Porcelain Flooring

If you are hard pressed for time and can’t manage to pay attention to your flooring, you should opt to have porcelain tile flooring. This kind of flooring is easy to take care of, remains very durable and can resist stains. It will remain shining for long if you only sweep and clean it regularly. Nevertheless, if the floor has gone a bit too dirty or developed some stubborn stains, you are required to follow correct cleaning method to have clean porcelain tile flooring.

There are three types of porcelain tile flooring: textured, polished or unpolished. The cleaning process for each type is different.

Unpolished Flooring

Remove all the furniture from the room to facilitate cleaning of the floor. As a first step sweep the floor to remove all the dirt. Now, in a bucket of hot water add non-bleach cleaning solution and apply the same to the floor. Let the solution be on floor for a while but don’t allow it to get dried up. In the meanwhile you may work on the smaller area. Mop the floor clean and scrub it off, using a soft brush. Using a piece of clean cloth, wipe the entire floor. Once again mop using clean water. You may repeat the entire process till all the stains have been removed.

Polished Porcelain Flooring

Using a dust mop you need to sweep dust off the floor. It is not recommended to use broom as it could spoil the polish on the tiles. Add a quart of mild cleaning solution to a bucketful of hot water. Then clean the tiles using a mop and wipe the floor with a rag. You may add cleaning solution if needed. Repeat the process for the entire floor covering. Use a clean cloth to dry the floor so that its luster is preserved.

Textured Flooring

Cleaning this kind of flooring is rather tedious because dust gets settled in the textured pattern. With help of a broom sweep the floor in all directions to remove dirt from bumps and ripples of the pattern. A detergent solution or some neutral solution can be used for cleaning the floor. Care should be taken to use hot water at all times. Scrub the tiles with brush having hard bristles. Using a napkin the tiles may be patted dry.

Proper Porcelain Tile Care

It’s easier to clean flooring with porcelain tiles, compared to other kids of flooring. You need to clean these occasionally to keep them shining. You’ll find the following tips helpful in keeping your porcelain tiles clean:
- Do not walk on porcelain tiles with dirty shoes.
- The floor should be cleaned with a broom or vacuumed at least two times per week.
- Porcelain tiles should never be cleaned with bleach or ammonia based cleaning agents for fear of getting the tiles discolored. A safe and simple way to clean tiles is to use a mixture of 1/4th cup vinegar in two gallons of water. This mixture cleans the tiles efficiently and also removes any disagreeable odors.

Porcelain tile flooring is superior to other flooring types and adds value to your home. It is durable, versatile and you can have it in attractive patters. That makes it important to regularly clean porcelain floor tiles to have a shining floor for long time.

Many homeowners prefer to have porcelain floor tiles for their homes. These durable tiles are available in a large range if designs. Porcelain tiles are a better version of ceramic tiles with properties better than the latter. Porcelain tiles are prepared by firing clay with crushed stones to get long lasting heavy duty tiles. Despite all their positive characteristics, there are certain problems associated with using such tiles.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Porcelain Floor Tiles

Though porcelain originated in China and enjoyed patronage of royalty, now it’s being used in homes and commercial offices. Here are the advantages and limitations of using porcelain tiles that you may like to consider before utilizing these for flooring of your home.

Advantages of Porcelain Floor Tiles

Porcelain floor tiles are considered to be among the most durable kind of flooring for being used in interiors. These are ideally suited for high traffic areas like malls. This kind of flooring is very hard and not likely to get chipped or cracked easily. Their other important characteristic is that they can resist moisture and stains. So, accidental spills are easily taken care of by just cleaning the tiled floor with a mop and normal floor cleaner. These tiles are fire resistant too.

You get porcelain tiles in a large range of finishing and designs. Generally these are not printed but you can have them with speckles and veins. You get these in a huge variety of colors, allowing you to choose as per your requirements and taste. You may even have them with the looks of wood to get the appearance of wooden floor minus the serious maintenance needed for such floors. Porcelain tiles with marble looks make an excellent choice.

As the color or texture of porcelain tile runs through its thickness, one won’t see the repulsive base of the tile even if it gets cracked or chipped. Furthermore, as their edges are sharper they need minimum thickness of grout for installation. That allows you to have better uniformity and decent appearance when installed over a large area.

Disadvantages of Porcelain Floor Tiles

On the negative side, porcelain tiles are exceptionally hard and cold and health experts are of the opinion that walking on such floors, especially bare footed, may cause excessive stress on the joints, resulting to troubles of the joints. Further, tiles with glossy finish become very slippery especially on wet floors. As the thickness of grout is very small it becomes very tedious to clean the grout in case of porcelain tiles. Installation of porcelain tiles needs the services of a professional as at times their uneven thickness could make the floor look uneven. That further adds to the expense, as otherwise too porcelain tiles are more expensive than normal ceramic tiles because of the advantages already pointed above.

Nevertheless, it is the luster of porcelain flooring that allows you to overlook the disadvantages of porcelain tiles. Despite being more expensive, porcelain floor tiles last longer and impart a grand lavish look to your home.

Manufacturing of porcelain or ceramic tiles continues to be in the traditional way of kiln firing. Ceramic and porcelain tiles are available in a variety of colors in varying sizes. Some of the recognized brands offering durable tiles are: Takla, Torino, Kaska and others.

Depending on the kind of requirements you have in mind for flooring, you can choose one from among different kinds of tiles available these days. Features that favor installation of tile floor are the capacity of tiles to bear heavy footfalls and ease of maintaining and keeping them clean. Other than that, they also bring in an element of decoration to interiors of your home.

Porcelain tile flooring offers many benefits. While adding a refined touch to the good looks of a floor, they are strong enough to high foot traffic and continue to remain durable. Another benefit is their high resistance to moisture. These are totally waterproof and thus hygienic, affordable and long lasting.

Since these are made from harder materials, they are harder wearing than ceramic variety. The temperature employed for their baking is much higher than that of ceramic tiles.

As they don’t attract bacteria, it’s healthier to be using porcelain tiles. This feature makes them especially desirable for being used in bathroom, laundry and kitchen areas that tend to attract humidity and moisture.

Porcelain tiles work out economical in the long run because of their low initial cost, dependable quality that can be relied upon.

Being totally waterproof, porcelain tiles are ideal for installing in bathrooms and shower stalls.

One sure way of having good looking durable floors that remain free of bacteria is to install porcelain flooring. Their prices are also quite affordable. Their availability in large variety of colors and designs makes it easy for you to choose the ones that will complement the interiors of the room where you want to include them. Before you order the tiles online or go out to buy from a store, it’ll be good to think about the kind of design and style you would prefer to have in the room you intend providing with tiles.
Other than the style, you should also consider the size, as porcelain tiles are available in various sizes.

Travertine flooring is like stone flooring made from natural sediments obtained from limestone. Its more popular names are onyx marble or Egyptian alabaster. Travertine is produced as minerals in ground get disintegrated in the ground water that is forced to come up to the surface through natural springs and rivers. On getting pressurized limestone is transformed to travertine, which is just a step lower than being formed to marble. To tell the truth, the looks of Travertine flooring tiles are very close to pricey marble tiles.

The travertine is cut to make floor tiles that are subsequently polished and finished. The hardness rating of finished Travertine flooring tiles is 3-4, making them longer lasting. That’s why it’s preferable to use them than using porcelain tiles.

The Romans first used travertine tiles for very high traffic areas in their homes and other public buildings. These days you can find them being used for wall coverings, counter tops and as showers.

Porcelain tiles come at a very affordable price. However, keeping in mind the hard times we are passing thru due unhealthy state of economy Travertine flooring tiles too should cost almost the same if not less. The installation of porcelain tiles requires grouting to fill up the gaps that appear between any two tiles. With the installation of Travertine flooring tiles, the gap between any two tiles is just 1/16. So, they need a very small quantity of grout. Apart from the saving of grout and the effort needed for applying the same, the floor looks nicer with a thinner grout line.

Use of Travertine tiles for walls and floors is getting popular by the day. Those having seen a home designed to include Travertine demand the local home improvement stores to order on the manufacturers Travertine tiles in varying colors including white, black, beige, gold, and rustic reds and a lot of other colors. Of course, porcelain tiles have a nice look around them, but having Travertine flooring tiles give that marble look to homes and are the latest thing.

Installation of travertine tiles in your home adds to its value, should you decide to sell it anytime. Keeping the marble look in mind you can decide the kind of changes you would like to make if you choose to remodel your present home using Travertine flooring. And, builders have been quick to sense the value of including these tiles in the new buildings. Travertine tiles surely enhance the finish of any new home.

If you haven’t had a chance to see Travertine flooring, do visit a local home improvement store to appreciate the difference between the porcelain tiles and the Travertine tiles.

Though it appeared on scene in 1991, EGE Seramik has earned a good reputation as a manufacturer of high-class products and is considered as number one choice of many customers. As per the available statistics of 2006, EGE sells worth about $20 million in the North American continent. EGE is renowned for its materials made in Turkey, using ceramic and porcelain.

Porcelain or other ceramic materials are used for making of wood tile flooring. These tiles look very much like wood. They may be used as floor tiles or as wall tiles. The Atlantic series of EGE Seramik comprises of rectified tiles. Usually tiles are cut before firing, but these rectified tiles are cut after firing. That allows you to have a better control over the size and exact dimensions of the tile. That’s why such tiles are also known as dimensionally stable tiles.

Rectified porcelain tiles offer many advantages, though they do have some limitations too. Like any other porcelain tile they get cracked easily. However, these tiles present a good decorating medium due their consistency of dimensions. Another helpful feature of rectified porcelain tiles is that you can have thinner grout lines.

Atlantic series is a top class series of EGE Seramik that could be employed for wood tile flooring. You get three different colors in this Atlantic series. These are white, blue and beige. All the wood grain ceramic tiles, as also the wood look porcelain tiles are made in one size of 5 x 24. Wood grain ceramic tiles are often used in bathrooms and kitchens. They also find an extensive application for outdoor use. The wood grain ceramic tiles are waterproof and therefore longer lasting.

The tiles made from ceramic materials are not so expensive as those made from porcelain. The porcelain tiles comprising the Atlantic series are rectified and come with a high shade variation. The glazed porcelain tiles are also available in another attractive color of oak. These rectified glazed porcelain tiles have a weight of 50 and the PEI wear rating of these tiles is about 4.

Rectified glazed porcelain tiles are widely used for different purposes like countertops, walls, floors, and exterior pool desks. The EGE Seramik has suggested two laying options for this series: Herringbone pattern and the interlocked laying with a maximum overlay of 15%.

These days a very popular option of ceramic tiles comes by way of a range of interceramic flooring tiles. They are shaped to look like wood and available in a very diversified range that adds to their popularity. These are long lasting and have a beautiful appearance after finishing. They retain their beauty and brightness for long. Some interceramic Timberland tiles have the appearance of wood grain tiles.

Some of the popular colors of wood grain tiles include Golden Saddle, nature valley, country suede and mountain timber. The entire series of interceramic Timberland tiles has wood-look tile appearance, be they of golden saddle color or another color.

Wood look ceramic flooring comprise of glazed porcelain. Usually they have a rectangular shape. The ceramic flooring range offers total resistance from any chemical action occurring between the layers of the floors of your home. It also prevents the entry of moisture from the underside into the tiles that could cause their separation.

The wood look ceramic tiles are most often used for indoor applications and floors for residences as well for commercial buildings. Many people like to have these in their TV lounges because that’s the main entrance to the home. It’s becoming a trend to have them on one of the walls of TV lounge. They are also used as flooring material to get the looks of wooden floor. The interceramic wood grain look gives a completely natural look to any home.

You may choose a particular range of flooring from the available vast and dynamic range of ceramic tiling. Interceramic wood look tiles provide an affordable and easy way of decorating your room as per your style and preferences. Because of their smoothness these tiles are easy to wash and clean. Interceramic Timberland wood look tiles are reasonably priced. The wood look ceramic flooring is getting popular the world over and consumers are patronizing this good smooth looking flooring, both for the homes and offices as well. These wood look tiles are being increasingly used in top class offices and Internet cabins.