2020 is the year of vinyl floors in Europe and the United States, this controversial product has captured the attention of all interior designers for its versatility, easy handling, and practicality of installation.
Recently we have seen as renowned companies in the field have increased their options in vinyl floors both in color ranges and designs and measures. Today, more than 40% of the flooring market is betting on vinyl floors, you can find them with designs increasingly like real wood floors or even natural stones, fabrics, metals, etc. The most outstanding feature of vinyl floors is that they are 100% waterproof, this allows for less maintenance and thus greater durability. Rigid Core LVT (Luxury Vinyl Flooring) is the fastest-growing resilient flooring category. It has evolved quickly from an innovative multilayer resilient concept – first as expanded polymer core (also called WPC), and quickly adding solid polymer core (SPC) – to the popular, resilient waterproof flooring solution offered by many brands. Also, the United States Government is allowed tariff exclusion in Waterproof Vinyl Flooring, these Tariff exclusion benefits are scheduled to last at least through September 2020, and leaders are hopeful they will end up being permanent.
“Having the 25% removed for the fastest-growing product category of Vinyl Flooring is not only going to have a good influence for us as manufacturers, its benefits consumers,” said Russ Rogg, a specialist in flooring. “Now the product they really wanted in the first place will not be unfairly paralyzed.”
Countries like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam have revolutionized the way to produce vinyl flooring faster and more quality as years before. We are pretty sure that we will find excellent quality flooring with affordable prices and the flooring installation industries will benefit as well.
Are you near to Tampa looking for excellent quality and affordable price vinyl flooring? We recommend you visit The Flooring District at 7709 Anderson Rd, Tampa, Fl 33634.
Let Us Explain why Large Format Porcelain Tiles becomes so popular.
Large-format porcelain tile has become more popular in recent years because of its clean look and ability to make spaces feel bigger. They’re perfect for high-traffic areas like kitchens or bathrooms but can be used in any room of the house to make a dramatic statement. These large tiles come in rectangular and square shapes, porcelain with a rectified edge is perfect for floors and walls to beautified tour spaces.
Large Format Porcelain Tiles comes in beautiful designs as Natural Elements as Calacatta Look, Carrara Look, Concrete Look, and more stunning options simulated real stone or wood.
Tile Covering is like a Smart TV, never is too big and the tendency is to be bigger and bigger. If you want to upgrade your spaces considered to use a large format porcelain tile, your house will look more modem and updated for more years.
When we use less tile, we’ll have less grout. When we have less grout, our floors will have less seam, then will look more solid and fell more spacious.
Small Room, Big Tile?
No tile is too big for even small floors. Let’s say you have only 12 square feet floors. Do you prefer to use 6 pieces of 18″ tiles, 3 pieces of 24″ tiles or 2 pieces of 30″ tiles? Large format tile reduces the grout and gives a solid look to floors along with a more spacious feel in the room.
Does Large Format Porcelain Tiles Cause More Waste?
This is a myth. Large format tile doesn’t cause more waste. On the contrary, larger pieces yield in more usable cuts compared to smaller ones. We have been suggesting only 5 to 6% waste in large tiles whereas 18×18 and 24×24 tiles usually require 10% waste factor for the cuts.
Is a 24″x24″ Porcelain Tile Large Size?
No matter what you read on the internet, the answer is NO. Most of those articles are written by people who never had a single connection with the manufacturers. Flooring trends develop in Europe where they are manufactured. Today, most factories are dropping or lowering their 24″ lines and working with larger formats such as 30″ x 30″ or 24″ x 48″ Soon, there will be no more 24″ tiles just like 18″ or 20″ tiles that are no longer around.
Can We Install Large Format Tiles With Thin-Set?
We believe regardless of size; tile installation requires well-leveled surfaces to prevent lippage. However, taking off the existing floors and leveling it before installing new floors may add almost $2/sqft to the budget. This is an extra cost that many people don’t have it in their budget. So the answer is Yes. You can get away with thin-setwhen you are installing 30″ x 30″ tiles.
Sizes larger than 30″ x 30″ in Porcelain Tile requires mud-set installation.
Does Large Format Tile Installation Cost More?
Not necessarily. Sizes like 30×30 and 24×48 are not new. They ‘ve been around for 3-4 years now, and they are becoming standard sizes in flooring by replacing 24×24 tiles. The installers are pretty familiar with the new sizes and they like them over 24″ tiles since they can finish the job faster. When installing on a mud-bed, the price is the same or almost the same.
Wood Look Tile Isn’t The Only Product That RESEMBLES Wood.
The popularity of Wood Look Porcelain Tiles may raise questions in some customers’ minds who want to invest in flooring products that will last, rather than wasting their savings in a trend that will soon pass.
Porcelain Tile Is A Superior Product.
The term “Wood Look Tile” defines a category of flooring products that mimic natural hardwood floors by the look and the shape. This is a category that was dominated by laminate, vinyl, and engineered wood floors. Today, porcelain tile with the wood look became a new category in the flooring industry, and these tiles are now broadly available in larger sizes than their early examples. They come with immense color and style options. Besides, they offer more durable solutions to hardwood floors than other hardwood alternatives.
Wood Look Tile Is Not Just Graphics.
Porcelain tile that mimics hardwood floors is not a product that is as new as many would think. Manufacturers have been producing ceramic and porcelain tiles that mimic hardwood floors for decades. The graphical likeness has never been the challenge. However, making a long and narrow tile like a plank had been a real challenge. The success of the wood look tile came with the production of 6×36 tiles that really resembled planks. Soon after, porcelain tiles became the most popular product in the wood-look category over other hardwood alternatives.
Wood Look Tiles Compared To Other Products?
Price
The
Industry standard 8×48 Wood Look Porcelain Tile price varies between $1.89 to
$3.99 per square foot depending on the country of origin.
Whereas
the lowest-end laminate can be found starting at $.59 Luxury Vinyl can be as
expensive as high 3 dollars.
Installation
Laminate
and Vinyl installation vary between a dollar and dollar-fifty per square foot
depending on the installer. They are also DIY friendly products. A handy
homeowner can install these planks even without a flooring professional.
Porcelain
tile requires skilled professionals. The perfection of the floors doesn’t only
depend on the tile; it also depends on the installer. Whereas a right installer
can create miracles with crapy tiles while a lousy one can cause a disaster
even with the most expensive tiles.
Porcelain
tile requires leveled floors prior to the installation or a clips system that
will level the tiles.
Leveling
with mud-set can raise the floors about 2 inches. It adds $0.50 to the cost of
setting materials and an extra dollar to dollar-fifty to the installation.
Clips
system adds a dollar to the installation.
When
installing tile, every single tile needs to be leveled. Tile installation costs
a minimum of $2.50 to $3.50 per square foot without setting material.
Porcelain Tile and Wood Tile Removal
Laminate
removal is simple and may not require a professional. If you want to hire an
installer to remove your existing laminate or vinyl floors, It won’t cost more
than $1.00.
Tile removal is a job that you can do on your own by renting the equipment. However, it’s a dusty job that takes time. Most of the time, you’ll also need to rent a dumpster for your debris. A tile professional will charge you $1.00 to $1.25 per square foot.
Dents
Porcelain
tiles won’t dent but Laminate and Vinyl do.
Porcelain Tile is Scratch Resistance
It’s tough
to scratch the porcelain. On the other hand, you have to be very careful when
removing furniture over Laminate or Vinyl floors, even for cleaning purposes as
they can scratch easily.
Porcelain Tile Cleaning
Porcelain
tile comes with very low water absorption levels and almost nothing sticks to
it. Additionally, it almost never stains and any dirt can be easily removed
from porcelain tiles even with only water.
You
have to be careful when cleaning the Laminate or Vinyl. You should use special
cleaning products. If you spilled something that stuck to your floors, you have
to be very careful scrubbing it. You may scratch your floors. Besides, textured
laminate is tough to clean.
Waterproof – Flood Proof
Nowadays, most laminate manufacturers claim their products are waterproof. Yes, they are when you spill water on them however, they are not waterproof enough to use on shower walls or even bathroom floors. If there is a flood, you may find your floors floating. Humidity is also a factor that can ruin them.
Porcelain
is 100% waterproof; we can use them in wet areas with no worry.
Porcelain Tile is Slipperiness
Most
Wood Look Porcelain Tiles perform well in wet areas; we can use them in
bathrooms, around pool areas.
Laminate
and Vinyl are slippery.
Longevity
Porcelain
tiles are famous for their durability since they last a long time. Laminate and
vinyl, on the other hand, won’t last as long. They won’t last at all under
heavy foot traffic therefore, we can’t use them in commercial surfaces.
Wood Porcelain Tile Color
Wood
Look Tiles are available with a variety of options regarding its color, shade,
and design. You can find them in every color and tone.
Vinyl
and Laminate planks are limited in color and shade when compared to porcelain
tiles.
Health
When
water leaks through the joints, it creates mold and mildew. Vinyl and laminate
planks locking system is what makes the installation of these tiles both easier
and cheaper. However, the locking system can’t stop the water from leaking
through the planks. Laminate and vinyl planks are prone to create some amount
of mold inside of your floors. Besides that, they contain plastic. On the other
hand, wood look porcelain tiles are over 95% recyclable products. Well grouted
floors won’t let the water leak through the joints.
Verdict
When comparing Wood Look Porcelain Tiles with other wood-look products, there are numerous downsides of the porcelain tile: the installation that lasts longer is dusty and costs more.
However, when it comes to longevity, durability, maintenance, and health: wood look porcelain tiles are much better products. Not only do these products contain endless color and design options, but they are more stylish. Popular colors and designs may change as time goes by. But porcelain tiles with the wood look will be around as long as porcelain tiles will be around.
Wood Look Porcelain Tile 8×48 Became An Industry Standard.
Today,
porcelain tiles that cover around 2.5 sqft per piece and above are the most
popular sizes in the industry. Whereas planks up to 72″ long are now available,
those tiles are not yet in a mature stage and tend to warp more than
expected. They require an expensive clips system that can level the corner
but can’t straighten the entire tile.
At Tiles & Stone Warehouse, we’re in touch with the largest, most trusted
tile manufacturers across Europe on a daily basis. We believe possessing
the knowledge that our customers can rely on is a duty and a
responsibility. Therefore, we do not yet display wood tiles over 48″ long, nor
do we display 6×24 6×36,6×40 tiles that we believe are too small.
Plank sizes may be deceiving since the length seems large.
A 6×24
plank is the equivalent of a 12×12 tile while a 6×36 plank is the
equivalent of a 16×16 tile. Since we would not accept these sizes for a
remodeling project, we should also reject 6×24 and 6×36 planks. Many manufacturers
dropped these sizes, as they are also out of style. When remodeling
your floor, we recommend using an up-to-date tile size as much as an up-to-date
tile style.
Are you looking for Wood Looking Porcelain Tile and Flooring Contractor Specialist in Tampa Bay?
