Ceramic tiles – a natural flooring option
Ceramic tile offers many advantages as a flooring option if you want to avoid petroleum-based flooring in your home. Carpet and vinyl flooring is not only mostly oil based but also stinks, sorry but true, when new. Plus, those floors continue to release gas for years as the vapors become a part of your body.
It is not that ceramics are really a low-energy product. Tile production actually uses prodigious amounts of energy. All that baking and heating sucks up energy in a big way. But at least after manufacturing, shingles should last for decades or, in some cases, centuries. That durability makes the product last much longer than typical vinyl flooring or carpet.
In addition, the installation of ceramic materials should probably be done only once in the life of most users. Whereas most competitive products must be removed and replaced, with all the attendant hassles and costs, multiple times during a lifetime.
Tile installation also works very well in many different circumstances. Perfect for bathrooms, it works well on almost all surfaces, from countertops to shower trays, as well as walls and floors.
It really works well in any room. Even in kitchens, where tile countertops have been seen as a luxury option for years, ceramic makes a great floor. Though dropped dishes, pots and pans often end up cracked when dropped. But aside from that problem, tile makes a great kitchen floor covering. But it also works outdoors.
Furthermore, mosaic is more than practical, it can also be an art form. Tile installation implies art, but each individual piece also represents art. That can be in the form of textures or designs or paint on tiles.
The material is not only environmentally friendly, but also stands up to heavy use and is relatively easy to keep clean and easy to maintain. The repair also presents some problems. A cracked tile can be easily removed and replaced. If no matching pieces are available, a fully contrasting piece of art can be used as a replacement for an artistic touch.
Keep in mind that part of a floor is not only the mosaic pieces, but also the grout. That’s why careful grout planning can be a big part of a floor’s success. Different types of grout work better in different applications. Some modern grout materials are virtually waterproof and also make maintenance and cleaning easy.
Other more natural flooring options like cork, real linoleum, and even hardwood have limitations. Especially when you consider the cost of installation and maintenance, ceramic tile represents one of the best materials to use over vinyl or carpet on floors.