I was looking at the glazed tiles at Lowes, they‘re so nice looking, and they‘ve got so many colors.I‘m looking to tile my living room floor...I‘ve read glazed isn‘t good for floors, it‘s more for walls and counter tops. Can anyone tell me about this? I don‘t have any experience with tiles, what is the norm, the standard for floor tiles?
Living room, a comfortable place ... Tile is hard and glazed tile can be extremely slippery when wet.
Unglazed Ceramic Tile Lowes
I agree with the above answers. Tile in a living room is not what I would call common. However, if you are committed to going with tile, I would avoid anything with a high gloss or shiny finish since any scratches will show right away. If your living room doesn't get much traffic or you are careful with it, it probably isn't that big a concern. Tile is pretty tough so I wouldn't make my decision just based on that. However, I would also recommend going with something that looks a little more natural or stone-like. I'm no decorator but have recently remodeled our bathroom and we did a good bit of homework looking at tile options. Natural or stone are the popular looks right now. As another option, have you considered a laminate floor instead? There are a number of brands that look like wood, stone or tile. It can be a little more per square foot than tile (depending on the tile you buy), but the installation is 10 times easier. Also, there's other expenses associated with tiling a floor that bring the cost up to at least the same price as the laminate. Lastly, if you sell you house in the future, most people would not be surpised by a laminate floor in the living room but tile would be a bit different unless you were in a very hot climate or maybe located on the coast.
For tiles, glazed means that the colors you're seeing don't run all the way through the tile, not necessarily about the finish. If you're concerned about slip-resistance, see about a tile in a matte finish as opposed to a polished finish. Polished finishes can become slippery when you mop them - matte finishes are less likely to be slippery. Otherwise, if it's tile your after, then putting it in a living room is a great idea, particularly if you live in a hot climate. When shopping for tiles, make sure that you specify to your seller that you intend to use it for floor tile. You are right - certain tiles are only meant to serve as wall tiles, particularly dark colored glazed tiles. Make sure that the PEI rating on your chosen tiles are at least PEI3 or better. This is a measurement of how durable they will be in reference to where you'll be installing them. Good luck with your installation!
You can tile over tile. You need to be on slab, not pier and beam. Use a thinset with additive. Costs about twice as much as regular thinset, but it will hold.
