Kitchen Floor Tiles

Beduffshirl

Just got our Smart new kitchen ready to go in. Any suggestions as to some nice floor tiles - would like fairly traditional as got Magnet Rustic Oak doors.

tawnyowls

You've basically got three choices: natural (eg stone ones such as slate or granite, or clay ones such as quarry/terracotta), ceramic or vinyl. Natural stone and ceramic are both hardwearing, but cold underfoot, and they will probably need to be sealed - some ceramic ones may need to be too. Slate & terracotta can chip, so you need to keep a few spare. Vinyl tiles (eg Amtico, Karndean) are warmer underfoot, and although they might not be as hardwearing as natural or ceramic, they are still very tough (Karndean do a 20-year guarantee). They come in a wide range of finishes (wood, tile, metallic, mosaic, etc) and they're very easy to clean. I'm a real fan of these, especially Karndean, and I would always choose them for a kitchen.

However, do have a good look round and get an idea of what the different sorts of tiles are like, and also get advice from the shops on the best one to suit your floors and any preparation that might be needed.

Alan_M_2

What age is the house, what is the substrate (i.e. is it floorboards, concrete or a combination of the two).

Are you looking for Ye Olde Worlde Rustic effect or something else?

arnie&caseysma!

I have got some fantastic black slate tiles. My kitchen floor is concrete and was sealed with PVA, the tiles cemented down (before the floor units went in ontop so that the appliances still had space to get it!), tiles laid and then sealed. Sealing only has to be done once a year if that (mine due to be done as soon as I can book A&C into kennels to get the floor dog hair free to seal! - first in 2 years). It is a fantastic finish, I don't find it too cold at all. Cant remember the cost when I got them 4 years ago from Homebase, think it was £17 a box tho not sure how much per square metre, £11 rings a bell somewhere. It is a lush finish and by the sounds of it would go well with the units!

Alan_M_2

It's a common miconception that solid stone floors are always cold, they take on the temperature of their surrounds and once warm hold heat for quite a long period of time. Atfer all , storage heaters are effectively a large lumo of stone which has been heated.

tawnyowls

Well, yes, I should have said 'feel cold underfoot' in my earlier post, because the floor isn't actually colder, but it feels colder. A stone or ceramic tiled floor will feel colder than a wooden or vinyl floor in the same room at the same temperature, because stone and ceramic are more efficient at conducting heat from your skin.

Alan_M_2

Which is why now over 50% of the installations we supply for have some form of underfloor heating fitted.

_Andy_

We have Karndean in our kitchen and bathroom. Gorgeous stuff.