Picking a bathroom flooring material can be a daunting task. Even if you’ve already made the decision to go with tile, there are literally hundreds if not thousands of different tiles to choose from! And if you’re going for a more creative look, mixing and matching different tiles in your flooring will add even more choices to the mix. In this article, we hope to make your decision making a little easier by providing some information to consider when picking a tile or tiles for your bathroom!
Important Factors to Consider:
Friction
Bathrooms with showers see a lot of moisture and picking a tile that provides decent grip even while wet is incredibly important. Slippery tiles can be especially dangerous in a bathroom with showers as the floor will be wet almost every day. If you’re clumsy, have children, or have elderly relatives living with you, getting a bathroom tile with good friction is imperative to avoiding slip related injuries. Some materials to avoid include glass, smooth glazed ceramic, and porcelain. These material are very slick when wet, so if you want a safe bathroom flooring tile, try to go for stone or materials designed to have a higher level of friction.
Color
Colors can have a huge impact on the feeling a room gives off. Since your tiles will be covering a good portion of the bathroom, it’s important to choose a color that will benefit the looks of your bathroom. People typically choose a neutral white for their bathroom tile, but it’s hardly the only color available. You can use bright colors and lighter shades to make a smaller bathroom seem larger. Lighter and brighter tiles will bounce more light around, making the space look larger than it is.
If you have a small bathroom and want it to look larger than it is, avoid dark tiles and they will make the space look smaller and darker. The opposite goes for larger bathrooms that you want to seem more cozy. Also keep in mind the color scheme of the rest of the house when picking a tile if you want your entire home to have a cohesive color scheme.
If you want to use some bright colors but don’t want the floor to be overwhelmingly bright, use two different types of tile. Choose one tile type that is less bright in color and one that adds a nice pop. Install the tiles in a pattern that only occasionally uses the bright tile. This way you can still have a bright color that doesn’t look over the top.
If you want something with a lot of color variance and pop, a mosaic tile design may be something to consider. Mosaic tiles are typically small tiles that vary slightly in color to create lovely and unique patterns.
Along with colors come patterns. A lot of ceramic tiles can come with interesting patterns painted onto them to create large patterns on your floor. Painted tiles can also look great on walls!
Ease of Cleaning
The type of bathroom tile you choose will play a large role in how easy your bathroom is to clean. Some tiles such as stone are porous and will hold grime and dirt more readily than other choices, such as ceramic and porcelain. Stone may also need resealing due to this porousness.
With some ceramic and porcelain tiles, you may want to watch out for smaller tiles. Smaller tiles will ultimately require more grout. Grout lines can be difficult to clean since their rougher and more porous surfaces can easily collect dirt that’s hard to scrub out. Using larger tiles can be very beneficial if you’re shooting for a lower maintenance bathroom. The larger the tile, the less grout and less cleaning involved to keep things looking good.
Durability
Not all bathroom tiles are made equally. Some tiles can withstand scratches and scuff much better than the competition. If you have children or a dog that always seems to be making trouble in the home, then consider installing more durable materials. Porcelain is one of the most tenacious materials you can choose for any floor. The tiles are made from extremely hot fired clay and minerals, making them quite harder to damage than ceramic, though ceramic isn’t weak by any means as a bathroom flooring option. Terra cotta however is extremely prone to scratching, cracking, and scuffing. Marble, a popular floor tile option, is also very susceptible to scratching and other cosmetic damage as it is a very soft stone.
Water Resistance
Believe it or not, not all tiles are water proof! In fact, many are quite far from it. Many types of tile can let water through the floor, which will cause damage over time if the water is excessive. You can prevent this buy choosing a tile that is more water resistant. Ceramic is fairly water resistant, but it is not completely water proof. If a lot of water ends up on a ceramic tile floor, it is possible for water to seep through and eventually make its way to the subfloor. Not good.
Porcelain however is much more water resistant and is less prone overall to absorbing water. Stone tiles are more prone that ceramic to absorbing water due to their porous nature if not sealed regularly, so maintenance is a must if you want to avoid any kind of water damage with a stone based tile floor.
Cost
Tiles come in a huge variety of prices ranging from a couple of dollars to over thirty per square foot. Before you make any decisions, be sure you have a solid budget planned out for your remodel and be careful to stay within it. All types of tiles will come in both affordable and less affordable options. Most differences in price will come from the various colors and patterns that are available, as well as any special water proofing that may be present.
Quality and grading of the tile will also be a huge factor. Most tile manufactures grade their product on a scale from one to three. One is the highest quality and has the least flaws, while a three is the lowest and may present some cracks and chips on each tile. Brand can also greatly influence a tile’s price. More accessible brands that can be bought at your local hardware store will be cheaper than something imported from a highly reputable company in Italy known for making artisan tiles.
Installation will be a huge cost factor if you aren’t doing the tiling yourself. Most tiles are difficult to install, so it’s usually best left to a professional to get the work done for you. Some tiles are especially difficult to work with due to how hard they are to cut. You also must make sure the floor is level before you begin installing new tile, otherwise you’ll get uneven tiles that will stick out of the floor.
If you’re buying a large number of tiles, don’t forget about the shipping and delivery costs that will be necessary to get the tile to your home.
And that’s it!
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