Types of Tiles for Flooring and Cladding

Everyone loves beautiful spaces. Health experts suggest that the state of our interiors affect our wellbeing. Homeowners are investing more resources to have aesthetics in their home, including floors and walls. Tiles offer enduring elegance, versatility, and durability for flooring and cladding, with huge advantages over other alternatives.

Once installed, tiles are easy to clean and are long-lasting than other forms of floor finish. No further professional maintenance is needed. As a result, tiles functionality is versatile and not limited to wet spaces like the bathrooms only. These finishes are perfect for most rooms nowadays.

Compared to the extremely smooth wall tiles, the COF-rated floor tiles should be 0.5 or higher to keep a proper friction level to step on. Here are the types of tiles for flooring and cladding.

Limestone tiles

This is a soft, polishable stone that is very light in weight. It performs beautifully in hot conditions and is the perfect option for radiant areas around a homestead. It is not shiny and does not need much maintenance in its natural state like polished calcareous as the latter need more care to preserve the fun brilliance. Limestone comes in a wide variety of colors, like white, yellow, and beige. It is also available in purple, blue, and green colors.

Onyx tiles

Onyx tiles are a glass-like brittle transparent stone. During installation, you will need a skilled person for the job for a successful process. The simplicity and singularity of each tile make it harder to mount. No two tiles are the same, and they come from variations of white and green. Warm, dark colors and brown are also available. Each shade contains veins, such as green onyx with brown that can also include additional color variability. Test onyx a few times before placing it around the wet areas as it usually is porous

Quarry tiles

Quarry tiles do not come from quarries but are manufactured from tiles like clay, shale, and feldspar. These minerals make stronger, a little porous tiles suitable for both inside and outside use.

Mosaic tiles

Mosaic tiles are prevalent for use in small rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms. In essence, these are smaller surface tiles. The length and width of each tile are less than two inches. This makes installation in smaller rooms simpler though it requires the right trimming equipment to produce a spectacular finish.

Marble tiles

Marble tiles are a perfect choice if you want to add beauty to your home. They are made of an extremely durable natural marble stone. Marble tiles are available in almost all colors due to the variability of the derived component materials. You also have various marble tile finishing possibilities like polished, rubbed, finished, tumbled, among others.

Because of their brittle nature, marble tiles are prone to spilling and not suitable for outdoor use. However, before installation, an appropriate surface sealer may reduce its porosity. The sealer serves as an invisible layer of protection, covering the pores on the tile surface. Marble tiles are often a costly choice for floors to most people. Consider buying marble stone products from legit suppliers like Saturnia Travertini as there are many counterfeits in the market.

Granite tiles

Granite tiles are the best solution if you look for tiles to use in high traffic areas as they are thick and hard. The minerals sprinkled in this rock and its distinctive veining differentiates it from other products and show that no two granite surfaces are alike. Granite tiles, therefore, have an excellent reputation in the flooring and cladding industry. Luxurious products like granite are in great demand as they come in various colors and give high esthetic value.

Besides being acid-resistant, granite tiles come in small and light sizes, making them easy to use. However, granite tiles are incredibly brittle but once polished, and they work well to withstand scratches.

Travertine tiles

This type of limestone is created from hot springs, and cellars worldwide are made into travertine tiles. The material consists of pits and raw textures formed by air and organic matter, available in different colors. The stylish surface of travertine tiles gives a natural look to your space.

The travertine material’s longevity is evident because in the structures of the old Roman structures in Italy were built with this material and remain intact today. Travertine is suitable for the design of churches, sculptures, and theatres. When it comes to walkways, toilets, pool decks, and other applications where the exposure is high, travertine is perfectly suitable. Travertine is 100 percent biodegradable as an environmentally friendly material. It is both robust and easy to rehabilitate. However, it is a cheaper alternative than other high-end products.

Slate tiles

Slate is one of the most common materials used in the flooring industry, obtained from natural mineral deposits. It produces incredibly durable tiles that give your floor and walls this beautiful look of natural elegance. The material keeps the room warm and ensures a stable flooring choice, thanks to its high anti-slipping ability. While slate tiles are cheaper than marble and granite, they are still considered high-end.

Sandstone tiles

Sandstone tiles give your outdoor areas a rich and natural feel. Pool settings, patios, and walkways are among the most popular applications. Sandstone tiles, available in different colors, styles, and sizes, offer a wonderful earthy attraction to any space.

Ledge stone tiles

The color of this stone varies from salmon-pink to orange, grey, and brown. This stone has a fascinating visual veining and is usually cut into strips and stacked in layers that join each other in a 3-D dimension rather than a straight lying effect. It is best used to add heat resistance and design depth to the walls or surroundings. There is not much cleaning involved with this polished tile.

Conclusion

There are several flooring choices for the flooring of tiles. These were the most popular flooring tile types. Your tile of choice depends on your taste and preference. Another primary consideration when choosing your type of flooring and cladding is the area’s use or function.