The bathroom can be one of the most frequented rooms in your home. It will receive guests, but it can also be a private place where you find yourself decompressing in a hot bath. For these reasons, a bathroom deserves thoughtful planning for a design within your budget. Breaking the bank isn’t necessary. Consider using different materials, using the more expensive elements sparsely. Consider the use of different grout colors, and using different size tiles, for example, very large wood tiles in the shower, or a floor that is a combination of porcelain and stone. If you need a place to start, consider these basic points on popular tiling options and balance them against your needs.
Stone, while the most expensive, provides a beautiful presence. As flooring, stone handles moisture quite well, but it can be cold and slippery. Sandblasting stone to provide more texture is possible or finding a more naturally textured stone such as slate can resolve this issue. If you love stone but find it much too expensive, consider ways to use it as an accenting element. Perhaps even an “area rug” surrounded by tile.
Porcelain is best because when it comes to moisture resistance, low cost, and elegance. Porcelain is part of the ceramic family but it’s qualification is special; tiles defined as porcelain have a water absorption rate of 0.5% or less.
Ceramic tiles are very versatile in size, shape, and texture, and can even look like wood or stone. They can be squares, octagons, hexagons, and other shapes and vary in sizes between 2-foot squares, and 4-inch squares (for example). Using different sizes and also grout colors other than the usual white can really provide an outstanding design for a fair price.
Engineered Wood is another beautiful option with versatility. Engineered wood is more stable than solid wood and handles moisture better as well.
If you’re considering a new look for your bathroom, adding new tile to some or all sections of the bathroom can have a huge effect. Stop by the showroom at the Floor Store in Thornebrook Village to discuss your options with our flooring pros.