Top 5 Benefits Of Floor Tiles

On a cold winter’s morning, there’s nothing worse than hopping out of bed and feeling a cold floor on your bare feet. I know it makes me want to climb back into bed! When people think of warm, cozy floors, they wouldn’t ordinarily think of hard tile floors, instead, the first thing that might come to mind is a soft, plush carpet.

As the tiler of the Holmes family, I want to dispel some of the common misconceptions about tile flooring. What most people don’t realize is that tile is a great conductor of heat in comparison to carpet. It actually transfers heat faster and more evenly from the heat source to the flooring surface. Think about summertime when the sun shines into your kitchen or bathroom, directly onto the tile. When you walk over it, it’s going to feel warm – toasty warm.

Efficient heat transfer isn’t the only benefit to tile flooring! Here are some of the types of tile you’ll come across, and a few more of the reasons I love to use tile on my job sites.

Porcelain and Ceramic Floor Tiles

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The two most commonly used floor tiles you often hear about are porcelain and ceramic. Porcelain is a harder, denser, more durable tile compared to ceramic, which makes it an excellent flooring tile, especially for high traffic and high moisture areas within your home, like foyers, entranceways, bathrooms, kitchens, mudrooms and laundry rooms. 

Check out 13 bathroom ideas you are going to love! There is a wide range of tiles featured in the article for inspiration.

I’ve been working in the trades for about a decade now, and I’ve built a real passion for tiling. It’s my first choice for flooring and I love how versatile it is. Here are some of the reasons I choose tile over carpet:

5) Low Maintenance

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Certain types of flooring, like carpeting, can be high-maintenance and require consistent cleaning – vacuuming and shampooing can get time-consuming. Tile flooring is extremely easy to clean and maintain. Most of the time you just need to pass a broom and damp mop over the floor to remove dirt and loose debris.

4) Durability

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Tile flooring is strong, can stand up to high traffic areas (like kitchens and bathrooms) without showing significant wear. New carpet starts out soft, lush, and clean, but over time it loses its shine no matter how many times you vacuum or shampoo it. In high-traffic areas, it wears even more, whereas tile is durable, maintains its look when properly cared for with longer life expectancy. This durability also makes tile a greener option because you won’t be sending material to the landfill by replacing your floor so often.

REMEMBER

Proper installation is key when it comes to installing tile floors.

3) Unlimited Selection

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Most tile manufacturers offer numerous style options. This can be overwhelming, however, when it comes to the floors of your home you want to be sure you choose the right floor tile to suit your home – something you can live with for decades to come. The best part about choosing from a large selection – there’s something for everyone.

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Check out some great mudroom ideas with tiles.

2) Healthier Option

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Carpets are breeding ground for bacteria, mould, and dust mites. Dirt can get trapped in the weave and padding of the carpet. The same can’t be said for tile floors. Since tile doesn’t contain fibres that trap dirt, any bacteria on the floor can be easily cleaned and disinfected. Also, the adhesives and synthetic materials used to make carpets contain toxic chemicals that off-gas into your home. If you’ve ever walked into a carpet store and smelled that “fresh carpet” smell, what you actually smelt was the toxic off-gases.

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Carpets can also provide a home for dust mites. Read about other factors that may be contributing to poor indoor air quality in your home.

1) Tile Works in Many Areas of the House

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Tiles don’t need to be limited to just your high traffic areas. It’s starting to become a much more popular installation in main living areas, in addition to high moisture areas like our kitchens and bathrooms. With its diversity in look and benefits over carpet, I’m starting to see a lot more houses using tile as their main flooring option.

Next time you’re planning to install some new flooring, take a look at tile for a floor that’s low-maintenance, durable, and made to last. And you never know, I just may be the one coming to install it.

WANT MORE TIPS?

Check out the episode below of Holmes @ Home to learn more!

Ready to start your tiling project? Read Mike Jr’s article on the most common flooring mistakes he comes across.

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