Most people traditionally think of tile flooring as belonging in a bathroom or kitchen. Yet, tiles have been escaping out into other areas of the home for some time now. They have ended up in entryways, living rooms, bedrooms, and dens. With the beautiful tile choices today can be used for bathroom flooring, tiles can go anywhere.

Brief history of tile flooring

Before the early 1900’s, tiles were only used to decorate public buildings and in homes of the very wealthy who could afford them. Tiles were found to have been used as far back as 4000 BC in Egypt. The Assyrians and Babylonians were famous for their tile manufacturing, and their artistry found its way to the Far East, Europe, and many other areas.

In the Middle East, Islamic tile art became a standard, while the Chinese used glazes and styles that were adopted by many European countries. North and South American and Mexico are also sites of beautiful tiles, many of which remain today. Expensive imported tiles began being installed in the homes of the wealthy in America in the late 1800’s, especially around fireplaces, in foyers, kitchens and bathrooms. Times Square in New York is famous for its beautiful subway tile murals.

Different types of tile

The tile flooring available today is made from a wide variety of materials. Quartz, clay, terrazzo, stoner, and metal tiles are available for Avant garde decorators who choose to create a different look. Tile flooring is also the flooring of choice for persons with chemical sensitivity.

Flooring tiles that decorators are using to create some stunning effects are natural stone tiles:

· Granite’s unique appearance is a function of the many speckled minerals found in this dense, hard igneous form of rock. These mineral contribute to distinctive veining and help to create a plethora of colors. After being polished, it is quite resistant to scratching and is great in high traffic areas.

· Marble is a bit more porous than granite, and not great in high traffic areas. Its vibrant colors and rich veining make it a great flooring for laying in a foot wide swath around the perimeter of a room with carpeting in the interior.

· Limestone has great textured surfaces in this sedimentary rock that can also be polished smooth. Due to it greater porosity than marble or granite, it also is not good in high traffic areas as it stains and scratches easily.

· Travertine is a form of limestone that appears crystallized. Its softness and high porosity can either be polished smooth or left textures. Not good in high traffic areas, it is also a good room perimeter tile.

· Slate is a great high traffic metamorphic rock because of its density and durability. Available in dark earth tones, it has a textured appearance but can be polished smooth.

Tile flooring bloomfield can be laid out with the floor all one shade of tile, or designs can be created with alternating or different tiles that create a focal point for the room.