Kitchen Tile Design
/All over North America, the number one choice for homeowners when designing their kitchen is tile flooring as it is easy to maintain, hard, durable, water-resistant and it's very easy to clean.
They are also beautiful, and they give your kitchen a warm look. You have a variety of choices to pick from as this floor tile comes in three different types: porcelain, ceramic and stone.
Ceramic and Porcelain Kitchen Floor
The Ceramic and porcelain kitchen floor tiles are very similar, and they’re made from clay mixtures that were fired at a relatively high temperature to make a hard, and durable tile. They are also either glazed or unglazed so you can easily decide which one suits you best. Beyond that, there are also other are substantial differences.
Porcelain kitchen floor tile is made with clay mixture and then heated and pressure to produce a harder, less porous and denser than regular ceramic tile. Porcelain tiles are not only suitable for kitchens as they are also an excellent choice for bathrooms and other places that are highly frequented in the home. Although, it is best not to use this floor tile outdoors regardless of the weather.
On the other hand, glazed porcelain tile is made with a glass-like coating that is applied during firing process to produce colored surface. Thus, you can get different colors that suit your kitchen theme.
Unglazed porcelain is made with artificial colors that are added to the clay mixture so as to give it a bright color and pattern that is applied all through over the tile. The most amazing thing about this kitchen floor tile is that wear or scratches from kitchen activities won’t show on unglazed porcelain. However, Porcelain is not easy to install as it requires special tools thus you must probably can't do it or fix it yourself without help from a professional.
Stone Floor Kitchen Tile
Stone floor tiles are produced using natural stone that includes but are not limited to slate, granite, travertine, limestone and marble. Most stone kitchen floor tiles are often porous and have to be refined with a more quality stone sealer after every 12 or 24 months depending on the usage. They are not so hard to maintain as they can be polished or honed but it may interest you to know that polished stone exteriors are slippery especially when they are wet.
Furthermore, all tiles are hard, and a dropped glass and dish will not be spared survive and if it is often walked on it will begin to wear out and might need a replacement that is often expensive. Also, it is better to look out for tiles that have been certified as slip-resistant by the Disabilities Act, and you can easily spot this on the package of kitchen floor tiles with ADA certification on its packaging.
