Choosing the Best Tile Types to Complement Your Living Room
When considering new flooring for your living room, tile is an increasingly popular option that offers style, durability, and easy maintenance. With so many tile types, colors, sizes, and textures available, selecting the right tiles to complement your living room can be overwhelming. Read on as we break down the best tile options to create a fashionable, long-lasting living room floor.
The way people move around and utilize the living room space should guide tile choice. Entryways and hallways endure the most foot traffic and require slip-resistant durability. Decorative tiles suit less-trafficked living room corners partially hidden by furnishings. Carefully weigh aesthetics and practicality when tiling areas with varying traffic flow.
Porcelain and Ceramic - Most Durable Options
If durability is a top priority, porcelain and ceramic tiles are best suited for high-traffic living rooms. Dense and water-resistant, these tiles withstand decades of wear, scratches, stains, and damage from heavy foot traffic and furniture rearrangement. Though often used interchangeably, porcelain tiles are less porous than ceramic, making them more impervious to moisture.
From rustic wood-look planks to intricate mosaics, porcelain and ceramic tiles now offer styles mimicking natural stone, terra cotta, and even hardwoods. Modern digital printing technology produces stunningly realistic visuals to complement contemporary and traditional decor. Both porcelain and ceramic provide durable, design-forward foundation for any living room.
Maintenance and Installation
Easy to clean and maintain, porcelain and ceramic tiles require only mild soap and water for regular cleaning. With proper installation and a level foundation, both deliver long-lasting performance despite constant foot traffic from family and pets.
Natural Stone Tiles
Slate Tiles
Valued for itsinherent durability and unique texture, natural slate creates a fashionable feature wall or fireplace backdrop. Available in range of colors from bold crimsons to sea glass green, slate tilesadd an earthy, organic vibe. Compared toceramic or porcelain, slate rates lower on hardness, making it better suited for living room spaces with low-to-medium traffic.
Occasional reapplication of sealant helps shield slate tiles from stains and scratches. Avoid excessive moisture that can dull slate's appearance. With proper sealing and care, slate makes an easy-to-clean, contemporary living room flooring choice.
Marble Tiles
Few materials exude luxury and timeless beauty like marble tile. Available in a spectrum of colors with unique veining, marble injects elegant sophistication into traditional and modern living rooms alike. Durable enough for floors when properly sealed, marble also shines as kitchen backsplash or bath surround.
Since marble etches when acid comes in contact, prompt cleaning of spills prevents discoloration or damage. As a softer stone, marble also requires resealing annually to prevent staining. With proper prep and maintenance, marble creates a living room focal point sure to impress guests.
Granite Tiles
Like marble, granite tile adds stylish durability with unique natural veining running through its surface. Available in range of finishes from glossy polished to textured leathered, granite endures decades of living room foot traffic while resisting scratches, cracks, and chips.
On the heavier side, these durable tiles require a reinforced foundation for successful flooring installation. Granite tiles stand up beautifully to pets, kids, parties, and everyday living without losing luster. Their naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial properties also discourage mold growth.
Mosaic Tiles
Though mosaics span centuries as decorative artform across cultures, modern mesh-backed mosaic sheets make this style achievable for contemporary homeowners. Mosaic tiles enable creativity in mixing an endless array of colors, textures, shapes, and materials like glass, porcelain, and natural stone.
Applied to entire living room walls or floors, uniform mosaic tiles create colorful, textural impact. As backsplash, fireplace surround, or accent wall backdrop highlighting artwork, mosaic tiles infuse visual drama. Individual mosaic pieces are by nature small; taken collectively their repeating patterns make bold statements.
Grout between mosaic pieces requires careful cleaning to avoid discoloration. On living room floors rather than walls, mosaics require proper foundation and installation to prevent cracks or tiles popping loose underfoot. With thoughtful design mosaic tiles yield stunning results.
Wood-look Tiles
Wood-look tiles continue gaining popularity with homeowners seeking natural appeal of real hardwoods without associated upkeep. Mimicking oak, walnut, pine, and other wood species, porcelain and ceramic wood-look tiles leverage digital printing technology that captures subtle grain variations and distinguishable knots.
Unlike actual hardwood, wood-look tiles stand up to heavy foot traffic, moisture, dropping dishes, and pet accidents. Their durable yet natural aesthetic complements farmhouse, cottagecore, modern, and contemporary spaces alike. Lighter shades visually expand smaller living rooms.
Textured surfaces effectively replicate the visual charm and feel of walking on real wood. Reminiscent of aged, distressed floorboards in historical homes, reclaimed wood tiles boost cozy appeal. With scratchproof durability and realistic appearance of natural hardwoods, wood-look tiles check all the boxes.
Tile Size and Layout
Beyond choosing a tile type well-suited to your living room, consideration of tile size and layout patterns impacts the floor's overall aesthetic. Timeless and versatile 12"x12" tiles keep installation straightforward. For modern open concept living rooms, large format 18"x18" or 24"x24" tiles create sleek, expansive feeling.
Laying 18- or 24-inch tiles on the diagonal evokes high-end style reminiscent of old world estates. Combining different tile sizes in mosaic patterns like herringbone adds custom flair. Just ensure underlying floor structure appropriately supports larger tiles' weight before installing.
Tile Color and Living Room Size
A tile's color and overall light reflective value (LRV) significantly impacts living room dimensions. While darker tiles make small living rooms feel cozier, lighter tiles effectively expand the look of modest spaces. Soft beiges, creams and whites reflect light, creating airier aesthetic.
Bold accent tiles sparingly incorporated prevent all-white floors looking sterile. In larger living rooms, rich blues, graphite grays, or black mosaic tiles lend sophisticated moody vibe without shrinking the perceived space. Choose colors that complement room size and align with overall home style.
Budget and Planning
When budgeting for new living room tile, material costs vary widely from basic ceramic and porcelain to premium marble and handmade mosaics. Measure exact square footage and obtain quotes for tile and installation costs. DIY-friendly tiles like interlocking wood planks allow homeowners adept at following instructions to self-install.
Factor extra materials into initial budget for breakage or future repairs. Have accurate measurements and floor plans ready when speaking with tile showrooms and installers. Careful planning and cost comparison help prevent mid-project budget shortfalls.
The array of living room tile options enables designers and homeowners to actualize nearly any decorative vision. Porcelain and ceramic deliver unmatched durability and decades of easy maintenance perfect for family living rooms. Natural stone varieties marble, granite, and slate imbue high-end sophistication balanced with durability.
Mosaic tiles supply outlets for creative mixing colors, textures, and patterns unlike any other tile style. For living rooms flowing seamlessly with entryways, wood-look plank tiles supply supreme durability topped only by their realistic appearances. Carefully weigh factors like foot traffic, longevity, and aesthetic goals when selecting the most complementary tiles to create your dream living room.