When it comes to tiles, the sky is the limit. The wide range of options available to consumers allows homeowners to fully enjoy their creativity in a way that suits their personal tastes and style preferences. Beyond the aesthetic appeal of floor tiles, there are also the practical features that make several suitable for different purposes.

Tile flooring has become a popular decorating option for a number of reasons. Consumers can easily find their favorite tiles to create the artistic vision in mind. The uses for floor tiles continue to expand as creative homeowners now use them in other areas as well. Pioneering decorators have been known to use tiles on countertops and in bathrooms, such as shower stalls, creating beautiful new patterns and surfaces that are easier to care for.

As mentioned above, floor tiles provide great stylistic versatility, adapting to virtually any room and decor. They are strong and durable so that consumers receive good value for money. And, at the end of the day, these tiles are very easy to maintain and clean.

Installing tiles can be easy

Homeowners can even use tile to help alleviate certain health problems. Cork tiles, for example, are hypoallergenic and are most commonly installed in kitchens or other rooms where people are on their feet for long periods of time. Also, this particular type of flooring is even more durable than hardwood floors. These surfaces are made from pressed cork oaks and are naturally antimicrobial and even antifungal. These factors allow cork tiles to reduce allergens and increase the cleanliness of certain rooms. Floor tiles are also available quickly and easily, even for the average Joe facing his first flooring project. Just about any home improvement store, from larger companies like Lowe’s and Home Depot to smaller local stores, sells floor tile and the tools needed for proper installation. In fact, although it is a big and complicated task, installing tiles is one of the easiest home renovation projects one can do.

Another type of antimicrobial siding includes vinyl tile. These surfaces are highly resistant to both mold and mildew. For this reason, these tiles are most commonly installed in kitchens and bathrooms for healthier homes. In addition to its antimicrobial properties, vinyl tiles are very efficient at retaining heat during the winter, which can help reduce the cost of energy bills.

This makes them an excellent choice for foundation installation. Plus, because vinyl tile is now made to look like ceramic tile, consumers get the same effect for a fraction of the cost. However, ceramic tiles are another good option when looking for cleanliness. Although these tiles do not have the same antimicrobial properties as cork or vinyl, they do not harbor germs.

Choose tiles for durability

If indestructible floor tiles are what homeowners are looking for, bamboo tiles will deliver. Although lightweight, this natural material is highly resistant to drops and other strong impacts. Because it’s available in a variety of shades, it’s easy to find the type of bamboo tile that best suits any particular room.

Another type of very durable tiles is concrete. Its unique combination of sand, water, stone, and cement makes concrete tile an excellent choice for outdoor spaces like porches and patios. In fact, some consumers install concrete roof tile because of its resistance to harsh weather.

Although floor tiles are usually very strong, some mistakes can be made that cause them to break down long before their time. Poor installation is the number one cause. When these tiles are installed over the existing subfloor, it creates an uneven and unsafe foundation. Over time, this causes displaced tiles and cracked grout, resulting in the need to redo the entire job.

In the bathroom, the tiles are easily damaged by water. Regular maintenance and care of bathroom plumbing, particularly toilets, can help prevent damage. Toilet leaks can weaken and loosen the grout, which damages the tiles. Excessive accumulation of water around the bathtub for any reason can cause the same problems with tiles.

Although tile is generally much stronger and more durable than hardwood floors and carpet, dropping very heavy objects on it can cause it to crack. The solution here is simple. Simply being careful what happens can prevent unnecessary tile cracking. Other times it is simply faulty manufacturing that causes the tiles to break. It may be that the tiles have not been fired correctly or that the materials contain some impurities that caused their weakening.

Proper installation goes a long way in extending the life of tiles. In fact, poor quality and poor installation is responsible for the majority of mosaic breaks and cracks. A cracked tile usually requires some or all of the surrounding tiles to be torn out and new tiles to be made ugly. A careless installation ends up costing the consumer much more in the end. It is better for consumers to hire professionals to make mosaics, especially when using expensive mosaics (such as marble).

For example, ceramic tiles can crack if the mortar that was spread underneath was made unevenly. Over time, gaps in the grout will cause the tile to buckle each time weight is applied. The larger the tiles, the easier they can be broken. The problem can be avoided by mortaring the back of shingles larger than 12 by 12 inches to provide more stability and a better footing.

Tiles that have been installed over plywood are also very susceptible to potential cracking and damage. This is because plywood is flexible, which causes the same problems that a misapplication of mortar can cause. In this case, cracking will be more frequent along the length of the floor joists. It is recommended to use a muddy subfloor instead. This subfloor is made of inches of reinforced concrete plus a wire mesh. A cement back board on top of plywood can also provide similar stability.

Tiles that have been installed over existing cracked floors will also crack in the same places. As old, cracked flooring moves and continues to deteriorate, it moves newly laid floor tiles with it, causing them to crack. A mating membrane can be used prior to installation to avoid this unsightly problem. Flexible coupling membrane adheres to flooring and tile. This accommodates the floor tiles when the existing floor is moved, preventing them from cracking.