The flooring you decide to use in your kitchen is important. It not only serves a purpose but should also fit in well with the colouring, style, and your lifestyle. Many will do a fair amount of research when looking at the possible flooring options. If you’re confused or not sure where to start then this post will be extremely helpful. In my post, Kitchen Floor Tiles What You Need to Know, we look at some of the things many will consider when choosing flooring for your kitchen.
Kitchen Floor Tiles What You Need to Know
When Should A Kitchen Floor Be Tiled?
This depends on what you wish to do. Are you planning on tiling under cabinets? If so then you’d need to do this before they are installed. This isn’t always necessary. Some will do this if there are gaps between the cabinets to ensure a uniform and tidy appearance.
If you prefer to tile after cabinets and work surfaces have been installed then this can also work well. This option will be far more budget friendly as it costs less as you’ll need less tiles as well as needing less time for tiles to be cut and installed by a professional.
What Are the Best Tiles for Kitchen Floors?
The type of tile you’ll use totally depends on you and your requirements.
Porcelain
Polished marble look porcelain tile floors are gorgeous and give the room a lovely sophisticated look. This type of tile can be extremely hardwearing but are not necessarily practical for some. When wet these tiles are extremely slippery which can make them dangerous for young children, pets, disabled individuals that have difficulty walking and the elderly. You’ll need to take care when cleaning them. They can also show up every little bit of dirt from food dropped by kids and muddy paw prints. You’ll find a wide number of options some will be more budget friendly than others. There is a non slip porcelain tile option, but this doesn’t have the same glossy shine to it.
Marble
Marble can also work exceptionally well but can cost a considerable amount more. It too is very hardwearing and can add to the appeal of the room giving a stunning upmarket look. This will need sealing to ensure that it is waterproof and to reduce the risk of staining as the stone is highly porous.
Terracotta
You might prefer to use tiles with a bit of texture instead. This will help conceal paw prints and dirt better although it is always important to clean a floor regularly in a high-traffic and high use room. Terracotta is extremely durable when treated properly but it is also very porous. You’ll need to ensure this is sealed yearly to reduce the risk of discolouration, staining, or cracking. This type of flooring doesn’t become as slippery when wet as some other types of tiles.
Slate
Slate is an extremely durable natural stone. It needs to be sealed correctly to keep it stain resistant. This process needs to be repeated yearly. Slate is resistant to cracks, scratches, chips, and breaks. It’s a great tile option for high traffic areas. Grey slate is a very popular option. It is a low maintenance option and the natural rough texture helps reduce the risk of slipping when wet.
Does the Flooring Need to be Lighter Than the Cabinets?
Many will look at Pinterest or Instagram for inspiration when it comes to refurbishing or decorating a home. There you’ll find a mix of options to help guide you. But, does it matter if kitchen cabinets are lighter? Not really!! Some will opt for flooring that is lighter. But, you’ll also see that darker flooring with lighter cabinets can also work incredibly well too. So basically, the option is yours. It simply comes down to personal preference rather than anything else. Having contrasts can work well but then we might prefer to use colour contrasts elsewhere in the room or have contrasts that don’t stand out considerably.
What’s the Best Colour Tile to Choose?
The colour of the tile will affect the look and feel of the room. If you want a room to look larger, and brighter then you want to opt for lighter colours, white or tiles with predominately white or light colouring being the primary choices. The amount of natural light in the room will influence your decision. A smaller room will benefit greatly from lighter colours to help reflect light and give the feel of a larger room. Consider beige, white, cream and light grey to give this effect.
For a warm, cosy, welcoming effect then consider more earthy tones. Neutral coloured stone tiles and patterned will help conceal dust and dirt better.
Darker colours will create the feel of a smaller room so can work better when a room is fairly large. This can work well when contrasted with light colours. Darker coloured flooring can help conceal dirt and stains. They are easier to keep looking clean.
Conclusion
The choice of tile you will want to choose will depend on your lifestyle. If you have kids and pets you’ll either have to be careful when cleaning floors or may go for an option that won’t be as slippery as a polished tile would be. Don’t forget trends come and go. Opt for more classic options that will last the test of time to make sure the kitchen tiles look amazing for many years to come.
I hope you enjoyed reading my post, Kitchen Floor Tiles What You Need to Know. You might also find my post, Keep On Top Of Kitchen Maintenance helpful.
Which type of tiles do you like most for use in a kitchen?
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Great tips on choosing a floor tile. We currently have marble but would love to change it to slate. I love that it has a rough texture to prevent slips and also that is resistant to cracks.
Maureen
I do want to get some better kitchen tiles. Right now ours are brown and blah. We’re saving up for a kitchen remodel!
That is exciting!!! You have so many choices. Have fun and good luck!
I’m a big fan of slate for kitchens. I love the texture and color of the tiles. That’s what we’ll be going with when we do our kitchen remodel later in the year.
I’ve been thinking about updating my kitchen floor tiles and this gave me some great insights on what to consider.
That’s so great to hear!!!
Your tips and advice you provided are great, and I’m definitely going to keep them in mind when I’m looking for new tiles.
Great information on selecting the right kitchen floor tiles. We had wood at our old house and ceramic tile at our current one. I prefer the tile as it’s easier to keep clean and looks better in a dog-friendly home.
A very helpful post! I prefer a cozy, authentic, informal vibe, so I go with surfaces like slate and terra cotta.
Those can work very well. You create a gorgeous kitchen with either.
Our kitchen has a yellow/tan colored porcelain tile in it. While it isn’t my favorite, it’s the same tile throughout my entire house, so we aren’t changing it. If I had a choice, it would be the same wood-look tile that’s currently in all of our bedrooms (also here before we bought the house).
We are in the process of redoing our kitchen and I’m debating whether or not we want to change the flooring. This gives me some great ideas and options.
Choosing tile for the kitchen can be quite a challenge. So many factors that needs to go into the selection after choosing the color.
There are a fair number of things to consider. We do need to figure out what would work best for us.
I would love to have a tile floor in my kitchen. Maybe when we build.
We have tiles in our kitchen, despite people telling us it was a bad idea. Love my floor tiles, but ready for an update. Like seeing your kitchen!
I hate the tile we chose for our kitchen and I want to re do it. It always gets dirty and some of the tiles are already cracking.
Sounds like it’s time to get them changed then. I bet it will look amazing after.
We chose slate tiles in a light color and so far they look great. I couldn’t choose terracotta, I don’t like the color or the sound of walking across them!
Selecting tiles for the kitchen can be so confusing! Thanks for clarifying the pros and cons of different options.
Lots of choices here for kitchen. I personally prefer terracotta tiles for kitchen floor for being less slippery.
They sure are. They can be used to create a beautiful kitchen.
This made me think of what kind of tile we have I actually don’t know lol. What I do know is we are in need of upgrades!
Aaahhh well, now you have some ideas of what to consider x
I prefer a lighter coloured tile in a small kitchen but I can also see how lovely terracotta tiles look too if you have a bigger space. I prefer a tiled kitchen as I think they are easier to keep clean
Me too, tiled kitchens can be lovely.
Amazing! I have marble floor and I love it! But as you said, it should be sealed properly. Great info, thank you so much.
We do have polished marble in our kitchen and for me it’s perfect! Thanks for sharing this with us
I bet it looks gorgeous!
I ended up putting down a vinyl plank flooring in my entire house. But tile was my next option. I dislike carpet in my home.
Carpet is so much harder to keep clean. Tiles can be lovely and last ages when look after well.
Great post! We are working to update our entire kitchen, and this has helped me make a decision as to what I want for my kitchen floors. Thanks so much for sharing this post with us!
Thanks Lisa. I’m so glad to have helped. I bet your kitchen will look amazing once finished.
I do like the look of slate in the kitchen and work area. I think it holds up well and is so much easier to clean . Thanks for sharing!
This is so incredibly helpful! We’re just about to tile one of our kitchen walls and we’re doing it all ourselves. I assume it’s the same principal (minus a few points)!
I just checked out your article on kitchen floor tiles and I have to say, it was a great read! Your writing style is engaging and the information you provided was really helpful. I appreciate the way you broke down the different types of tiles and their pros and cons.
Great tips for selecting tiles and considering what it does and how it works for your kitchen interior! I personally like a more neutral, but light color for kitchen tiles and something that’s doesn’t stain easily and is very durable, like marble. Slate would be my second choice, for its durability.
Tiles that are properly sealed are so much less likely to stain which helps. Marble is a great option.
We really need to update our kitchen and floor tiles. We currently have black tiles and they show the dirt so much! Can’t wait to pick something lighter
Something with a more beige colour can help with this Zena x
Your article on kitchen floor tiles is a treasure trove of information! You cover everything from materials to colors, patterns to maintenance, and more. I especially appreciate the tips for choosing the right tile for your lifestyle. Well done!
We are redoing our kitchen right now and theres so much to know!
There is but I’m sure it will look amazing once complete.
I have kids and pets, so I prefer something practical and classic. I would like to last my kitchen floor so some year from now on!
These options are all hardwearing so it all depends on your taste and when the floor will be cleaned etc.
We put in oversized Italian marble in our kitchen once upon a time. It was gorgeous and the best decision ever! Total upgrade to the room.
Fantastic information here! I’ll definitely keep it all in mind for future reference if needed. Good looks and safety are important to me, I don’t want people slipping on tiles at my house. I may prefer the textured option.
Honestly, I don’t know a lot about kitchen stuff but these floor tiles look nice. I’m sure will need this when my partner and I move together.
Oh wow there are so many tips in this! I had no idea that having lighter colors would make the room seem bigger. Marble flooring is always the one that I thought looked really beautiful.
They do help create a really lovely sophisticated look.
I love marble floors in the kitchen. My dream house would have marble floor all over the house.
We have vinyl flooring now but if ever we would change it to tile, I’d go with slate because of its durability.
Love this and it looks so nice! My husband can do everything…and he can even tile! We are going to redo our bathroom shower area and floor soon and will be doing tile 😉 Love t and love your transformation!
It can be handy to be able to do these things yourself.
These are really good tips. I have a hardwood floor currently but am always dreaming up renovation ideas if I had the time, way and budget!
Some of my favorite tips:
– For a warm, cozy, and welcoming effect then consider more earthy tones.
-Neutral coloured stone tiles and patterns will help conceal dust and dirt better.
-Darker colors will create the feel of a smaller room so can work better when a room is fairly large.
I like the idea of a neutral, earthy-toned tile that isn’t too dark to make the kitchen feel inviting but lived in.
Thanks so much Mila. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the post. warm earthy tones can look great. It helps if you also have lots of natural daylight coming in.
Hhhmmm…it is the slates for me. From childhood, they are what I have always seen and loved. Thank you for this information.
Great ideas 👌🏻. In my parents’ home kitchen, we have off white tiles whereas in my in-laws’ kitchen; they have installed slate stones. In my new home, I’d prefer the terracotta or neutral colored marble flooring for my kitchen 🙂.
Great tips. I never thoguht of looking at the different types of tile materials. I usually just pick what I like as far as looks. This is very helpful.
To be honest I haven’t idea what kind I have. I would love to get new ones though. Thanks for sharing this!
I really like the larger tiles as they give off a clean and modern aesthetic. Some of them are especially great.
We have kitchen tiles as they are hygienic and so easy to keep clean – which is important with kids and a dog around.
It really does help keep things much cleaner.
If you have never redo a kitchen you never know how much you have to consider to get you perfect kitchen. There is so much just for the tile, let alone the whole kitchen. For me the kitchen tile should be easy to clean, not show up the dirty and match the theme of the kitchen.
Having better tiles in my kitchen would be a great improvement.
It will help give the room a sophisticated look and they’re easy to clean.
This is great! Thank you so much for the information. I know nothing about kitchen floor tiles, the difference between all these different tile materials is huge.
We are renovating our kitchen soon this post is really so helpful for us. You shared some really helpful tips.
This was super helpful, I don’t know the first thing about floor tiles so this helps! Thank!
I usually use natural stone or terracotta tiles in the kitchen as it creates a warm effect. There are so many amazing choices to choose from.
There sure are and they can all work well depending on the style and colouring we choose.
The floor covering colour and product is vitally important, because you need a hard wearing but attractive covering and also the colour, if not the right colour, can make a kitchen look really boring and the right colour can bring a kitchen alive.
It’s hard to beat the beauty and practicality of floor tiles. So many choices of fabulous products these days.
I love the look of Marble tiles, but alas they are out of my price range!
loved reading this and think you gave some really important tips here
That’s so great to hear. Thanks for visiting Gemma.
Lots of good tips – I need to replace my kitchen flooring!
So glad I read this, we’re thinking of updating our kitchen tiles and was unsure of what to get so this really helped
I found your post on kitchen floor tiles to be incredibly helpful! It provided valuable information on different tile options, considerations for installation, and the impact of color choices. Your practical tips and insights will definitely assist readers in making informed decisions for their kitchens.