Five Things to Consider When Tile Shopping
Thinking about re-tiling or just tiling your bathroom? You have to think about the style of your home, how you want your bathroom to look, and whether or not the tiles you pick are going to be functional or simply decorative. Nothing wrong with tiling for the sake of tiling, but function over fashion will one day help you boost the sale price of your home, and can make sure that you get the most use out of your bathroom. You don’t have to sacrifice fashion for function; just make sure to consider all of your options before beginning any tile project.
Is Tiling Right for You?
Tiles will help keep moisture out of walls and subfloors, and, by choosing the right tiles, you can help prevent slip-and-fall accidents in your bathroom. Also, don’t forget the visual element of tiles.
You can use tile on your floor and/or on the wall, but if you’re going to do both, consider whether you want to use the same color tiles in both spaces or if you’d rather use complementary colors. There is no right or wrong answer; just think about your own style and get to work bringing it to life.
When tile shopping, keep in mind the following:
Maintenance
Perhaps most importantly is how much upkeep you will need to ensure your tiles look as good one year later as they do on the day you finish. The material you choose (natural stone, mosaic, porcelain) should match who will most likely use the bathroom. Since porcelain tiles are the easiest to keep clean, you may want to go with these if children will use the bathroom. Natural stone tile may take the most upkeep, since they need to be sealed.
Ease of Use
Natural stone, mosaic, and porcelain tiles are the best tiles to use to prevent a slip-and-fall accident. These tiles are not that slippery when wet. Of course, you can always apply a sealer to the surface of any tile to help it be slip resistant, but going with a type of tile that is naturally slip resistant may be the best option in your home.
Personal Style
As mentioned above, you have a style. Everyone does. And your personal style is probably evident in how you decorate your home. You can extend this style into the bathroom as well. In fact, you should extend your personal style into the bathroom. And when deciding how best to tile your bathroom, or even how you want to decorate your bathroom, consider how it will work depending on who is going to most often use the space. For more on how to design bathrooms depending on size, see other blog posts.
Ask the Experts
Don’t design your bathroom without talking to at least one or two experts in the field. They can tell you the mistakes to avoid and the best way to get what you want without paying through the nose. The experts at Independent Home can also suggest ways to make sure that you’re not setting up an easy for someone to slip and fall in your bathroom.
