What is the best type of tile for a kitchen?
by Team BuildMyplace on Aug 27, 2024
While preparing for a kitchen makeover, choosing the suitable tile is the most fundamental choice. In addition to their practical use, tiles give style, strength, and straightforwardness to kitchen support. To choose suitable kitchen tiles, you must understand your options and know how they align with your goals as you target the backsplash area, walls, or floor.
Kitchen Floor Tiles: Durability Meets Style
Tiles should be simple, attractive, and long-lasting because the kitchen tiles flooring will be subjected to spills, heavy foot traffic, and everyday use. Some options for kitchen floor tiles are as follows:
Porcelain Tiles
Porcelain tiles are among the most excellent decisions for the kitchen because of their sturdiness and resistance to water. They are vital because they are made of denser, better mud and are heated higher than ceramic tiles. They resist staining, chipping, and breaking, even with heavy foot traffic.
Advantages of Porcelain Tiles:
Durability: This is one of the most complex tile materials available, so it's perfect for kitchen areas with heavy foot traffic.
Water Resistance: It has low porosity, hence less water absorption, and is not prone to water stains or spills that can cause damage.
Ceramic Tiles
Another famous floor type is Ceramic kitchen tiles. Although they are considerably less thick than porcelain, they come in a wide assortment of designs and are more budget-friendly. Ceramic Tile installation and cleaning are likewise simple, so they are practical for most homeowners.
Benefits of Ceramic Tiles:
Moderateness: Compared with porcelain, ceramic tiles are more reasonable and, thus, phenomenal for redesigns with limited budgets.
Variety: Ceramic tiles come in various assortment, patterns, and sizes to fit any plan.
Natural Stone Tiles
Natural stone tiles, like granite, marble, or slate, can make excellent choices for a kitchen tiles floor if you want to achieve luxurious yet ageless designs. Since each stone tile is unique, it gives a customized look that adds significant value to the home.
Advantages of Natural Stone Tiles:
Extraordinary Feel: Stone tiles are regular items, so no two will ever appear identical, giving your kitchen a unique, outstanding-quality look.
Natural Beauty: Stone tiles bring a piece of natural beauty into your home and make a warm, comfortable feel.
Kitchen Wall Tiles: Function Coupled with Style
Kitchen wall tiles protect the walls from splashes and stains, particularly around cookstoves and sinks. They likewise function as a design element, complementing or contrasting the kitchen's style, which is why kitchen tiles for the wall are so important.
Subway Tiles
Subway tiles have been an evergreen classic for kitchen wall tiles for decades. Their basic rectangular shape with a shiny finish gives a spotless look that is forever in fashion for classic and trendy kitchens.
Benefits of Subway Tiles:
Simple washing: Their shiny, smooth surface makes washing them comparatively simple, which makes them ideal for use on kitchen walls.
Numerous Layout Options: Subway tiles, typically in a horizontal brick pattern, can be stacked vertically or herringboned to create various visual effects.
Glass Tiles
Glass tiles are another excellent option for kitchen walls. They offer style with a sleek, contemporary look in several colors and many finishes, including clear, frosted, and textured.
Advantages of Glass Tiles:
Reflective Quality: Glass tiles reflect light and add more brilliance and a feeling of openness to the kitchen.
Resistant to Water and Stains: Glass tiles are exceptionally resistant to water and stains, so they function admirably in places exposed to splashes.
Mosaic Tiles
Mosaic tiles are designed from small tiles set in patterns or images. They are mainly applied on walls in the kitchen as a design feature. They can be made from glass, ceramic, porcelain, and natural stone.
Advantages of Mosaic Tiles:
Visual Interest: Their small size and wide range of colors and materials add texture and depth to your kitchen walls.
Accent Pieces: Mosaic tiles often serve as accent pieces; therefore, they work out very well in adding a pop of color or pattern behind your stove or above your sink.
Kitchen Backsplash Tiles: Finishing Touches
The kitchen backsplash is where usefulness meets imagination. It shields your walls from cooking splashes and offers a phenomenal chance for personal styling. The best kitchen backsplash tiles improve your countertops, cabinets, and overall kitchen plan.
Ceramic and Porcelain Tiles
Ceramic and porcelain tiles are perfect for kitchen backsplashes because they are adaptable and simple to clean. They come in many designs, from simple, solid colors to extensive patterns resembling natural materials like stone or wood.
Ceramic and Porcelain Backsplash Tiles:
Adaptability: With such different styles, these tiles will undoubtedly complement each kitchen's stylistic layout, whether super current or conventional.
Sturdiness: Ceramic and porcelain tiles oppose intensity and dampness similarly, making them suitable for a similar kind of backsplash.
Natural Stone Tiles
Natural stone backsplash tiles like slate, travertine, or marble give your kitchen a posh and natural look. They come in several finishes, from polished to honed, with each having its character and feel.
Advantages of Natural Stone Backsplash Tiles:
Texture and Depth: Natural variations in stone create texture and dimension to make your backsplash a focal point.
Durability: Stone tiles can hold their own against kitchen abuse with proper sealing.
How to Choose the Right Kitchen Tile for Your Home
Consider your kind of life, financial situation, and preferred style when choosing kitchen tiles. Each variety of tile has its unparalleled benefit, so it will depend on what you want to accomplish:
- For Durability and Low Maintenance: Porcelain tiles are the best option for durability or low maintenance. They're specifically ideal for high-foot-traffic areas, such as the kitchen floor.
- For Classic, Versatile Style: Ceramic tiles perform well on walls, floors, and backsplashes, as they are diverse and won't break the bank.
- For High-End, One-of-a-Kind Style: Natural stone tiles will give any kitchen a sophisticated, ageless look but are also more high-maintenance.
- Glass and metal tiles yield an ultra-modern appearance for a modern, streamlined style, primarily as backsplash tiles.
Conclusion: Making Your Final Choice
When aesthetics, practicality, and budget are considered, the best type of tile for a kitchen becomes clear.
BuildMyPlace has the best kitchen tiles for any style and requirement. You can browse our online collection or seek personalized advice from our design experts via video call.
Frequently Asked Question
Q. What is the most durable tile for kitchen flooring?
A. Porcelain tiles can survive high-traffic areas and are most resistant to stains, wear, and moisture.
Q. Can I use the same tile on the kitchen floor and backsplash?
A. Yes, you can, but choosing different styles to add visual interest and separate the spaces is typical.
Q. Are natural stone tiles a lot of maintenance?
A. With the proper maintenance, natural stone tiles may survive very long, but they require regular sealing to prevent stains and damage.
Q. Which tile is most effortless to clean in the kitchen?
A. Ceramic tiles and glass are most effortless to clean because they're smooth and nonporous surfaces.
Q. How do I choose the right-sized tile for my kitchen?
A. Larger tiles give a more continuous appearance, which is suitable for flooring. Smaller tiles or mosaics provide a beautiful look for a backsplash or other accent areas.