The Sunday News
Yoliswa Dube, Sunday Life Repoter
IF you are building a house or planning on remodeling your home, this is for you.
You’ve probably been debating on how to tile your floors. Maybe you are not sure whether to choose dark or light coloured tiles, patterned or plain ones, porcelain or ceramic.
The size of the tile itself has probably been a contentious issue for you. You don’t know whether to go big or small. But fret not.
Make a home out of your house by considering a couple of things before you make the big buy.
Porcelain is always a more popular choice than natural stone for the kitchen because it’s impervious to spills.
When it comes to colour and style, consider the cabinets and countertops.
Look for a neutral tile without high shade variation to tie everything in the room together.
And to be safe, pick a grout colour a shade or two darker than you think you want — it will hide inevitable stains better.
Clay-base ceramic tiles are an ideal choice for kitchens, baths, porches, laundry rooms, and other moisture-prone areas.
All tiles feel hard, but some types of tiles are actually harder than others.
The body of a tile, sometimes called the bisque or biscuit, is produced to meet a specific need or use.
Although thickness is one gauge of strength, composition of the tile and the temperature and duration of firing also determine its strength.
To help you determine whether the tile you are considering is appropriate for a particular location, check the tile’s rating, as determined by the Porcelain Enamel Institute. The store you decide to buy your tiles from should have these ratings.
Choose light colours to make a small or dark room feel bigger and brighter.
Be adventurous and don’t be afraid of colour, which can also create some unique effects and environments in your home.
Personal preference is the key.
Don’t compromise on quality. See tiles as an investment, not a cost; never compromise on quality, which can still be picked up at great prices.
Plan ahead. Always purchase an additional five to 10 percent more tiles than you actually need. This allows you (or the tiler) to compensate for cuts and breakages and ensures you have the same batch/shade should you need additional tiles. Most companies will offer a refund on unused boxes of tiles.
Choose a tile grout colour that compliments your tiles to help blend in grout lines.
Bigger is not always better. If your wall or floor will require a lot of tile cuts around fixtures or fittings, choose smaller tiles to give a better flow.
Use borders and decors and add extra interest by breaking up your wall tiling with border tiles and decors.
Always check the suitability. Make sure you check that the floor tile wear rating is suitable for your intended area or use.
A similar question you may need to ask is do you need ceramic or porcelain tiles? Porcelain tiles are suitable for outdoors and domestic floors where heavy traffic or abrasion is anticipated.
Get the right advice about the maintenance of your tiles.
If you are purchasing natural stone tiles such travertine, marble, slate, make sure you get the right advice for sealing and treating the tiles before and after fixing.
Don’t be afraid to ask sales assistants for advice; they will be fully trained to answer all your queries and may bring to your attention things you may not have otherwise considered. -Sunday Life Writer/besttile.com
