Avoiding Expensive Blunders When Purchasing Tiles: A Guide to Steer Clear of Common Errors
In the exciting world of home decor, choosing the right tiles can make all the difference. From adding a touch of elegance to enhancing the aesthetic appeal, tiles are an investment in your home and the backdrop for your at-home memories. However, it's essential to avoid common pitfalls that could lead to costly mistakes.
Firstly, selecting tiles based solely on their appearance without considering their functionality and suitability for the intended space is a mistake to avoid. For instance, glossy or highly textured tiles may be slippery on floors, especially in wet areas like bathrooms, and harder to maintain on walls exposed to water. Always check the tile's slip resistance rating and appropriateness for floors vs walls.
Another common error is not considering the compatibility of tile colours and textures with the overall room design. Choosing a tile that clashes with other elements such as brassware, vanity colours, lighting tones, or grout colours can disrupt the visual flow, resulting in costly additional changes to accessories or paint to make everything match.
Picking grout colours that do not complement the tiles appropriately is another mistake to avoid. A mismatch such as bright white grout on dark tiles or dark grout on light tiles can visually disrupt the design. Also, choosing grout colours like pure white for showers can lead to quick staining and discoloration, causing dissatisfaction over time.
Ignoring proper subfloor preparation before tile installation can lead to cracks and structural problems later, necessitating expensive repairs. Therefore, it's crucial to ensure the subfloor is prepared correctly before installing tiles.
Falling in love with large, smooth tiles in wet areas without considering safety is another pitfall. Large tiles with fewer grout lines may be slippery, so smaller tiles with more grout lines are recommended to provide traction and reduce slip risk in showers or bathrooms.
Choosing materials like glass or onyx tiles without understanding their installation challenges can also lead to issues. These can reveal imperfections like trowel marks behind glass tiles or may require careful handling and lighting for onyx, increasing cost and complexity.
To steer clear of these mistakes, it's essential to consider the tile’s functionality, safety, maintenance, compatibility with the overall design scheme, and proper installation methods upfront.
If you're in the market for high-quality tiles and bespoke luxury bathrooms, look no further than West One Bathrooms Ltd, established in London in 1978. With a tailored sales and design service, they offer a wide range of options for various tile sizes, including 5 x 5 x 1.2 cm, 30.5 x 30.5 cm, and 29.2 x 29.8 x 1 cm. Their mission is to help you save money while decorating with tiles without breaking the bank.
Remember, trends in tile styles may come and go, but core design decisions like tiling should feel timeless, rather than trendy. Bold designs are back in trend, but tiling is more permanent than paint, so it's important to genuinely love a statement tile, not just because it's trending.
Plaid and gingham tiles are currently popular tile styles. However, falling in love with a tile without checking its suitability for the space, particularly in bathrooms and walk-in showers, can lead to issues like slipperiness and high maintenance.
In conclusion, by considering functionality, safety, maintenance, compatibility with the overall design scheme, and proper installation methods, you can ensure your tile choices will stand the test of time and provide a beautiful, durable, and safe addition to your home.
- In the world of home decor, selecting the right tiles plays a crucial role in enhancing the aesthetic appeal of a space while serving as an investment for your home.
- Ignoring the functionality and suitability of tiles for the intended space can result in costly mistakes, like choosing glossy or highly textured tiles that may be slippery on floors, especially in wet areas.
- Colour compatibility with the overall room design is also essential, as clashing tiles with brassware, vanity colours, lighting tones, or grout colours can disrupt the visual flow.
- Mismatched grout colours, such as bright white on dark tiles or dark grout on light tiles, can also visually disrupt the design, while pure white grout in showers may lead to quick staining and discoloration.
- Proper subfloor preparation before tile installation is a must to prevent cracks and structural problems that may require expensive repairs later.
- Large, smooth tiles in wet areas can be slippery, so smaller tiles with more grout lines are recommended for better traction and reduced slip risk.
- Opting for materials like glass or onyx tiles without understanding their installation challenges can lead to issues like imperfections and increased cost and complexity.
- When shopping for tiles, it's important to consider the tile's functionality, safety, maintenance, compatibility with the overall design scheme, and proper installation methods, while staying mindful that trends in tile styles may come and go, and core design decisions should feel timeless rather than trendy.
