Everyone knows the standard benefits of tile flooring: durability and low maintenance. However, there are other benefits that you need to know about that may not be as obvious. What are those unique benefits you can't get with carpet or laminate? Read the list below to get a whole new look at tile flooring benefits.
#1. Save the Environment
Tiles come in so many different materials and all of them have different eco-friendly characteristics. Ceramic and porcelain tiles are easily manufactured from clay, which is a sustainable resource. However, even quarried stone can make an excellent environmentally-friendly choice since new technologies have allowed those quarries to be reclaimed much faster, preventing and reducing damage to the environment. Stone tile can also be recycled and lasts a very long time. Limestone (like the on this floor), when it is conscientiously harvested, can even be considered a sustainable resource, too.
Limestone Tile - View Details>>
#2. Install When Water Will Be Nearby
Obviously, carpeting can't withstand wet environments like ceramic or stone tile. However, even laminates can have problems with warping when they are consistently exposed to moisture. Stones that are porous, like limestone, can withstand water and aren't as slippery when wet as tiles made of marble, however both do well in moist environments. They do not degrade just because they get a little wet. That's why you will see people choose tiles for bathrooms and kitchens, where there is a higher likelihood that spills may occur.
Bathroom Floor Tile - View Details>>
#3. Make Your Indoor Air Quality Better
Carpet fibers can hide lots of pollen and dirt and can be difficult to keep clean. Laminates, while easier to maintain, are also made of synthetic materials that off-gas Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that pollute indoor air. If you suffer asthma, a natural tile floor is a must to maintain high indoor air quality. Not only are they easier to sweep clean, but they do not off-gas like other materials. Tiles are very effective on entryways where people can track in dirt and allergens on a regular basis.
Basketweave Mosaic - View Details>>
#4. Reduce the Need for Indoor Cooling
Tiles, particularly stone tiles, tend to feel cooler than carpet and laminate. In hot climates, tiles are a particularly attractive choice because of their ability to maintain cooler temperatures in the home. Ceiling fans and tile floors can make a space comfortable when other homes might have to resort to expensive air conditioning, particularly if they have carpeting, which tends to warm a floor. This sitting area design with high ceilings offers a cool place to hang out.
Octagon Mosaic Tile - View Details>>
#5. Use with Radiant Floor Heating
If you live in a colder climate, tiles can still be the perfect choice when you pair them with radiant floor heating. In this way, you get the best of both worlds: cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. While you can put radiant floor heating under laminate floors, however, it is easier to damage the flooring this way because laminate is not as water resistant as ceramic or stone. Thus, ceramic and stone tiles work much better in the even that moisture is released. They are also very good at retaining and conducting heat longer than laminate, even after the system has been shut off. Imagine the pleasure of putting your foot down on this bathroom tile floor and having radiant flooring underneath.
#6. Get a Unique Look
Carpets and laminates are pretty cookie-cutter when it comes to design. You can get laminates that look like wood or even mimic tile designs, but they will never be able to give you the unique look of a custom-made tile project. Tiles can be cut to your specification and laid out in different patterns to create stunning works of art. Other types of flooring simply lack the versatility and quality that tile offers that creates beautiful designs. In many cases, you don't even need fancy cuts to get a unique look. For instance, marble tiles always look different in each home simply because the veins and colors are so unique to each tile. If you want a completely one-of-a-kind look, then stick with stone tiles because no two are quite the same, even when the pattern is repetitive, like in this design.
#7. Increase the Resale Value of Your Home
People in the market for a new home will often overlook homes with bad flooring. On the other hand, many home buyers are willing to pay a premium for good flooring, which they consider to be wood or tile floors. Not only do they look better, but they tend to be seen as more hygienic choices, since they are easily cleaned and maintained. By installing tile flooring in your home, you can bump up the resale price and recoup some of the costs of installation when you sell. This is not likely to happen if you put in carpeting. Even laminates, while looked upon more favorably, will also have a shorter life than tiles and so won't bump up the resale price as much as a more durable material like tiles made of stone. Amp up the resale value by remodeling the kitchen with tiling. This one uses a Travertine floor.
Antique Stone - View Details>>