for Footpath & Garden
If you have an outdoor pathway you can use the tiles similar to the outdoor seating area to cover the path and increase its durability. However, you have more choices if you also include garden floors.
Tiles, like H&R Johnsons’ Meteor, closely resemble natural stone looks and are strong enough to provide an all-weather hard surface in your garden.
Ranking Floor Tiles for Price in India
Floor tile prices depend on the texture, design, size, and other tile qualities. For instance, high-gloss and polished tiles may be costlier due to the additional surface work. Similarly, tile thickness is an important factor to consider with floor tiles.
The base material of the tile also reflects in its price. For instance, glazed vitrified tiles are costlier than ceramic tiles. But, in any case, most manufactured tiles will be much lighter on your pockets than natural stones.
Also, manufactured tiles are made of clay and are recyclable, unlike natural tiles, which must be discarded after damage. With these insights, you can find the perfect floor tile for your home from the vast collection of superb manufactured tiles.
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