Tips For Picking the Perfect Floor Tile- By: Annie Deakin

Description : There are a variety of floor tiles available on the market today. I will share some tips for picking the perfect floor tiles. Floor tiles come in a variety of colors, sizes and materials. I will also go over how to install floor tiles it s easier than you might think. The price of the floor tiles are varied because of size and material they are made from.

When you go into a store to find your tile, you will notice that there are literally thousands of tiles to choose from. First you will have to choose the color, or colors that will compliment your room. After you ve chosen the color, you will need to look at the size of the tiles.

There are several standard sizes of tiles. They come in as small as one inch tiles and up to 2 by 2 . Most people choose the 12 by 12 tiles. Will you be making a pattern with your floor tiles? If so, I suggest that you draw out a design to go by so the installer can follow your pattern.

Okay, let s talk about the different materials that tile is made of. The most common is ceramic. Ceramic tile is baked in a kiln, and painted on the top. It is very durable, and can handle a lot of foot traffic. Terracotta clay is another material, it is usually hand shaped, and placed in a kiln to dry. This is a great choice if you are doing a Mexican theme.

Porcelain tile is a very strong tile. Most often you will find porcelain has a shiny surface, and it is very slippery. You could also choose a marble tile, although it is very beautiful, it is very expensive. Most people will put a sealer on the floor tiles so that it s easier to clean, and the stains don t seep into the tiles.

How much does tile cost? Sometimes you can find 12 by 12 ceramic tiles on sale for as low as 69 cents each. I ve seen travartine tiles as much as five dollars each tile. The tiles are packaged in a box of 25, which is standard. You can get some great tiles by shopping the sales. Generally speaking, if you shop the specialty tile store, those tiles will be more expensive.

If you are a do it yourself person, and want to install you own tiles, you might want to go to the lumber store and ask the sales people, they will be happy to show you what supplies you need. They will also give you a quick lesson on the proper way to install tiles. It s very important to place the tiles straight and to start in the middle of the room.

To figure out how many tiles you need, measure your room. For example, your room measures 10 feet by 20 feet, you will multiply 10 X 20, coming up with 120 square feet. You will need to purchase 120 square feet of tiles for your project. The math formula is the same in any room that you want to tile.

Now I ve giving you a brief overview of how to pick out tiles for your project. The lumber store employees are a wealth of information to you. They also offer free classes on how to lay tiles, so that may be something you would be interested in attending.

Article Source : http://www.look4articles.com/

Author Resource : Annie is an expert furniture and interior design writer.