On a weekend afternoon, the tile aisle at Home Depot in Concord is almost impassable, crowded with customers and carts.
It's a familiar sight for Stacy Van Abrahams, an associate at the store.
"We have a lot of people walk in off the street who have never done a home improvement project before," Van Abrahams says. "They think it looks exciting in a magazine and they want to try it. They just don't know where to begin."
That's especially true with floor tiling, where the product choices seem endless, the equipment needs daunting and the installation complicated.
With so much to learn, floor tiling can be a difficult project to maneuver. But knowing where to begin and what to expect can make the decision process a little less intimidating.
Here, a few participating experts provide some tips for navigating floor tiling. Consult your Yellow Pages to find tile experts, contractors and dealers in your area.
Types of tile
NATURAL STONE: Steven Haghighi, president of Tiles Warehouse in Concord, is a fan of these tiles. His big seller is travertine, a neutral-colored stone, ranging from beige to gold, in the limestone family.
"Natural stone is what adds beauty and value to the home," he says. "Travertine is the trend in floor tiles now because it has a lot more varieties of color and it is affordable."
Travertine comes in four major finishes: polished (shiny), honed (matte), brushed and tumbled. The polished and honed finishes are smooth, while the brushed and tumbled are textured. Tumbled tiles often are used outdoors.
Haghighi notes that Travertine ranges from high-end to low-end, with the more expensive tiles having less color variation and natural holes present in the stone.
- Other natural stones used for floors include sandstone, marble and limestone.
CERAMIC: Made of clay and minerals, these tiles are known for durability and ease of cleaning.
The tiles are classified based on Porcelain Enamel Institute ratings for abrasion. Class I is best for minimal foot traffic, while Class V is suited for extra-heavy traffic. Class III is common for all home floors.
Ceramic tiles come in glazed or unglazed. The former have a special coating that makes them resistant to stains, scratches and fire. Unglazed have the same color on the front and back of the tiles, and don't show everyday dirt as markedly as glazed.
OTHERS: More than 20 types of tiles exist. Benefits of a few others include:
- Brick and pavers are most commonly used for patios and walkways.
- Cement has an appealing look and has gained popularity with indoor tiling, but it requires a special sealer.
- Saltillo, or Mexican tile, enhances rooms with Southwestern themes.
- Parquet or inlaid wood is available in pre-assembled, easy-to-install squares.
- Cork is a resilient tile made from a renewable resource.
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