Things to Consider When Choosing Tiles for Living Rooms

Upgrading the floors in your living room can completely transform the aesthetic and ambience of the space. With so many tile varieties, colors, textures, and patterns to select from, choosing the right option to complement your decor can be an exciting yet daunting endeavour.

Whether you want to install tiles to add visual intrigue or refresh high-traffic areas prone to wear, careful planning helps ensure optimal results. From assessing your lifestyle needs to previewing samples, keep these key considerations in mind when embarking on your living room tile project.

Types of Tiles to Consider for Living Room Floors

With endless tile possibilities at your fingertips, narrowing down suitable styles for living rooms is essential. The material, durability, aesthetic, and maintenance factors you require depends on the room's purpose and traffic flow.

Porcelain Tiles

Known for their water-resistance and durability, porcelain tiles stand up well to heavy foot traffic from households with children or pets. Their dense composition makes them more chip and scratch-resistant than ceramic alternatives. You can introduce visual dynamism by installing porcelain tiles in varying textures, dimensions, colors, and patterns. Neutral shades seamlessly fit most decors, while bold or textured looks inject rustic or modern flair.

Ceramic Tiles

Offering a versatile balance of affordability and style, ceramic tiles suit family living rooms on a budget. From classic marble looks to artisan-crafted designs, ceramic tiles capture old-world charm or contemporary edge depending on your choice. Just take note that solid colors better mask the red clay base, making the grout lines less visible. Avoid light colors in high-traffic zones unless you don't mind vigilantly attending to spills and scuffs.

Stone Tiles

Marble

Prized through the ages for its elegance and luxury, genuine marble tiles emit timeless beauty with their subtly swirling veins and natural sheen. The Investment pays dividends in resale value for homeowners aiming for sophistication. Opt for lower-maintenance porcelain or ceramic tiles tactfully resembling marble if upkeep is a concern.

Slate

Delivering a textural punch of drama, slate tile infuses spaces with an organic, earthy feel. Its low-sheen, lightly rippled surface adds bold visual energy without overwhelming smaller rooms. The deep shades slate tiles commonly appear in can make spaces seem dark and closed-in if improperly balanced. Strategically intersperse with neutral grout colors to keep the look airy.

Glass Tiles

Glass tile adds showstopping shimmer and depth to living rooms, especially when illuminated. From opulent gold and silver looks to ocean-inspired blues, the color and finish options deliver serious wow-factor. Just take care to avoid high-traffic zones where fragile glass tiles risk cracking. Careful installation and grout sealing helps safeguard their beauty.

Measure the Space and Layout

Carefully mapping out your living room's measurements before installing floor tiles prevents ordering excess materials or underestimating required quantities. If tiling contiguous spaces, factoring in accurate room sizes and layout particulars ensures sufficient coverage.

Calculate Total Square Footage

Measure wall-to-wall width and length dimensions for all areas receiving new tile. Multiply the length by width to obtain the square footage per space. Combine each area's tally to derive the total square meters required for flooring materials and adhesive mortar. Having these precise calculations informs purchasing decisions and quotes.

Consider High Traffic Areas

Pay special attention when measuring zones in your living room subjected to extra wear-and-tear. For example, carefully map out the tile needed from the main entry doorway leading towards the kitchen or dining room. Analyze the typical traffic flow through the space to identify other high footfall areas. Prioritize purchasing a few spare tiles as contingency replacements for strategic spots at increased risk over time.

Make a Floor Plan Sketch

Illustrating a basic layout visually conveys the living room's tile mapping specifics better than measurements alone sometimes. Distinguish individual areas, accounting for awkward room shapes and built-in elements occupying floor space. If installing varying tile designs in separate zones, delineate the patterns clearly in your sketch. This helps the flooring contractor lay out the tiles logically.

Account for Transitions Between Rooms

When calculating flooring materials needed, factor in any transitional spaces leading to and from adjoining rooms also receiving tile. Measure potential threshold strips or borders to allow for slight variations in connecting floor levels after installation. This prevents awkward uneven edges or unsightly gaps between rooms.

Complement the Style of the Room

Now that you have thespatial scope and layout particulars ironed out,it's time to narrow suitable tile varieties complementing your interior decor theme. Whether your living room exudes traditional refinement, casual contemporary flair or modern edge, choose materials aligning with the aesthetic.

Match Tiles to Decor

Analyze your living room's existing paint colors, furniture shades,textiles and accessory hues for inspiration choosing cohesive tiles. Neutral foundation tiles punctuated with bold accent designs or mosaics help rooms lacking a definitive palette feel curated versus haphazard. Repetition of shapes, colors and finishes creates continuity. For predominantly neutral spaces, vibrant tiles inject welcome contrast.

Consider Rustic, Modern or Traditional Themes

Thematic details manifesting in your lighting fixtures, window treatments and artwork set the prevailing decorative style best complemented by coordinating floor tiles. For farmhouse inspired living rooms, natural stone or wood-effect tiles enhance the rustic vibe. Contemporary spaces shine with polished porcelain or glass tiles in neutral palettes. Traditional living rooms reflect refined sophistication with marble looks or decorative inlay designs.

Visualize Neutral or Bold Colors

Living rooms with an abundance of ornate furnishing details and accent colors benefit from neutral flooring as a solid anchor.Muted solid-colored tiles or subtly speckled varieties prevent visual clutter. For spartan spaces craving more dynamism, vivid mosaic tiles positioned as statement focal points energize the palette.

Envision Light or Dark Shades

Floor tile colors wield immense influence on living room aesthetics by visually changing spatial proportions. Light reflective shades make rooms appear more expansive. Darker tiles underscore cozy intimacy in accommodating smaller family spaces. Additionally, large-scale graphic tiles introduce movement and modern edge.

Evaluate Maintenance and Durability Factors

The long-term preservation and upkeep requirements inherent in certain tile materials should fit your lifestyle reality. Prioritize easy-clean options if you dread intensive maintenance routines. Analyze foot traffic volumes through the space and whether you have kids or pets prone to making messes. Realistically weighing these variables upfront prevents daily frustration and potential tile damage.

Assess Foot Traffic Volume

Consider who frequents your living room and how often when selecting appropriately enduring floor tiles. For households with kids and pets always underfoot, durable porcelain tile withstands considerable wear. Lighter traffic retirement dream homes warrant more lenient tile material options focused solely on aesthetics over hardcore longevity.

Determine Ability to Resist Moisture

Periodic spills are inevitable in family living rooms. Determine whether your lifestyle and visitors warrant choosing purposefully water-resistant tiles. For accident-prone spaces also doubling as makeshift dining areas, porcelain or ceramic stoneware tiles shrug off moisture. Meanwhile, natural stone and terracotta tiles require diligent sealing and care when exposed excess water.

Consider Pets and Kids in Household

Carefree pets and rambunctious children subject living room floors to daily wear and tear. Select durable, resilient tiles with longevity to withstand scratched paws, errant toys and boisterous play. Textured varieties help minimize slips. Easy-clean, seamless grout also facilitates maintenance.