Choose Good Quality Tiles For Your Kitchen

Having your kitchen renovated? Itching to remove that dirty old linoleum and update your prime family gathering spot? Want a different—even quirky–backsplash? Then you’ll want to choose the best quality tiling for your kitchen that your budget can afford.

What do we mean when we say ‘the best quality?’

The best quality tile is going to not only look good, but it’s going to have a long duration, standing up to all kinds of wear and tear from lots of activity. And that’s just the kitchen floor. A backsplash may not see a whole lot of messy action, except perhaps for splattered grease, sauces, and so on, but you’ll still want a high-quality tile that’s easy to clean as well as durable, to say nothing of highly attractive and eye-catching.

Tile For Your Floors

Let’s start with the tiling for your floors, as this is what will see the most action from kids and pets. Here are some really great options:

·         Cathedral Limestone. This is a perfect choice for a kitchen floor, especially if you choose under-floor heating. Because this type of tiling is durable, it can stand up to mud, snow, and other messes. It’s somewhat rough, too, so you won’t go sliding around. You might want to put ergonomic area mats in front of your stove and sink so your back and feet don’t get overly tired and achy. This can be something of a pricey option, so if you want this, be sure to figure in the cost when deciding to take the renovation plunge.

·         Porcelain. Depending on how many square metres you need, this is an affordable alternative to the limestone, though the risk for low friction might be a bit higher. So this might be a good option if your kids are grown up enough that they’re not going to attempt to purposefully slide around. Like the limestone, though, it’s suitable for under-floor heating and easy to clean. But whereas natural stone can be somewhat limited in colour scheme, porcelain gives you plenty of hue options to play with.

·         Brick Mosaic Tiles. Want the look of stone, but the cathedral limestone will eat up your budget too fast? Try a brick mosaic tile layout that’s made of durable natural stone, but more affordable per square metre. It’s truly the best of both worlds. You also get a unique ‘cobblestone’-like effect on your floor, which adds colour to your kitchen and gives you ideas for a complementary backsplash. This type of tile is good for under-floor heating and like the more expensive limestone, it’s easy to maintain, and you won’t risk slipping and falling as much.

Tile For Your Walls and Backsplashes

Choosing tile for walls and backsplashes is often a fun process, particularly for the avid cook who wants a wall that’s stylish and easy to care for at the same time. Here is where you get to play with all kinds of options to make for a perfect design match for your chosen flooring. Below are two classic options that many pick for their durability as well as classic style and ease of maintenance.

·         Mosaics. If you fancy your kitchen looking like you stepped back in time to the Byzantine Empire, or perhaps you wish your favourite cooking nook to reflect the peaceful calm of the sea, colourful mosaic tiles in blues, browns or greys are just the thing. Many mosaic tiles are made of recycled glass, as well as combinations of stone, glass and shell, so it’s perfect for those who prefer to have as many eco-friendly items in their renovation as possible.

·         Subway-style. A popular and enduring trend is to have a tiled backsplash that looks like subway brick. You can either go with a classic ‘all-white’ look to go with everything or you can add coloured tiles—perhaps in the London Underground roundel hues–for an eye-catching, quirky twist.

Whichever flooring and wall tiles you use for your kitchen renovation, pick the best quality you can afford with your construction budget in mind, while still maintaining the level of style and class you desire.