Flooring Styles

Floor Tiles Make A Design Difference

For many people, wood laminate planks are the only flooring worth consideration, mainly due to the fact that this is such a popular flooring style that many people do not look at any alternatives. However, there are a huge range of interlocking floor tiles and designs available, which can sometimes be cheaper than fitting a wood laminate floor. They can also be installed easily in many cases, which makes them an ideal DIY project. The main types are vinyl, terracotta tiles, porcelain (or ceramic) and wood, with each type having advantages and disadvantages.

Looking at terracotta first, these clay tiles have been a popular choice for hundreds of years. Color can vary from a dark red, to light rose color, orange or even salmon pink. Colored terracotta tiles are especially suited to a conservatory or as kitchen tiles. Glazed terracotta tiles give a more sophisticated look than the matt coating variety, and the tile surface can be smooth or rough (grained), depending on what is trying to be achieved.

The shapes will also vary, even when the overall shape (usually square or rectangular, though hexagonal ties can be found) is the same. This is especially the case then the tiles are hand made.

Sizes will usually range from 3 1/2-inch to 5-inch square, with the larger sizes being more suited to a patio or garden deck. Here they are often used with terracotta edging. It can also be a case of finding painted tiles for this location, sometimes with murals hand drawn as a way to add texture to the decoration. Glazed garden tiles can be made weatherproof to a certain extent. Pebble tiles are kiln-baked clay tiles which have an influence from Spain, though Asian and Japanese patterns are sometimes found in this style.

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