Interior Creative Design :: Kitchen Floor Tile
Kitchen Floor Tile:
Appealing Tile Options for Your Kitchen Floor
For more information on how to choose a kitchen floor tile, keep reading for a breakdown of tile ratings, porosity and tile types.
Tile Ratings
No matter what type of kitchen floor tile you choose, make sure it is properly rated for the room in which you'll be using it. For example, busy entryways need a strong and sturdy tile while bathrooms need a moisture-resistant tile. Ideally, for kitchens, you'll want a non-slip and durable tile that can withstand a lot of family traffic.
Most families choose a Group III for medium to heavy traffic or a Group IV tile for heavy traffic in their kitchens.
Tile Porosity
The porosity of a tile basically refers to how absorbent it is. For a kitchen, you typically want a moisture-proof kitchen tile floor. So, you should choose a kitchen tile that comes with an Impervious porosity rating, meaning almost no water is absorbed into the tile.
Tile Types
There are 10 major types or styles of tiles. These are brick, cement, ceramic, mosaic, pavers, porcelain, quarry, saltillo, terra cotta and terrazzo. The kinds most often used on kitchen floors are ceramic, porcelain and terrazzo. The other tile styles can all be adapted for indoor use, but require extra sealing and protection.
Other choices that fall into the quarry category are designer choices like marble or stone tile. While these can produce stunning results, they're often expensive and require a lot of maintenance. For example, a marble floor must be cleaned with a special solution regularly and sealed and resealed on a regular basis.
Ceramic tiles are made from clay and then baked or fired with a glaze to make them stronger and less absorbent. Terrazzo tiles are simply marble or stone chips that are embedded in a cement base and then polished and sealed, making it a cheaper alternative to marble flooring.
Porcelain is one of the most popular kitchen floor tile choices because of its strength and durability. Porcelain tiles are fired at an extremely high temperature, making them dense and strong. Because of its density, the tile is also resistant to moisture penetration.
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