The room by room tile guide

Tracy Hildreth, E-Business Manager at Ceramic Tile Distributors offers tips on installing tiles in each room of a property.

We understand the huge decision that your client has to make when they consider replacing existing floor tiles or carpets in their property. It’s important for any tradesmen to know the best advice for their clients, including which tile best suits every room in their home.

To celebrate our new voucher referral scheme, we’ve collated our top tips and advice on the best tiles for every room in the home. With this new scheme, tradesmen are given the chance to claim 15% of their customer’s orders, which can be used as a small benefit to you for providing clients with the ideal tiles.

Living room

If your client lives in a colder climate, they may consider making a tiled floor a feature in their living room. Tiled floor is ideal for this climate as they keep cool, whilst also being durable and easy to clean. Ceramic tiles are ideal for this type of property as they are durable and easy to maintain.

Some clients may also ask for floor tiles in a cool climate, but it can be difficult to keep the home feeling warm and cosy. You may want to recommend adding underfloor heating or feature rugs to maintain some heat. 

Wood effect tiles are the perfect match for getting this without the added extras as they’re one of the easiest tiles to install. They also give a natural but warming feeling throughout the home. 

Hallway

The flooring in the hallway of a property is an area which needs to be fitted with high quality, durable tiles. It is the area of the home with the highest traffic and the floor needs to be protected from mud, stains or water splashes.

We wouldn’t recommend using natural stone tiles in the hallway as they need to be resealed periodically to ensure maximum protection. Your client would need to be willing to perform maintenance on a regular basis if these tiles were fitted. 

Porcelain tiles are the better option for the hallway. These types of tile are extremely practical and cost efficient, whilst still remaining durable and being easy to clean. They often mimic the shade variations of natural stone, creating the look without any of the hassle. 

Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home and needs durable, safe and easy to clean tiles. When suggesting the ideal tiles for your client, it is essential for them to purchase a floor tile and not a wall tile. Although this may sound an obvious tip, it is paramount for their safety!

Wall tiles have a lower coefficient of friction (COF), which means the tiles are slippery to walk on and therefore unsafe for use. These tiles are simply not strong enough for foot traffic, so you should ideally check the tile to make sure it is suitable for floor use. A grade of Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI) 5 is important in heavy traffic or external areas.

When the client is looking at floor tiles, suggest that they consider designs with a raised texture, like the Riven tile, or pattern in order to provide them with extra grip. This will result in a much safer kitchen. 

Small kitchens can also be a factor in the design of a kitchen tile. Patterns created by large floor tiles can get lost in the flow of a room, so suggest a smaller tile to maximise the space.

Bathroom

Bathroom tiles are amongst the most popular rooms in the home to tile as they’re the best material to resist water splashes and puddles. Tiles in the bathroom of a property should be easy to clean, durable to heat and have a high water absorption rate. In a home with small children and/or elderly people, it is fundamental for the tiles that are installed to be slip-resistant.

Porcelain tiles are recommended for use in the bathroom because they are hardwearing, easy to clean and resistant to staining. They’re impervious to water and help decrease the amount of puddles occurring in the bathroom, and of course the correct floor grout will go a long way to help ensure these are waterproof. 

We’re sure that your client’s questions can be efficiently answered with the correct information with our top tips. However, if you raise a question that has not been covered in this blog post, our in-store experts are on hand to give you all the information you could ask for. Simply go to www.ctdtiles.co.uk, and don’t forget to join in on our voucher scheme!