The first thing that a person is likely to see first when he steps in your house is the floor. A floor can really make big impression of your house, and personality as well. You might be having great furniture and walls, but if the floor is rough and dull, it can really be a turn off to a visitor. Therefore, it is always important to keep your floor glamorous at all times. One of the most effective and elegant way of giving your floor that heavenly look and a fine feeling beneath the feet is tiling. A well tiled floor can really transform your room, leaving you and your visitors with good impression and comfort.
The types of tiles available today are far different from many years ago. There are tiles that look like marbles / granite but cost the fraction of marble / granite and are easily maintained. the are tiles that look like sand stone and wood grain that are simply amazing and last much longer and durable to the actual material.
Tiles can be used to ornament your house as well as ease the cleaning and maintenance of your floors. There are various types of floor tiles, depending on the material they are made of, area of application, style, texture, color, design as well as sizes. Commonly, tiles are made of porcelain, ceramics, stone, and of late there are rubber as well as glass tiles; thanks to technological advancement. They are fixed using cement, latex or strong adhesive agents. Spaces between can be filled using the same materials or floor grout that is specifically made for that purpose.
Before choosing the tiles to lay down on your floor, it is good that you think on where they are going to be put, how they are going to be used, the existing type of floor and your preferences. Tiles come in different styles; it all depends on your taste. And although, some tiles can be used almost in all kinds of floors, most of the tiles will be specific on the environment of application. For example, high-end ceramics are known to be good in bathrooms and kitchens while granite, slate or marble tiles are meant for decorative purposes, and are good in living rooms, bedrooms or the lobbies. Irrespective of the material that the tile is made of, the tiles can be designed with patterns of your choice to reflect your personality and suit with the theme of your room. However, custom made tiles, and hand made tiles tend to be more expensive compared to mass-produced tiles.
Natural tiles are normally made from ceramics and stone are resilient to physical damages such as cracks and splits but are usually priced higher than the man-made. The other downside of the natural tiles is that they are normally very cold, especially in cold rooms and floors. So, they require careful choice, planning, installation and use. Industrially produced tiles are uniform in dimensions; width, length and height, and normally have a wider variety of patterns and designs. Granite, slate or marble tiles are well cut on all the sides to have proportional dimensions and hence easy to fix. In case of differences in the thickness of the tiles, more amount of mortar can be added beneath the tile during installation to raise its height into a uniform level. Mass produced tiles tend to be susceptible to physical damage, and are therefore less expensive compared to the natural tiles. But, with good choice, you can as well get great tiles irrespective of your budget or style.
With good choice of tiles and planning, you don’t have to hire an expert; unless if the room to be tiled is quit extensive or require intricate floor designs. All you need is appropriate materials like cement or tile adhesive, tile cutters, floor grout, and of course some hand-work mastery. With this, you are ready to give your floor a new look and feel.
Cost of installing tiles is roughly RM4 to RM6 excluding the tile cost.
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