As the name suggests, the living room is often considered one of the most central places in a house. Contrary to the kitchen, basement, or bathroom, living is the special place that we design in our minds first and to that end, it needs to be the most versatile place in your home.
A living room takes on several roles such as entertaining guests (so it ends up making the first impression), kicking back after a long day, enjoying weekend leisure activities with family, and more. So it is but natural that this area may receive more foot traffic and thus call for tiles that are not only stylish, elegant, but also durable and compliment the entire house. Hence, you have to consider a host of things while selecting tiles for your living room. But, the question is how to select tiles for a living room without getting bewildered with different types, colours, and more?
To help you make your living room lively and beaming with style and colour, we have created a guide that will not only help you choose the right kind of tile but also give you tips about decorating your living room to increase its panache. Let’s start with the colour, shall we?
What Colour of Tiles Should I Pick?
The first thing anyone will notice about your living room as soon as they enter is the colour. As you or the guests are going to spend a lot of time in the living room, a colour that perfectly sets the tone and mood is paramount. Tiles with a bright colour scheme are attractive and can instantly uplift your mood, be it wall tiles or floor tiles. However, bright colours may have contradictory opinions among family members as very bright colours can be off-putting, even for guests.
In this situation, choosing soothing and relaxing colours is the best way to go about it. Calm and soothing shades are ideal for the living room because it is the space where you usually kick back and unwind, also awfully bright colours in combination with lighting can make you squint. Additionally, people tend to get bored of bright and loud colours quite quickly. A few popular choices in the living room are:
- Grey Tiles
- Beige Tiles
- Brown Tiles
After covering the colour of the tiles in our how to select tiles for the living room guide, let’s get to the materials of the tiles.
What Type of Tiles Should I Choose for the Living Room?
Since the living room is going to see a lot of foot traffic compared to other rooms, the tiles must be made of durable and dependable material such as ceramic and vitrified tile material. These tiles offer extra strength and are long-lasting with top-notch quality. Some tiles are also made of double charge, vitrified, and porcelain materials giving the tiles much-needed longevity and toughness.
Tips on How to Select Tiles for a Living Room
It is also worth noting that living room tiles for the floor must complement the furniture design and colour as well. On this note, here’s the first tip to select tiles for the living room
1. Choose a Wood Look Tile
If the aesthetics of hardwood appeal to you, hardwood floors are an excellent choice for the living room, but they can be easily scratched and are hard to maintain. If you still want to go for the aesthetics of hardwood but don’t want the hassle, you can pick the ceramic wood look tile. These types of tiles are extremely durable and moisture and scratch-resistant, making your floor look great for a long time.
You can also buy ceramic lumber that resembles hardwood floors, but as compared to real wood floors that are softer and warmer, ceramic wood floors can be hard and cold. Having said that, ceramic wood look floors can make your living room look absolutely stunning and they are easy to clean. Another drawback of ceramic wood floors is that they are expensive to install, so you might have to find a way to cover those costs.
2. Pick Ceramic or Porcelain Tiles
Ceramic and Porcelain tiles look the same but Porcelain is slightly stronger and less porous than Ceramic. For families with children and pets, Porcelain tiles are perfect as they can handle the pressure without getting too stained. Porcelain may cost a bit more money than Ceramic but can last a bit longer and it comes in an array of designs and colours, giving you a lot of options to choose from.
3. Install Mosaic Tiles
Mosaic tiles offer patterned and textured flooring, which may sound weird for a living room, but it can add a lot of artistry to the space. It works really well if it is added to a small part of the room. While the rest of the room is simple, Mosaic tiles add an explosion of design and colour to the room. Having said that, you have to carefully design the room as winging it may have the opposite effect.
4. Consider Durability and Maintenance
Living rooms tend to see a lot of foot traffic and for this very reason, durability is paramount while choosing tiles for the room. Moreover, the tiles have to face periodic spills and falling objects causing damage. As mentioned previously in point number two, Porcelain tiles are the ideal choice as they are strong, stain-resistant, and can also for a long time.
5. Choose Tiles that Suits Your Daily Lifestyle
Just because a flooring option looks good, doesn’t mean it is practical for daily usage. Adding glazed or slippery tiles when the room is subjected to heavy traffic from children and pets can cause slips and minor accidents. Thus, choose tiles based on the daily needs of your family members.
6. Choose Lighter Colored Tiles
If your living room is small but you want it to look slightly bigger, choosing light coloured tiles may do the trick. Choosing Porcelain tiles with beige, white, or cream colour schemes can give your room a more open look. At the end of the day, you shouldn’t be bored of looking at your living room tiles every day. For better results, take some samples home and check whether the colour works for you or not.
7. Choose Large Tiles
In tandem with the previous point, you can also choose large size tiles, along with lighter colours, to make your living room appear spacious. Look for tiles with the measurements of 13×13 inches or 33×33 cm or larger. The logic behind this is that fewer grout lines make your living room look more spacious. Fewer grout lines also mean you have fewer lines to clean. Moreover, large tiles make the living room look more modern as compared to smaller tiles, but small tiles are more slip-resistant.
8. Select a Matching Grout
To create a more cohesive room, select a grout that matches the tiles. Similar colours will make the room look more consistent with a better flow, making it look perfect. Off-white or grey grout will create tiles with an almost natural flow and draw less attention.
9. Take Pictures of Your Furniture and Paint
To see how your things blend, take pictures of your living room before going to the store to buy tiles. This will give you an idea about how the tiles will look in the living room and affect the decor. It is tough to predict how things will turn out in the end but having pictures will help you narrow down your options.
If you are going to buy wall tiles for your living room, ensure that the walls are resistant to moisture and don’t have any leakages. This stops dampness and makes the wall look new for years and years to come.
Final Thoughts on How to Select Tiles for Living Room
So, If you are renovating your living room or building one from scratch, our guide can help you in choosing the right tiles that make your space radiate with sophistication and simultaneously make it practical and long-lasting.
Let’s have a quick recap of the things you should keep in mind before buying tiles for your living room.
- Choose a bright but soothing tile colour
- Go for either Ceramic or Porcelain tiles
- Keep durability and maintenance in mind
- Pick a tile that is suitable for your daily lifestyle
- Look for a stain, abrasion, slip, and if possible scratch-resistant tiles
- Choose big tiles to make your living room look spacious
- Click pictures of your furniture and paint before going to the store to buy tiles. This helps in matching the tiles with the room outlook.
