2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 22:24
- The main factors of choice
- Tile shape and size
- Tile color and tone
- Tips, tricks and common mistakes
- The tile does not fit into the overall interior
- Purchase of material strictly according to calculations
- Trust is our enemy
- Don't count on a return option
- Be sure to inspect all tiles when purchasing
- Match the size to your room
- You can't take into account only the appearance
- Conclusion
The choice of tiles is becoming a very important issue. In particular, difficulties arise in the question of which tiles on the floor for the kitchen are best suited, in which a large number of factors should be considered. Everything from size to color and tile marking becomes important.
This material is the most popular due to its durability and good performance. But the advantages and disadvantages of tiles separately can be found in the article "Which tile is better for the floor?" And now it is necessary to deal directly with the question of which tiles to choose on the floor.
The main factors of choice
First, you should consider the main factors that should be considered when choosing a material. Among them are the following:
- First of all, we note that in no case should wall tiles be laid on the floor, since they have less strength and durability. Accordingly, it will lose both aesthetic qualities and performance characteristics much faster.
- It is also important to select tiles with a matte or rough surface, since it is categorically undesirable to lay down slippery material. Laying glazed tiles, for example, can lead to injuries and bruises due to the high risk of falling.
- The next factor to look at is strength. As you know, each tile has its own level of strength, as evidenced by the markings on the material and packaging. Thus, tiles of the 4th or 5th class according to the GOST classification are subject to use for the floor.
- Do not forget that the kitchen is a room with a high level of pollution and humidity. Accordingly, household chemicals will be used to clean the floor. Thus, care must be taken to ensure that the surface of the tile is resistant to chemical attack and is also as waterproof as possible.
Advice! For arranging the floor in the kitchen, a matte or semi-matt surface would be a good option. Due to its special structure, it is not only non-slippery, but also low visibility of scratches and other damages on its surface is noted.
Tile shape and size
Considering the question of which tile is better for the floor, you should pay attention to the choice of the shape and size of the tile, which actually depends on the type of installation.
The most popular shapes are standard square and rectangular tiles. It is much less common to find six or octagonal products.
Speaking of sizes, here the most popular are three types: 20 * 20, 30 * 30, 40 * 40, in addition, you can often find variations of these sizes, for example, 20.6 * 20.6 or 31.4 * 31, 4.
Of course, these are not all types of sizes, in some cases more or less overall are used, but rather rarely. More details about what sizes of tiles are and how to make the right choice in a separate material.
Caliber is also an important factor when choosing. Features of the production of ceramic products cause some discrepancies in the size of the tiles up to 5-7 millimeters. Therefore, sorting is carried out not by size, but by sizing. Thus, even when buying a tile with a size of 30 * 30, you need to pay attention to the manufacturer and caliber.
In some cases, the dimensions of tiles with the declared size of 30 * 30 can vary from 29.5 * 29.5 to 30.5 * 30.5. It is the caliber that takes into account this discrepancy.
Tile color and tone
Speaking about which tiles are best for the kitchen, the color selection should also be considered. It is often noted that tiles of even the same marking from different batches differ in shade. Thus, the color of the tiles can be slightly darker or lighter. Therefore, when choosing and buying tiles, you should check the tiles by tonality.
But let's dwell more directly on the choice of tiles, what design to choose. Here, much depends not only on the preferences of the owner, but also on the characteristics of the premises:
- If the kitchen is small, light colors are well suited here, which will help visually increase the space. At the same time, dark tiles will help highlight the small size of the kitchen and its minimalism. But in this case, it is necessary to compensate for dark floors with light interior items.
- It is also important which side the kitchen windows face. In the case when they look to the north or west, then the best option would be floors in a solid light tone. Considering the direction to the east or south, bright colors or cold saturated shades are also well suited here.
- Another answer to the question of which tile to choose for the kitchen is the selection of tiles with a neutral pattern or a monochromatic coating. By the way, this option will be a good choice for floor decoration with the general style of the room, minimalism or high-tech.
But besides that, don't forget about the natural texture. Coverings in natural colors, as well as textured tiles in the form of wood or stone, are becoming very popular.
Tips, tricks and common mistakes
And the most significant thing when parsing the question of which tiles to choose for the kitchen on the floor is to consider the main mistakes of the majority in order to avoid them yourself.
But let's start with a few tips, after which we will look at the main share of mistakes that people with a lack of experience in tiling work most often make.
- First of all, compliance with the laying technology becomes an important factor, and no matter what tile you choose, incorrect laying, and even the slightest error, can completely ruin the entire appearance of the room.
- It is also recommended to completely dismantle the old floor covering up to the base before laying. This is due to the fact that the durability of the coating can only be guaranteed when the tiles are laid on a perfectly flat and strong floor screed. In some cases, with flowability, the base must be replaced at all.
- And, of course, thorough cleaning and priming is essential before the tiles are laid.
But you can familiarize yourself with the technology of laying and surface preparation in our other articles.
It can also be noted that additional devices will help very well. Thus, experts additionally recommend using:
- Decorative ceramic skirting boards. Such a device will be able not only to complement the coating, but also to focus on the style of the interior.
- In some cases, this kind of skirting board can be made by yourself, for which it is enough to cut the tiles into small strips. But in this case, you will have to additionally process and polish the edges.
Another question that will go more in tandem with the solution of the problem of what color of tiles on the floor in the kitchen is best suited is the selection of grout. Here we can also give some recommendations:
- When choosing a plain tile, you can use a color-matched grout with a coating, but experts recommend emphasizing the geometry of the floor, for which you can choose a contrasting grout for the joints.
- When the floor is made using tiles of several colors, then you can choose a grout to match the main color, or take a transparent grout, which will help to perform some kind of transfusion of flowers between the tiles.
- Epoxy grout can also be a good helper, of course, it is more expensive, but very high quality. First of all, do not be afraid of moisture, it is immune to fungus or dirt.
You can read more about the choice of grout in a separate article on how to choose a grout.
And now it's time to deal with the mistakes that I most often make when choosing and buying tiles.
The tile does not fit into the overall interior
The most basic thing to pay attention to when considering the question of which tile is better for the kitchen on the floor is its design. Many people buy tiles before they have completely decided on the rest of the elements, and in the end, the tiles on the floor just spoil the interior.
Thus, experts recommend fully developing the design of the kitchen, and then choosing the tile, its color and pattern for it. It is best to match all the elements of the kitchen with tiles, mainly pay attention to the countertop. It should be in clear harmony with the floor covering.
It is also important to combine the floor with wallpaper and an apron. So keep in mind, without that much granularity in your selection, you'll be making the same common mistake as many others. But think about it, because redoing the cover will not cost very cheap.
We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the information on how to install porcelain stoneware tiles on a warm floor.
Purchase of material strictly according to calculations
The next most common mistake, despite the fact that we repeat the same advice “buy tiles with a stock” in every article about laying tiles, many do not follow it.
Thus, most people neglect this advice and end up in awkward situations as a result. It is not for nothing that we recommend making a small stock, at least 5-10% of the total.
For example, you purchased tiles exactly as much as you got in the calculations. But a lot can go wrong, and there are a lot of such cases:
- Dropped and smashed tiles.
- They made a mistake in the calculations even by a few centimeters and there was already a lack of material.
- Perhaps the tile was cut wrong, and now it needs to be replaced.
And these are not all the reasons why a tile shortage may occur. You may also need to repair the floor, and buying a few additional tiles is a bad option, since you may no longer find exactly the same shade.
That is why it is necessary to purchase material with a margin, no matter how strong the desire to save is, and an online calculator for calculating tile glue will help in this.
Trust is our enemy
Another vice that gets in trouble is trust. And it also participates in the purchase of tiles. Let's say you've decided which floor tiles are best for the kitchen. We decided to buy it, but completely entrusted the calculation of the quantity to the store's specialists.
As many might guess what this is about, not all specialists are as honest with clients as possible. Some just try to sell as much as possible. Accordingly, the calculations are carried out incorrectly, and upon completion of the work, you may have several extra boxes of tiles, and the chance to return it to the store is close to zero.
Don't count on a return option
Another rather sensitive issue, as well as a popular mistake, is to return excess material. Considering this issue in more detail, it can be noted that hardware stores are not obliged to take back the goods, even if it is completely intact.
According to the law of many states, tiles are sold by footage, therefore, they cannot be exchanged or returned. At the same time, many believe that it is possible to take material with a large supply, almost 1.5-2 times more than required, and then return the excess back to the store.
Thus, even having decided which floor tiles are best for the kitchen, you need to buy them by clearly calculating the amount of material. It will not always be possible to return the excess, since only some stores can make concessions.
Be sure to inspect all tiles when purchasing
There are times when you buy tiles, and a month later, when it comes to laying, you find out that the material has chips, cracks, or just broken tiles.
And such unpleasant moments are only the result of the buyer's negligence. Replacing it accordingly will no longer work, and you also have no right to make claims to the store.
Therefore, in order not to get into such not dexterous situations, you should check all the material yourself when buying. If you plan to purchase a large number of tiles, then take the trouble to find an assistant for yourself in this matter. Otherwise, you simply risk your finances, because you will need to buy new tiles.
Match the size to your room
Wrong sizing is another popular mistake. That is why the question of which tile size to choose for the kitchen is especially relevant.
With just a little mistake and choosing the wrong tile, you can not only spoil the appearance of the room, but also spend extra money. That is why, before buying tiles, you need to measure everything and choose the right size.
You can't take into account only the appearance
And the last common mistake, when considering the question of which tile is better to choose on the kitchen floor, is the choice in appearance. Of course, the aesthetic qualities of the tiles are important, but they should not come first.
Even if you have already decided on what color, design and texture the tile should be, it is still necessary to select it according to its performance characteristics.
Here, attention must be paid to surface strength, coefficient of friction, abrasion resistance, etc.
Conclusion
Thus, after reading our tips and tricks, you will be able to decide for yourself which ceramic tiles to choose for your kitchen. But nevertheless, one more little advice, never hesitate to ask the seller questions, consult on every little thing, and only then you can choose a tile that will last for many years.
And in conclusion, we suggest watching several videos in which experts will give several recommendations on the choice of tiles.
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