Flooring plays an essential role when it comes to the overall look and ambiance you want to give your space. Whether you are designing a house, apartment, townhouse, hotel suite or office, it is important to invest in floors that can add value while presenting your space in the best way possible. Tiles and timber are the two most commonly used types of flooring. Since both have their own aesthetic appeal, it can be difficult to choose between the two. Tiled flooring can be easy to maintain but tends to get damaged more quickly, whereas timber is tough, resilient and long lasting. Being a renewable material, it is also more environmentally-friendly compared to other materials. As a renewable and natural source of carbon, it is by far the best option for flooring.
Read on to find out more about these two types of flooring in order to help you decide on flooring for your next project.
Tiles
Finding the right type of tiles for your home is fairly easy since there is a wide range of choices and a large variety of colours, patterns and textures available on the market. Besides being relatively low maintenance and long lasting, tiles also have the ability to deliver a contemporary and clean look to any room. Although tiles are easy to maintain overall, they often require more cleaning than other types of flooring.
Tiles have grout, which requires special products to be used regularly in order to keep them clean. Dirty grout takes away from the look of your space and can affect the contemporary feel of tiles.
As well as being more slippery, tiles can also crack, discolor or chip over time, especially in high traffic areas. Unfortunately, tiles are harder to repair than other types of flooring. Due to limited stock, it can be difficult to find the same tiles if a replacement is necessary. If one tile is damaged, often all tiles need to be replaced, so it is advisable to order extra tiles and store them, which can significantly increase the final price. Because of the repair constraints, it can be unadvisable to install tiles in apartment buildings that are likely to be used as investments.
Unlike timber, tiles are also known to have be hard and cold underfoot, which can be unpleasant in winter. As a natural product, timber is warm in winter and cool in summer. As a harder flooring material, dropped items are more likely to break or shatter on tiles than on other types of flooring.
Timber
Timber flooring is a classic option that rarely goes out of style. With so many colour options and styles to choose from, timber is versatile for any project. Timber is a very durable material, which is ideal for flooring as it is quite low maintenance. Timber flooring only requires a brief vacuum, sweep or light mop, whereas tiles show the dirt much more and need to be cleaned far more frequently. In the event that something is dropped on timber floor and a scratch appears, it tends to blend seamlessly with the natural appearance of timber. Unlike with tiles, where a scratch or dent means the replacement of the tiles.
“Timber is so easy to maintain and look clean with little effort. As one architectural client said about the floors in their office, ‘we do absolutely nothing, we’re rough with the floors, we don’t maintain them but they continue to look good’”
Tilly Cefai, Style Timber
Timber is also a renewable material and is the environmentally friendly option for your project. For an even more environmentally friendly option, take a look at our new range of Cadorin flooring. This 100% made in Italy timber flooring is produced without formaldehyde, making it an incredibly eco-conscious choice. This is ideal in projects where the environment and a carbon footprint is a priority.
Timber exudes a sense of warmth due to the colour options available and the physical properties of the material.
“I love the textural element of timber! It adds another layer to the design, compliments and enhances it.”
Tilly Cefai, Style Timber
When designing your next space, consider embracing a darker toned timber as this colour palette can suit a range of designs, including the ever popular Scandinavian influence.
For more information and to discuss your next project, get in touch.