We well know the merits of having ceramic tile in the bathrooms and kitchens of Beverly Hills, and now, Westside Tile is showing there are virtues of having ceramic tile in the living rooms of Canoga Park, California and around the country. Starting with the durability that ceramic tile offers and topping off the list of virtues with the ease of maintenance.
For the busy home filled with activity and high traffic, Westside Tile and Stone offers an array of choices in ceramic tile that won’t show wear and tear. Yet it still offers the look of elegance that we know Beverly Hills homes to have. From the spills that a busy home is likely to have other accidents that may chip other flooring materials, ceramic floor tile is resilient when installing properly.
Ceramic tile has undeniable design advantages that include modern printing techniques that provide a multitude of aesthetic options. These options allow you to create a floor that is truly yours and yours alone. For example, the porcelain mosaics available at Westside Tile in Beverly Hills look so close to exotic hardwood planks, the difference is unnoticeable.
The Cost of Ceramic Tile Flooring
Two elements are involved in ceramic tile flooring costs: the material and the installation labor. The big-box home improvement stores and tile specialty stores, the cost of ceramic tile typically ranges less than a $1 per square foot for plain tiles, solid-color to under $20 per square foot for porcelain tiles that mirror the look of fine marble or wood flooring found in homes all across Beverly Hills and Canoga Park. The higher-end ceramic tiles are a match for natural stone tiles, with tiles of elegance and serviceability are obtainable as low as $3 per square foot up to $7 per square foot.
The size of an installation job determines the cost, which differs as the types of materials. Other factors that determine the labor cost is the geographic location and the location of the structure. The labor costs for installation services provided by a national retailer may be higher in some regions than in differ.
A national survey recently found the installation of ceramic tile flooring to be around $5 per square foot while mosaic and porcelain tiles were slightly higher because of the complexity of installation. On rare occasions was the cost to install this flooring over $8 per square foot. The per-square-foot cost for larger jobs was found to be less expensive than smaller jobs, with smaller installation jobs having a minimum base charge of around $300.
Ceramic tile flooring is a relatively labor-intensive job to install, thus the reason for the high labor costs. This often motivates a DIYers to do the installation themselves, saving a considerable amount of money on labor and putting those savings towards a higher quality ceramic tile.
Options of Ceramic Tile Flooring
If you’ve decided that ceramic tile is what you want in your Beverly Hills home, there are many options to choose from:
» All the Sizes of Ceramic Tiles
Ceramic tiles are commonly available in four different sizes of squares:
- 12″ x 12″
- 6″ x 6″
- 18″ x 18″
- 24″x 24″
A new and growing trend or porcelain tiles are rectangular planks that resemble hardwood. Designers and Westside Tile experts recommend using larger tiles in large living rooms, so they are proportional to space. The same holds for smaller spaces and using smaller tiles to offer visual interest and make the room appear more spacious.
» Variety of Designs and Shapes
They can print ceramic tiles with nearly any color or image. This allows a creative design feature of complex or elaborate patterns. With colors that are contrasting and vibrant mixed with a variety of designs and shapes, they can make flooring to match an individual’s taste.
» Solid versus Mosaic tile styling
Solid colors offer a stable design to match perfectly in any setting, while mosaics in the modern form similar to ceramic tiles with mesh-backed sheets that measure 1″ x 1″ or a larger 2″ x 2″ tile size. Originally, mosaic tile styling was a highly architectural expression. Today, in the modern form available to us, the look of ancient art gives us a unique sense of style to make any space uniquely it’s own.
» Border Style Designs
Westside Tile can create borders by cutting various sizes from contrasting ceramic tiles that accent a Canoga Park living room’s outer boundaries. Here, you’ll find groupings of complementary, yet varying, border tiles to create a design unique to your style.
» The Accent Tiles
Accent tiles are unique pieces that the name implies. They accent a basic ceramic tile flooring with perhaps a unique picture or a vibrant contrast. This look draws the eye’s attention and creates a sense of beauty within the floor’s main design and pattern.
Ceramic Tile versus Natural Stone Flooring Tiles
They manufacture natural stone flooring tiles from a variety of mountain quarried materials from around the world. They are cut into rectangular or square tiles for flooring applications and then installed using the same process of ceramic tile. They can be in an ordinary look or an exotic look. Most natural stone flooring is durable, hard, and long-lasting.
The natural quality is the main attraction for homeowners in Canoga Park or Beverly Hills, but the unique characteristics and colors are the strong draw. Westside Tile has many select real stones instead of manufactured ceramic tile because of these features, although the manufacturers of ceramic tile are narrowing the distinction gap with each year of new products released.
With the cost of natural stone being a more expensive material and more expensive to install, makes it a drawback for many homeowners. For an active household with children, natural stone is not a good choice because of the amount of maintenance it requires and stains easier. Both ceramic stone and natural stone must be sealed; natural stone needs resealing more frequently than the ceramic tile flooring.
Ceramic tiles are made from a natural clay material that is manufactured by a casting and firing process. It is this process that makes them more durable than natural stone tiles and easier to maintain. By glazing the ceramic tiles as they are manufactured, they become impervious to moisture permanently.
Ceramic Tile Versus Hardwood Flooring
The merits of ceramic tile and hardwood flooring are similar. Both can have a long life expectancy when installing correctly and cared for according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Ceramic tile flooring today can be manufactured to shapes and prints that look like many hardwood flooring species.
With ceramic tile costing less than hardwood flooring, many of Westside Tile’s Beverly Hills and Canoga Park customers choose it over real hardwood. Another plus for ceramic tile is the ease of keeping it clean and ease of maintenance; Ceramic tile isn’t as susceptible to stains or water damage either, another plus for it over the hardwood flooring.
Hardwood flooring single major advantage is that you can refinish them when scars scratch and spills have taken a toll on it. Some hardwoods you can sand down and start over, whereas, with ceramic tile, you can’t. However, ceramic doesn’t wear down as hardwood flooring does.
Maintenance and Care
During the lifespan of ceramic tile flooring, it is one of the easiest surfaces to care for and maintain. It is impervious to stains and water when glazed, and when left unglazed, they can be sealed for protection. Westside Tile supports manufacturers’ recommendations to have the grout lines sealed annually. Otherwise, regular sweeping and going over it with a damp mop are all that is needed to remove debris and dirt. It is this feature that makes ceramic tile flooring the preferred choice for areas with high traffic like entryways and living rooms of Canoga Park homes.
The Drawbacks to Ceramic Tile Flooring
There few drawbacks to ceramic tile flooring! The most cited drawback is that it is a cold surface and a hard surface. In a hot climate, the natural coldness of ceramic tile flooring is an advantage. For cooler climates, though, ceramic tile flooring can be warmed with a radiant-heat system and throw rugs soften it.
Beverly Hills homes of elderly or that have small children have the biggest concern and issue with the hardness that ceramic tile flooring has. In these homes, Westside Tile recommends using large area rugs with skid-proof pads under them.
Buy the best designer ceramic floor tiles collection in Southern California for your home, Call us at 310.276.9222 or 818.704.9222.
More Resources