How to Choose Floor Tiles: Color, Types of Floor Tiles, Texture, and Patterns

Choosing the best floor tiles for their property, most people focus on colors and styles. Although these characteristics are important for the overall look of your interior design, some subtle things also matter. By “subtle things” we mean types of floor tiles, tile patterns, hardness, and tile floor texture. These are the factors that can make your tile flooring convenient and allow you to enjoy the chosen surface for many years.

Let’s talk about how to choose floor tiles, taking into account all the important aspects below.

1. How to Choose Floor Tiles: Colors

If you want the floor to serve as a color accent, pick contrasting, bright, or ornamental tiles that grab attention. Such an option is suitable for relatively large kitchens and bathrooms where the rest of the furniture is plain. Those who prefer a more calm and classic interior should opt for the flooring that matches walls or is slightly darker. Overall, it’s necessary to keep the balance between all the colors combined in the interior giving 50% to the main color, 30% to complementary, and 10/10% to accents.

Note that many retailers use 3D renderings for their assortment. Hence, you can ask them to show how different types of floor tiles look in interiors to make a better-informed choice. In case you hire a professional designer, they will cooperate with 3D visualization agencies to provide professional visualizations as an integral part of a project.

2. How to Choose Floor Tiles: Types of Floor Tiles (Materials)

Once you’ve made your mind about the color, you’re ready to move on with types of floor tiles. The material is another factor that determines the look of your flooring. It also affects slip resistance and convenience. Here are the most common types of floor tiles by material:

• Ceramic. It’s one of the most popular types of floor tiles available in thousands of colors and tile floor textures. Manufactured from clay, ceramic flooring is affordable and universal. So if you are not looking for exquisite solutions and need a decent basic material, consider buying ceramic products. The only thing you should note is that some ceramic floors are slippery, so make sure to choose them carefully.
  

• Travertine. Travertine is a form of limestone, a natural and porous material. It has great heat resistance and, therefore, can be used on surfaces with a lot of direct sunlight. Besides, travertine boasts high durability, moist and water resistance, and a natural slip-resistance. Such types of floor tiles are recommended for bathrooms, swimming pools, and pool decks. (Source)
  

• Granite. When it comes to hardness, scratch, stain, and chip resistance, granite is obviously the best choice. It’s available in multiple colors and is super easy to maintain. This material is a perfect option for commercial buildings with lots of traffic and is rarely used in regular houses.
  
• Marble. Marble is probably the most famous stone and a symbol of luxury. Since marble is softer than other natural stones, you should use it for inside areas like foyers and halls. It also easily absorbs water and tends to be slippery, so you’d better avoid marble in bathrooms.
  
  Apart from the listed types of floor tiles, you can install onyx, quartzite, sandstone, slate, and other flooring made of natural stone. Such materials have great durability but are much more pricey than regular ceramic floors.
  
  

  3. How to Choose Floor Tiles: Tile Patterns

  Tile patterns depend on the shape of purchased tiles. Whereas natural materials, like marble, granite, or slate are installed in large pieces, ceramic tiles can have any shape, from a small square to Moroccan fish scales. Find the most common options in the pictures below:
  (Source)
  
  

  4. How to Choose Floor Tiles: Tile Floor Texture

  As for tile textures, you can pick anything from high-gloss to matte. The key point is that glossy flooring isn’t slip-resistant tile. Besides, it reflects light and, therefore, is more suitable for rooms with limited natural light.
  
  

  5. How to Choose Floor Tiles: Hardness

  If durability is something you’re looking for, pay attention to hardness (PEI rating) during the purchase. There is a 5-point scale used for classification. Zero stands for the most easily damaged and five signifies highly durable:
  

(Source)
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