Which Tiles are Suitable for Indian Floor?

When it comes to any home interior space, the first thing that gets noticed is the canvas on which the process of adornment takes place. And in any interior space, the floors, walls and the ceiling are considered as the background or the canvas. Moreover, when someone walks into any home, they could easily figure out how old the construction could be, just by observing the background, especially the tiles! Therefore, flooring does play an important role.

Here, I am listing out a few tiles that are suitable for the Indian floor, which is available in various shades, patterns, and texture. Homeowners could easily give every room of their home a luxurious, rustic or elegant impression instantly, as these tiles are both cost-effective and time saviors when compared with hardwood floors, natural stone, and marbles.

Vitrified Floor Tiles

Vitrified tiles that are the most widely used, are made by merging silica, feldspar, and quartz. It is manufactured by the ‘’hydraulic pressing’’ method, where the mixture is heated to such a temperature that they melt into a glass type mixture and then converts into tiles. It can be used as a substitute for marble and granite flooring. Suits the best in modern, minimalist and contemporary designed homes.

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Types Of Vitrified Floor Tiles

Depending upon the manufacturing process, vitrified tiles are segregated into four types.

● Glazed Body Vitrified Tile For Extra Shine: The tile is finished with a layer of liquid glass. It adds extra shine to the tile and protects the tile from stains.

● Full Body Vitrified Tile To Hide Scratch Marks: Scratches become invisible on these tiles as the color covers the whole tile. Hence, best for heavy traffic areas.

● Double Charged Vitrified Tiles For Two Colored Designs: Two kinds of color are used to form a design on the tile. These tiles are good for large room and high traffic areas.

● Soluble Salt Vitrified Tiles For Texture: Liquid color screen printing is done on the tile before the tile is fired. Here the soluble salts are used to penetrate into the vitrified tile and give color, designs and create patterns.

Available Colors Of Vitrified Tile

Monocolors series consist of a harmony of soothing plain colors such as the ivory, beige, soft white, pure white, milky white, Jaisalmer and terracotta.

Whereas the salt & pepper, series is the mix of the colored granule. And it exhibits a ‘’granite like’’ feel.

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using Vitrified Tiles

● Vitrified tiles are consistent in shades, design, pattern, texture, and sizes.

● The texture offered by vitrified tiles are better when compared with ceramic tiles.

● Are available in matte, anti-skid and glossy finish.

● Even the gloss is not lost very soon.

● Are ideal for both indoors and outdoors having high traffic and are stronger compared to ceramic and porcelain.

● Vitrified tiles are easy to lay and are easy to maintain.

● The effect of sunlight does not fade the color of the tiles.

● Vitrified tiles are moisture resistant hence, prevent bacteria and fungi from growing.

● Also, it does not crack easily and is stain resistant.

● But vitrified tiles are expensive when compared to ceramic and porcelain tiles.

● And it is very slippery when wet.

Ceramic Floor Tiles

Ceramic tiles are basically made out of clay, sand, and water. It is manufactured by the ‘’dust pressing’’ method, where the clay mixture is poured into a metal mold to form shape, and then pressed under high pressure in a kiln, to get it hardened. Suits the best in ethnic, traditional and rustic designed homes.

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Types Of Ceramic Floor Tiles - The Basic Classification Of Ceramic Floor Tiles

● Glazed Ceramic Tile - Additional firing process in the kiln is done, to add a layer of liquid glass.

● Non-Glazed Ceramic Tile - Doesn’t require additional firing process.

● Pressed Ceramic Tile - The wet clay is just pressed into a wooden mold.

● Extruded Ceramic Tile - They are created by forcing the clay material into a mold for desired extruded shape.

Available Texture And Colors Of Ceramic Floor Tiles

● The natural stone effect type of ceramic tile could be an ideal choice as it does not require any sealing or polishing.

● Fully waterproof slate (concrete effect) ceramic tile.

● A ‘’look alike’’ of terracotta

● Faux hardwood ceramic

● Multicolored ceramic slate

● Solid colored

Sinter ceramic tile, Klinker ceramic, terracotta ceramic tile, majolica ceramic tile, ceramic tiles with red biscuits, white biscuit and ceramic mosaic tile design.

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using Ceramic Tiles

● The shapes of ceramic tiles are basically square and rectangular, but they appear in all shapes such as triangles, circles, rhombs and so on. These ceramic tiles are available in various colors, sizes, and patterns, both in the glazed and unglazed forms.

● Are available in small sizes, therefore, wastage in tile material can be avoided to a certain extent.

● Ceramic tiles are cheap, very handy and easy to use.

● Are scratch resistant and has anti-skid quality.

● Also resistant to water and stains. Therefore, these tiles are very easy to clean and require very low maintenance.

● Not very strong tiles, hence are prone to cracking or breaking, therefore mainly used indoors.

Porcelain Floor Tiles

Porcelain tile is similar to ceramic as the ingredient is same, just that porcelain tile consists of finely-ground sand and the process require extremely high temperature. This process basically produces porcelain tiles, that has the same qualities of glazed ceramic.

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Types Of Porcelain Floor Tiles

● Matte Or Unglazed Porcelain Tile Flooring

● Porcelain Glazed Tile

● Porcelain Polished Tile: They are polished after the tiles come out of the kiln. It should not be confused with glazed tiles, as the process of manufacturing is different in both.

● Double Charged Porcelain Tile: The fusion of two types of clay to create unique designs.

● Full Body Porcelain Tile: They have the color and texture throughout the tile that gives refreshing look to your bathroom. In case of scratches, they will not be visible.

● Textured Or Stone Porcelain Tile: Highly textured, imitating the finish of the stone.

Available Colors Of Porcelain Floor Tiles

Beige, black, blue, brown, copper, cream, gold, gray, green, multicolor, off white, red, silver, walnut, white

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using Porcelain Tiles

● One of the toughest flooring option available.

● Stain and water resistant.

● Easy to maintain.

● Are fireproof.

● Porcelain has the ability to last long if maintained well.

● Resistant to cracking and breakage.

● Installing porcelain is difficult, time-consuming.

● It is expensive when compared to ceramic.

● The material is heavy, therefore it is recommended to consult structural design engineers, before using these products on the upper storey.

Terrazzo Tiles

Terrazzo is a blend of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips that are poured into a cementitious binder. It is even hydraulically pressed, to form tiles.

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Types Of Terrazzo Floor Tiles

● Epoxy Terrazzo Floor Tiles: It requires the lowest maintenance.

● Cement Terrazzo: Eco-friendly and low maintenance

● Rustic Terrazzo: Terrazzo with a textured surface.

● Sand Cushion Terrazzo

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using Terrazzo Flooring

● Terrazzo floors look unique and portray high-end look.

● Terrazzo flooring is one of the most durable flooring options.

● Can be used in high-traffic areas.

● Easiest to maintain flooring options.

● Could last many years if taken care of.

● Can be refinished repeatedly.

● Terrazzo is quite slippery.

● Terrazzo requires periodic polishing to retain the shine.

Since all these tiles are available in various textures and patterns and are even easy to install all you need to do is buy a few extra tile boxes for backup as it is quite unlikely that you will find the same tile after some years.

Additionally, make sure to clean the floor on daily basis and avoid using abrasive cleaners as the sheen will be lost. And since, grout is a porous material even when set, it needs to be resealed every year or two or it will begin to look dirty. Also make sure to cut out the defected tile along the grout lines, to avoid damages. Happy tiling!

Lastly, take a read of the What to choose: Vitrified Tiles vs. Marble for Flooring?

And Tile Ideas to Give a Refreshing Look to your Bathroom

And an example of one such video uploaded on our Youtube channel