IN THIS POST:
– Key factors to consider
– Best types of tiles for kitchen
– Best types of tiles for bathroom
– Best types of tiles for bedroom & living room
Choosing the best flooring for your home is not an easy process. First of all, the market is flooded with a large range of options, all aesthetically pleasant and better than the other. Secondly, the trendy flooring options might not fit your budget or go with the theme of your home décor, which brings you back to square one. However, it’s not impossible to figure out the best flooring for you. You first need to figure out if you want to go with tiles, hardwood, linoleum or some other kind of floor. Then, you need to figure out the type, size and colour that would be most suitable for your home. With tiles being the most popular flooring option in Pakistan, we’ve put together a handy guide on how to choose the best types of tile for each room in your home.
Things to Keep in Mind While Choosing Tiles for Your Home
Whether you are choosing tiles for a new house or simply upgrading your present flooring, there are a few key factors you must take into account before choosing the tiles for each room.
What is your budget?
You first need to determine your overall budget for this home improvement project. Don’t forget to factor in the costs of installation and labour. This will help you streamline your choices.
Where is the tile being installed?
Some areas of a house, such as hallways, are considered high traffic areas. Kitchen and bathrooms, on the other hand, are moist and humid. You need to keep these things in mind while deciding which type of tiles is best for your home. More often than not, you need to install a different type of tile in each room, considering its usage and moisture level.
To put it simply, your flooring choice should be practical and enhance the functionality of a particular area.
How often can you clean it?
Some floor tiles require more maintenance than others. Therefore, you need to ask yourself how much time you can devote to the maintenance of your floors.
Remember, if properly maintained, good quality tile floors can last for several decades.
Are you looking for a certain theme or look?
Last but not least, you need to make sure the quality and look of the tiles blend in well with your desired home décor theme. Generally, aesthetics are high on homeowner’s lists when it comes to choosing flooring options with tiles, with functionality and maintenance being further down below. However, the thing is, you should choose a flooring style for your home based on its look, quality and practicality, as neither of them can be ignored.
The Best Type of Tiles for Each Room in Your Home
A lot of homeowners prefer marble and porcelain tiles for every part of their house, which is not a smart choice considering one size doesn’t fit all.
Here are the best types of tiles for each room in the house.
For your convenience, we’ve listed two options for each room.
Kitchen
For kitchen floors, you need to choose tiles that are durable, moisture-resistant, slip-proof, can withstand heavy traffic and make space look bigger. Moreover, you should look for tiles that won’t stain easily.
The most suitable types of tiles for kitchens are ceramic and terracotta. Of course, stone tiles are also a popular option for kitchen flooring, but they also demand high maintenance and can be relatively expensive.
Let’s take a look at the features and properties of ceramic and terracotta tiles.
Ceramic Tiles
Ceramic tiles are a classic choice for kitchens. They are composed of white or red clay and are fired in a kiln at a high temperature before being coated with a glaze. Given the similarity in their appearances, ceramic tiles are usually confused with porcelain tiles, even though their density and rate of absorption are quite different.
When it comes to kitchen floorings, ceramic tiles are a popular choice among homeowners owing to their durability, aesthetics and easy maintenance. They are also easy to install, available in a variety of colours and patterns, don’t harbour allergens and last for a very long time. Ceramic tiles are also budget-friendly and can be
Glazed ceramic tiles are moisture resistant to a great extent, can withstand humidity and don’t stain very easily. On the other hand, ceramic tiles can be hard and cold to touch. So, if you live in a colder region, it might not be ideal for you to choose ceramic floor tiles for your kitchen. However, it is a practical tiling option for those residing in warmer areas.
Moreover, don’t forget to check the quality of ceramic tiles at the site before buying them.
Terracotta Tiles
If you want to give your kitchen a rustic charm, then terracotta tiles might be a good choice for you. These tiles are made from natural clay and are usually available in glazed and unglazed varieties. They are widely available in different shapes, sizes and patterns with colours ranging from yellow to dark reddish-brown.
Terracotta tiles are also very durable and environment-friendly. Generally, machine-cut tiles are less expensive than most types of ceramic tiles. However, handmade terracotta tiles can be several times more expensive.
The biggest con of terracotta tiles is its porosity. If not sealed properly, terracotta tiles can absorb water, oil and other liquids rather quickly, which can damage both its appearance and durability.
Best Tile Colours for Kitchen
As per the expert opinion, the best tile colours for the kitchen are yellowish-golden or brown. Though you may choose grey or off-white to match the rest of your interior.
Bathroom
A bathroom is arguably the most humid part of a house. So, when it comes to choosing tiles for each room, you need to consider which flooring options would perform the best under humidity and can tolerate large amounts of water.
In addition to that, your bathroom tiles should also be easy to clean and maintain, have low porosity and must be durable. Tiles for the bathroom should be slip-proof as well.
The best type of tiles for the bathroom are ceramic or porcelain and glass tiles.
Ceramic or Porcelain
As we have already discussed above, glazed ceramic tiles are resistant to water absorption, are durable, and impervious against scratches and stain. They are also easy to clean and maintain, available in a wide range of colours, shapes, designs and patterns, and can be installed easily.
Porcelain tiles belong to the family of ceramic tiles, but they have a very low water absorption rate (about 0.5 percent or lower). They are also denser and smoother, adding to their elegance and beauty.
Both of these tiles are considered ideal for bathrooms because they can withstand a high level of moisture and humidity. They are also strong, easy to maintain and long-lasting. However, they can be a little slippery. Therefore, you can either install textured tiles or use a non-slip sealant to make them suitable for the bathroom. Another option is to install smaller tiles, as a lot of grout lines will act like an anti-skid surface.
Glass tiles
Glass tiles are one of the best tiles for bathrooms. They can make your bathroom look elegant and expensive while creating an illusion of more space by adding depth to the room. Tinted glass tiles can also look rather beautiful, while textured glass tiles ensure the surface isn’t slippery when wet.
As per most interior designers, one must install mosaic sized glass tiles in bathrooms, as the increased number of grout lines provide with the anti-skidding property. Moreover, glass tiles are easy to clean, do not stain easily, are resistant to water and can add visual appeal to your space. They are also available in a lot of different hues, shapes and sizes.
However, glass tiles are not easy to install. Also, they need to be cleaned frequently as soap build-up and grim on the bathroom floor can become quite apparent on glass tiles. Furthermore, glass tiles can be a little more expensive than most other types of tiles for each room in a house.
Best Tile Colours for Bathroom
The best way to choose floor tile colour for your bathroom is to take a look at your fixtures and determine which colour would complement them the most. Most people prefer installing white and grey tiles in their bathroom, as lighter colours can make a space look bigger and brighter.
If you are planning to redo your bathroom flooring all by yourself, here’s a DIY guide on how to tile your bathroom floor that may help you out.
Bedroom, Living Room and Drawing Room
For the longest of times, most traditional homes in Pakistan had mosaic flooring or wall-to-wall carpeting. Hardwood and laminate floors are still rather popular among homeowners. However, nothing can beat the classic beauty of marble floors.
When it comes to the flooring options for bedrooms, living rooms and drawing rooms, most people opt for marble or porcelain flooring. This is because these floors look elegant, reflect the light to make your space look bigger, are easy to clean, and most importantly, can last for several years without showing any signs of general wear and tear.
Over the past few years, porcelain tiles with wooden texture and appearance have also gained popularity. So, if you’re looking to upgrade the flooring in your bedroom, living room or drawing room, you should consider opting for the following types of tiles.
Marble
As we all know, marble is a natural stone that is formed through metamorphic crystallization of limestone. It is then cut into the shape of tiles in varying sizes with uniform thickness and polished for an even texture. However, since it’s a naturally occurring material, it’s almost impossible to find two identical marble tiles.
The biggest pros of installing marble floors are that this natural stone is aesthetically pleasing and can add elegance to your overall décor. It’s also an expensive flooring option, which means installing it in your bedroom, living room and drawing room will automatically make your home look upscale and extravagant. Marble tiles are available in different colours and styles with unique patterns. They are also easy to clean, maintain, and polish. Marble is extremely smooth to touch and does not stain easily.
However, being a softer stone, marble is prone to scratches.
You can find out more about different types of marble floorings in Pakistan and their rates here.
Faux Wood Tiles
Faux wood porcelain tiles are among the best tiles for bedrooms and have gotten a lot of traction over the past few years. One of the main reasons behind their popularity is their resemblance to hardwood floors, which have always been considered an upscale flooring option. The second reason behind their popularity is that they are much more durable and easier-to-maintain than the actual wooden floors.
Porcelain tiles with wood-like appearance provide your space with a warm and cosy look. Moreover, these tiles are durable, available in a large variety of shades and sizes, are versatile, resistant to harbouring dust mites, pollens and other allergens, don’t get stained easily, and more importantly, are less expensive than hardwood floors.
Furthermore, unlike hardwood, porcelain faux wood tiles are resistant to scratches. So, if you have pets at home, these may be an ideal choice for you.
Pro tip: Always choose large tiles for your living and drawings rooms. On the other hand, use smaller tiles in bedrooms.
Best Tile Colours for Bedroom, Living Room and Drawing Room
Mable in ivory, off-white or greyish tones are the most popular tile colours for living room and drawing room since they complement other decorations and accessories very well.
As for the bedroom, you can opt for any colour that strikes your fancy. In case you opt for faux wood porcelain tiles for each room, you can select a lighter hue to ensure your home looks spacious than it is.
If you have any questions about different types of tiles for each room in the house, let us know by dropping an email on blog@zameen.com. You can also check out the pros and cons of different flooring options in Pakistan for further clarification. In addition to that, don’t forget to check out different types of floor tiles in Pakistan and their rates in our in-depth guide on the topic.
In the meantime, stay connected to Zameen Blog – the best construction and real estate blog in Pakistan. Also, take a moment to subscribe to our newsletter on the right so you can receive the latest updates on property, lifestyle and home décor trends in the country.
