When it comes to transforming your home, few decisions are as impactful as selecting the right floor tiles. From bathroom tiles and kitchen floor tiles to hardwearing outdoor tiles, the choices you make speak volumes about your personal taste, and can define your space’s style, functionality and longevity. Choose wisely, because floor tiles are the base canvas of your look and set the tone for the rest of your redecoration. Italtile is here to offer you pain-free guidance and provide a little inspiration along the way.
What should I consider when choosing floor tiles?
Selecting floor tiles isn’t just about aesthetics (although that’s a major consideration!) – it’s about finding the right balance between practicality and personality. Let’s break it down.
Budget: Balancing cost and quality
Setting a budget helps you narrow down options without compromising on quality. A general rule of thumb: while cheap tiles might save money upfront, investing in durable, high-quality porcelain options will pay dividends in the long run – with less maintenance, minimal to no replacement costs, and a favourable ROI when it’s time to put the ‘For Sale’ sign up outside your property.
Room type and traffic: Durability and safety
Consider where the tiles will go. High-traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms need durable, water-resistant, anti-slip tiles. In these types of spaces, you need to ensure hard-wearing surfaces that offer safety. For exterior floor tiles, once again, water resistance, UV resistance, stain resistance and slip protection are key. Matching the tile’s durability to the purpose of the space ensures lasting performance.
Tile materials: Understanding your options
The type of floor tiles you choose matters. Natural stone and wood, while undeniably beautiful, are unsustainable and incredibly expensive. They also require a significant amount of maintenance, and upkeep costs can be high. Natural cement floors may offer the urban edge you’re looking for, but unless meticulously laid, they can crack and become damaged over time, requiring regular sealing. The long-term solution for a flawless, enduring floor? High-quality porcelain floor tiles deliver all the beauty of natural materials, along with exceptional durability, while retaining their integrity. Hardbody ceramic floor tiles are also a solid option, and Italtile’s exclusive wood-look vinyl floor tiles offer an excellent value-for-money alternative.
Colour and design
Colour and texture put the mood in moodboard. Light shades like creamy beige or soft grey can make small spaces feel airy. Classic marble-look floor tiles fit the bill here and will never date. And deliciously grainy wood-look floor tiles will be forever fabulous. Bold hues add drama – and while these theatrical choices are often chosen for larger rooms, you may well want to bring drama into a smaller space (but this requires the guidance of Italtile’s design-certified sales consultants and their highly experienced Professional Residential Agents.) Floor tiles design options, from sleek gloss floor tiles to satiny lappato surfaces and more textural stone-look floor tiles, will let you tailor your home’s vibe. If you’re looking for a little fun, investigate the undeniable charm of patterned floor tiles. Go achromatic with black and white patchwork… or dial up the fiesta with a multi-coloured pattern. These looks can add tremendous appeal to areas like entrance halls, or kitchen and bathroom floors.
Tile style, shape and finish
From small tiles to large-format floor tiles, size and shape influence perception. Large tiles can make a small room feel more spacious thanks to minimal grout lines, which tend to break up a space. Intricate patterns are perfect for feature areas. Finishes matter: a glossy surface reflects light beautifully but will also show dirt more easily. Speaking of which, a high-polish finish benefits from a dirt trap at room entrances to prevent small, sharp particles from scratching the surface. Matt options are a better choice for high-traffic areas, offering greater resistance to scratching and dirt.
Once you’re chosen your tiles, installation is the next step in bringing your renovation vision to life. Here’s how to get it right.
Budgeting
Plan your budget to cover tiles, installation costs, and extras like grout and tools. We also advise our Italtile customers to order extra tiles from the same batch, in the unlikely event of a chip or break. Not everyone is a highly skilled DIY specialist – so unless you’re an installation professional in your spare time, we recommend that you DDIY (Don’t Do It Yourself). If you’re purchasing high-end porcelain tiles, you’re investing in timeless style. Please factor in professional help if needed – cutting corners here can lead to costly repairs later, especially if your installation lifts or cracks due to sub-standard adhesive or a poorly prepared base. Speak to Italtile’s sales consultants about their vetted Professional Installation Services.
Selecting your tiles
Revisit your needs: durability for lounge floor tiles, slip-resistant floor tiles for kitchens, bathrooms, wet rooms and outdoor areas like patios and pool decks. If you’re unsure about your choice, Italtile offers a Sample Tile Service so you can do a test in your space to see how the light and the layout affect the look.
Choosing your design
Play with floor tile patterns. For example, a herringbone pattern with wood-look tiles for that elegant, English Country House aesthetic, or a grid pattern for simplicity. Large floor tiles will always streamline modern spaces, while smaller floor tiles will add character and movement. Take advantage of Italtile’s free online tools to visualise your design before committing.
Successful installation
Italtile stands by its advice about professional installation teams. Skilled installers will be an expense you don’t regret in the long run. (The pro teams they recommend have been trained in the correct methodology for all their floor tiles.) Quality grouts and specialist adhesives will protect your investment. Consider installing dirt traps at entrances if you’re laying high gloss floor tiles. All it takes is a soft damp mop moistened with clean warm water. If you feel a little more “coaxing” is needed, should there be a tricky “oopsie”, Italtile strongly suggest you investigate their specialist tile cleaning products, to ensure a tiled surface that remains pristine for longer.
Visit www.italtile.co.za
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