The Advantages of Ceramic Floor Tile in Living Rooms

Why is ceramic tile a good choice for living rooms? Ceramic tile is durable and easy-to- maintain. It can handle the highest traffic locations, throughout your house, without showing much wear and tear.   

Plus, the design advantages are undeniable: modern printing techniques allow you many different "look" options for creating a floor that is special to your living area. 

Did you know...Tile makers now create porcelain mosaics that look like exotic hardwood planks - you can hardly tell the difference. 

So, what’s the cost?

When purchased at big-box stores or tile specialty outlets, ceramic tile can range from less than $1 per square foot for plain solid-color tiles to just under $20 per square foot for porcelain tiles (some of these tiles even look like high dollar marbles or woods). 

Don't forget about installation costs...Depending on the size of the job, geographic location, and even where your building is located, installation services and price vary.

Ceramic Tile Options

There are quite several options to consider when you are purchasing ceramic tile: 

Size: Ceramic tiles are generally sold in squares of 12" x 12", 6" x 6", 18" x 18" and 24"x 24," but a growing trend is for the tile to be formed in rectangular planks that look like a hardwood floor.

Patterns: Because they can be printed with almost any color or image, ceramic tiles allow you to create very intricate patterns. Vibrant, contrasting colors can be used, mixed with different shapes and designs to build a floor that will perfectly express your tastes.

Solid vs. mosaics: Mosaics in their modern form are ceramic tiles assembled into mesh-backed sheets of very small 1" x 1" or 2" x 2" tiles. Originally, styling with mosaic tile was a highly prized means of architectural expression, and this modern form of ancient art can bring a truly unique and vivid sense of style to your space.

Borders: Contrasting tiles can be cut to size and then used as borders to accent the outer boundaries of a living room. Many ceramic tiles are offered in "families" that include various complementary border tiles and cove perimeter tiles. 

Accent tiles: These are unique pieces that are placed as accents or emblems within an otherwise normal ceramic flooring installation. They may contain a unique picture or have a vibrantly contrasting color adorning their surface. The purpose is to draw the eye, creating a sense of decorative beauty within the pattern of the flooring.

Design Tip!  If you are thinking about tiling a large living room, use big tiles that are equivalent to the space. In smaller spaces, small tiles will provide a unique look and makes the room seem bigger.

Ceramic Tile Compared to Natural Stone 

Natural stone refers to a variety of hard materials that are quarried from mountains around the world. When they use natural stone to make tile out of, they are usually cut into square or rectangular tiles and installed like ceramic tile. 

Natural stone is hard, durable, and long-lasting. 

Appreciated for its unique colors and characteristics, stone’s natural qualities is why people use it instead of ceramic tiles. However, tile manufacturers are getting really good at matching the look of ceramic tiles to the look-and-feel of natural stone.

Interestingly enough, ceramic tile is also made from natural elements. Made from natural clay materials, ceramic tile is a manufactured process of casting and firing. The good news is that ceramic tiles are more durable and easier to maintain than natural stone tiles.

Natural stone will always more expensive...to purchase and to install. If you are looking for a maintenance-free flooring experience...natural stone is not it. Natural stone is also high maintenance...it must be sealed periodically to keep the stains out of the stone. Ceramic tiles are more forgiving.  

Ceramic Tile Compared to Hardwood

If you install your flooring correctly, hardwood and ceramic have similar value. Both are equally good flooring and can last for years. Modern ceramics can now be shaped and printed to look like many different species of hardwood flooring.

A difference between them is price. Hardwood installation cost and the flooring itself is expensive. Whereas ceramic tile tends to be easier to clean and maintain over time. What’s more, ceramic tile is less susceptible to stains and water damage.

Ceramic tile doesn’t wear down the way hardwood does. 

Maintaining a ceramic tile floor

Ceramic is one of the easiest floors to maintain over the course of its life. Glazed tiles are resistant to stains and water. Additionally, for longer tile life, unglazed cermaic tiles can be sealed and protected, too. One thing that is common among all types of flooring is that all grout lines should be sealed annually. Other than sealing your grout lines, a ceramic tile floor only needs to be swept and mopped to keep sanitary and clean-looking.

Ceramic tile is simply the best choice for high-traffic, high-activity living rooms. 

The drawbacks of a ceramic tile floor

The drawback of ceramic tile flooring is that ceramic tile gets cold and is hard. However, cold tile is an advantage in hot climates, right? 

However, for the homeowner that lives in a chillier climate they can warm their floor with Gold Heat? Electric Radiant Floor Heat below the tile. 

Radiant floor heat offers innumerable benefits to a home owner or a commercial construction project!

Radiant heat has no moving parts. Radiant heat is silent. Radiant floor heat doesn't circulate allergens throughout your house. Best of all, radiant heat warms the lower extremities of the body (it's like the sun following your feet and legs around the living room). 

Any one who has ever installed electric radiant heating will attest that they don’t know how they ever lived without it.

Are you interested in learning more about how great electric radiant floor heat feels under your feet? Contact Gold Heat today at (866) 935-7782 or email Gold Heat's design team at design@goldheat.com.