Finishing the living room floor with tiles is a practical and stylish choice. This solution will allow you, if you wish, to make “warm” floors or implement an ultra-modern design project. And there’s no need to talk about durability and ease of use. How to choose tiles for the living room floor? What should you pay attention to?
Floor tiles are a practical and durable material that opens up a lot of possibilities for living room design.
Tiles in the living room: advantages of placement
Tiles should be laid on the floor in many rooms, including living spaces, due to:
- durability;
- high resistance to scratches and cracks;
- the possibility of placing equipment with significant weight on it.
The surface covered with tiles does not deform or deteriorate, even if heavy elements supporting various equipment rest on it for many years. The material will also not be damaged when renovating the living room or moving furniture across the floor.
With tiled floors, keeping the area clean is easy and cleaning up any dirt is quick and easy. This is especially important in the living room, which is the showcase of the home where you invite friends. In addition, the hall is one of the rooms that is most often used by all family members.
To clean the tiles, use a cloth or mop and any cleaning products.
More popular floor finishing materials do not provide the same soundproofing effect as tiles. Movement on the tiled floor is silent, especially when walking in socks. In this option, there is no need to be afraid that the large living room will have an echo.
Tiles can be used in all "tight" spaces: under tables and chairs, where the constant movement of furniture quickly wears out wood panels, and around the fireplace, where the temperature varies and can be high. Moreover, heated floors can be used under the tiles.
Tiles in the living room interior: disadvantages
Using tiles in the living room has its disadvantages, but they are incomparably fewer than the advantages. First of all, the tiled floor will have a lower temperature. The solution to this problem is to install heating from below, but this creates additional costs: one-time and monthly. An easier and cheaper solution is to place thick carpet in areas where the cold is most unpleasant. Unfortunately, tiling the entire floor will take away from the elegant effect you would like to achieve.
Classic floor tiles create visual coolness. Rather, they will not give the apartment a warm homely atmosphere. Glossy tiles in combination with furniture finishing to a high gloss will contribute to the effect known from the image of shopping centers. It’s definitely worth making at least one element of the floor or furniture matte.
Tile installation
It is better to carry out installation work on a concrete base. Laying floor tiles is a fairly complex process. To do this, you need to use the help of professional installers who guarantee excellent results.
At the initial stage, the surface is carefully leveled using special building mixtures. After this, the cord is pulled, which is the level.
Next, a row of several elements is gradually laid down. Beacons are strengthened between the tiles, which tightly fix each detail. It takes about a day for the glue to dry completely. It is worth noting that moving on the finished coating in this case is prohibited.
Mechanical stress can lead to their displacement, which will subsequently lead to the appearance of irregularities.
Living room design: tiles for different interior styles
Tiles are a popular product and are therefore available in various sizes, colors and shades. It is covered with all kinds of patterns. The tiles can imitate wood, white marble, natural stone or raw concrete. The final choice will affect the character of the living room:
- elegant;
- minimalistic;
- rustic.
When looking for an idea for a decorative, colorful floor with eye-catching patterns, you should turn to ceramic tiles - a wide selection allows you to lay out a ceramic rug in the interior, or give the space a palace or even oriental style.
Advantage of ceramic tiles
Among the floor materials that are used for finishing, tiles occupy a worthy, one of the first positions in popularity. Floor tiles have excellent decorative qualities, are easy to clean, and last quite a long time. Thanks to the smooth surface, maintaining tiles in proper condition is much easier than taking care of parquet, laminate, linoleum or carpet.
Primarily, ceramic floor tiles find their use in wet areas such as the bathroom or kitchen. The closed structure of the material does not allow dust to accumulate or microorganisms to multiply. This makes it an ideal cover for people suffering from asthma or allergies.
To make a floor with such a coating clean, you just need to vacuum it and then wipe it with a damp cloth.
Important! When choosing detergents for tiles, you need to carefully read the instructions. Using low-quality products when cleaning the floor may not have the best effect on its cleanliness.
Durability
It is unlikely that carpet or laminate flooring will last you a long time, a maximum of 5-7 years. While the service life of ceramic tiles can easily reach 40 or even 50 years. Today, only parquet boards can boast of such durability. However, unlike tiles, parquet will need to be updated periodically.
Of course, the survivability of a particular material will depend on the quality you choose. For example, single or double fired ceramic tiles will last you at least 30 years.
Porcelain tiles have an even longer service life; such material will delight you for at least 50 years. Natural stone coatings, which offer good resistance to acids of any type, are no less durable.
After 10 years of operation, it will look something like this: laminate (Fig. 1) and ceramic tiles (Fig. 2)
How to make tiles shine
- In order to give the tiles an extraordinary shine and shine, use warm water with a small amount of ammonia to wash them.
- After this, apply a light layer of linseed oil to a clean surface, adding beeswax or liquid silicone to it.
- Once dry, wipe the floor with a soft microfiber cloth until the solution is completely removed.
You can improve the appearance of tiles only by regularly caring for them. For severe contamination, use special products containing industrial alcohol. You can also use folk remedies to clean tile flooring. For example, potato decoction or regular starch does the job perfectly.
After each procedure, it is advisable to apply a thin layer of linseed oil or a special cream to the surface of the tile. This will allow the floor to maintain its appearance without changes for much longer.
Living room floor tiles: which option to choose?
Regardless of the size of the living room, large format tiles are ideal for laying on the floor. They contribute to the optical enlargement of space and give the effect of consistency. The fewer gaps that are left between the tiles and the thinner the seam, the more pronounced the effect will be.
Large format tiles come in a variety of shapes and colors. Squares and rectangles on different sides should be selected in such a way that cutting the tiles is not required or occurs on the smallest possible surface. The key here is to know how to install large format tiles. It's also a good idea to measure the living room so that the tiles at the ends of the living room are the same length, rather than one being the original size and one being significantly shorter.
Tile flooring can easily be matched to a modern, Provençal or rustic room. It all depends on the pattern of the ceramic finish. It can reproduce different types of wood, their exact patterns and rings. It can also successfully replace natural stone - travertine, granite or marble. There are models that look deceptively like trendy concrete.
It's no surprise that tiles are very popular in the interior design industry today. Moreover, its durability and resistance are better than, for example, laminate.
White, gray and wood - trends of the season
Currently, the most fashionable colors will be patterns that imitate natural marble, gray or beige. These shades will perfectly match the minimalist interior design trend. They will create a uniform floor plane and a clear contrast with other surfaces, such as contrasting walls. In turn, a white floor, especially in small living rooms, will optically increase the space.
Rules and recommendations for choosing tiles
The price of a good tile cannot be less than $15. per square meter. Today, almost every tile collection has light and dark versions, with decorative elements (borders, relief inserts, etc.).
It is better to choose glossy tiles for walls and matte tiles for floors. Experts do not recommend laying glossy tiles on the floor, since during operation its surface may become unusable. The choice of decor also needs to be approached intelligently. The fact is that cutting small elements is not recommended, due to the fact that joining such parts in the future will be very difficult and the end result may ultimately disappoint you.
It is better to avoid using borders in small rooms altogether. This will complicate the correct selection of plumbing fixtures and the aesthetic perception of the entire renovation.
It is also important to choose the right grout. Its color should match the color of the tile, but you can choose a grout that is two or three shades lighter. It is better to choose dark tiles for the floor and bottom of the bathroom; it is more practical. There will be fewer problems with cleaning. Guided by these simple rules, choosing tiles for your renovation will be easier.
Shape and color
Today we can say that small floor tiles are out of fashion. The main trend now is large format tiles. Beautiful, durable, designed in a strict modern style, it will satisfy every taste. Sales specialists recommend floor tiles of sizes 100x100 and larger - first of all.
Using large format tiles you can create a feeling of additional space. It will fit perfectly into the interior of any room: living room, bathroom, hallway, kitchen, corridor, loggia and even bedroom.
The huge size of the tiles allows you to radically change the appearance of the room, transforming the space around. You can achieve an even greater effect by placing it diagonally.
When it comes to choosing tile shades, it is best to give preference to warm and soothing tones. And, if in the 80-90s tiles of bright colors were in fashion, today preference is given to neutral shades in a simple style.
Leading manufacturers of ceramic tiles have studied the preferences of their customers and today can offer a variety of colors and patterns to suit every taste. And some manufacturers have gone even further and developed flooring that imitates concrete and brickwork.
A variety of modern floor tiles
Parquet or tiles, which is better?
Wherever you are doing renovations, in a private house or a new apartment, sooner or later the question arises, which flooring is better to choose. Indeed, today the choice is so great that it is quite difficult for an ordinary person to understand all the intricacies of this or that material.
Parquet boards and laminate are quite popular materials for flooring. And if there are almost no complaints about the first one (except for the price), then the choice of laminate should be approached in detail. This coating does not last long and after a while it will have to be changed again, and this is a new waste of time and money.
Self-leveling flooring is a rather specific product and not everyone will like it. As for the choice of tiles, this is an ideal covering for many rooms. Even in bedrooms, where it would seem there is no place for it, tiles can look good, especially collections that imitate the texture of natural wood.
Ceramic tiles that imitate the texture of real wood create the impression of human unity with the surrounding nature
Kitchen-living room: tiles and laminate
Tiles on the floor in the kitchen-living room are the ideal solution. Especially if it is combined with the laminate flooring of the living room, zoning the useful space of the common room.
The tiles are offered in a huge range of colors. You can use attractive designs that are hard to find on wood or laminate floors. Tiles can be used to create a uniform, elegant floor. Especially when you choose large plain options, for example, 60 × 60 cm or even 75 × 75 cm. A uniform surface, for example, imitating concrete, is most easily achieved using straightened tiles (the edges are cut at right angles). Modern concrete tiles have a size of 75 × 75 cm, which allows them to create an almost uniform floor.
If you like shiny floors, then no other material is as good as polished ceramic tiles. The shiny surface will beautifully reflect and diffuse light, illuminating the entire room. A tiled floor is ideal when the living room is connected to the kitchen - thanks to the tiles, the floor will be uniform, optically connecting both rooms.
Wood-effect tiles are perfect for both the living room and the kitchen. Ceramic tiles are an ideal idea for people who love wood on their floors, but want to avoid the hassle of maintaining, cleaning, and varnishing them. Tiles may look like different types of planks, but they are much easier to maintain. Platinum, laid out in a classic style, resembles a wooden parquet floor.
It should be remembered that unglazed porcelain or natural stone tiles will require impregnation, which will protect their surface from dirt getting into the structure and unsightly discoloration. All other types of tiles do not require such care.
Tiles on the wall: why and what for
By improving their skills and coming up with more and more new design options, professionals make a much wider choice. Who would have thought a few years ago that the walls of a room could be covered not only with wallpaper, but also with tiles and a combination of materials.
Tiles are a reliable and durable material that will serve you for many years.
Why is it more profitable to decorate a wall with tiles? There are several reasons for this:
- The choice of colors and designs is very wide. You can choose what suits your tastes and preferences;
- Using this material you can easily delimit the zones of the room;
- The tile is resistant to external influences. She is not afraid of sudden changes and temperature changes. Thanks to tiles, you can install a fireplace in your living room without worry;
- The tiles are easy to clean. Simply run a damp cloth over it and all dust and dirt will be removed;
- The tile looks elegant and pompous;
- It will last you much longer than any other material.
Thanks to tiles, you don’t have to think about repairing and decorating walls for many, many years.
Heated living room floor tiles
When planning underfloor heating in your home or apartment, ceramic tiles are the best solution. This duo is perfectly complemented by tiles that conduct heat well. Heated floors make cold surfaces warmer, making them extremely pleasant to step on. Ceramic tiles are very durable and resistant to damage. There are no problems cleaning them. When purchasing them, pay attention to the abrasion class. In the living room you can successfully use tiles labeled PEI 3/750, but for high-use areas it is better to choose those that have a higher resistance, such as PEI 3/1500. The PEI symbol is a measure of the resistance of glazed tiles to surface abrasion - the higher the PEI value, the higher the grade of the tile.
The floor tiles in the living room are practical and beautifully presented in the photo gallery. In addition, they are ideal for the popular underfloor heating. Check out this season's trendiest arrangements.
