Dress up your home with ceramic and porcelain tile

Large tile is quite popular these days. 18” x 18” and 20” x 20” tiles are frequently installed, even in small rooms. And rectangular shapes (for example 12” x 24”) are being used on floors and walls. Tiles with texture and shade variations are also very much on trend. As far as color is concerned, neutrals are the top color schemes being used now—off-white, beige and bone. Grays are also very much on trend.

 

Porcelain tile is similar to ceramic tile, but is much stronger and harder. Porcelain has a fine sand base (as opposed to a clay base) and is fired at higher temperatures than ceramic. Some porcelains are glazed (the color is only in the glaze coat) while some are through-body, meaning the surface color goes all the way through the body of the tile. 
The advantage of a through-body porcelain tile is that it will not show chips and scratches as easily as glazed tiles.

 

Most people are using 18” x 18”s or even larger in kitchens. If you want to make your bathroom seem bigger, a larger tile or a tile installed on the diagonal will accomplish this.

 

A 300-square-foot kitchen should range between $2,600 and $3,600 fully installed. 
A bathroom floor (based on 150 square feet) runs around $1,200 to $1,600. 
Minimum charges do apply when you are doing a small job, like only a backsplash or
a powder room.

 

If a standard cement-based grout is used, you should seal the grout, but you don’t have to. The good news is that if you choose to upgrade to a stain-resistant grout like Fusion or Prism, you do not have to seal the grout. These newest-generation grouts require no sealing—ever!  If you don’t upgrade to a stain-resistant grout, though, Miracle Sealants, a high-quality grout sealant, recommends that you seal the grout 72 hours after installation and thereafter on a yearly basis.