Beginner's Guide to Tile

Last week I told you all about the latest in wallcoverings.  This week I want to cover floor and wall tile.  This industry has also come a long way and the options are endless.  If you love a wood look, it's out there.  Playful mosaics, they've got that too.  Exterior options, traditional looks and everything in between, can be found if you know where to look.  I've got plenty of images to show you of just a few of my favorites along with where to get them.  So if you're in the market for tile or you're just curious, read on to learn more.

FLOOR TILE

Everyone has encountered floor tile and I'm guessing you're all familiar with the traditional tile looks that you find in your local mall or car dealership.  But floor tile can provide a beautiful backdrop for your design if you know the look you want.  Right now, there are so many different looks and styles.  The wood look is a favorite for many people.  It has the warm appearance and feel of residential but with the undeniable durability of tile one would expect.  This one is a wood look from Interceramic.  I love how detailed it is.  They even have the scraped wood look if you're interested in a more traditional style!

Another option is the cooler stone look.  This one from Florida Tile is a great option for a more contemporary space or even a warmer space that requires some distinctive contrast to add dimension and movement to your room.  I've specified this style in several of my projects and it never gets old.

WALL TILE

As you learned in my last blog post, walls are one of my favorite places to add tile or textures.  And the tile industry is constantly creating new ideas for wall tile that will make any design stand out and make a statement.  Below is another one from Florida Tile and it has such character and panache.  I love the oxidized metal look and how the copper tones actually help to add warmth and depth to the space while also creating an almost stark and contradicting industrial appearance.  By adding some soft wood tones, you have a beautiful statement wall that makes a huge impact.

Here's another beautiful wall look from Crossville Tile.  Very glamorous and high-style without a lot of extra cost.  This tile proves how easy it is to make an impact.  You could certainly use solid surface countertops and standard undermount sinks with a couple of rectangular mirrors and a few pendants to achieve this look for less.

DECORATIVE TILE

Another great way to bring some of your personality to a space is by using decorative wall tiles.  This can be done in traditional cuts or even mosaics.  The style options go on for days and you can find them just about anywhere.  I love these distressed pieces by Crossville Tile.  They have an insane amount of texture and dimension.  I have these samples in my office and trust me, they are amazing.  They give a mottled distressed appearance and each color has one of several different decorative looks.  There's one with a gold vein running through it, one with scalloped lines and some that almost resemble old film footage to me with their random marks and lines in them.  

Here's another one from Interceramic with a nice mix of hexagon tile and wood-look framing.

EXTERIOR FLOOR OPTIONS

A lot of your tile companies cover exterior materials for buildings as well.  And I'll get into that in a future blog post because there are so many unique exterior material options out there that I would love to tell you about.  But for now, just know that tile is an option if it's formatted for exterior use.  In the meantime, I have put together a couple of exterior floor options to give you an idea of what's available to you.  Here are a couple from Florida Tile that I really love the look of.  It breaks up monotonous outdoor spaces and creates an actual environment and not just a plain grassy area for people to enjoy.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Floor and wall tile options have increased exponentially.  From large format wall tiles and decorative mosaics to wood-look tiled floors and exterior floor tiles, you can practically install tile in your building to just about any surface and create a dynamic impact that will give your space personality and character.