Best Tiles To Complement Your Concrete Patio

Complementing Your Concrete Patio

Whether indoor or outdoor, laying tiles in addition to a concrete patio is an easy and inexpensive way to give your living space a unique and exquisite look. The right tile compliments on your concrete patio can transform your space, making it more elegant and warming. 

But then, the problem is how do you get these best tiles? Do you even know them? The succeeding paragraphs will give you an insight into the best tiles to complement your concrete patio. 

Best Tiles To Complement Your Concrete Patio

Natural Stone Tile: Though pricey, natural stone tiles are a strong and excellent complement to your concrete patio. This tile’s natural and authentic look means you do not have to worry about colour mismatches regardless of the colour of your concrete patio. 

Slate Tile: With its excellent composition and water-resistant features, slate tiles are a durable and strong option to complement your concrete patio. This feature makes it able to withstand the elements and outdoor use effectively. 

Its natural surface texture and slip-resistant nature make it particularly suited for outdoor use. It is a cheap perfect blend of natural aesthetic and durability. 

Porcelain Tile: If excellent quality and strength are the only criteria, then porcelain tiles are all you need. A bit pricey, porcelain tiles are strong, dense and water-resistant, making them especially suited for outdoor purposes and a great complement for your concrete patio. However, particular attention should be paid to make sure it is textured to prevent slip when wet. 

Ceramic Tiles: Ceramic tiles are an inexpensive, simple fit for your concrete patio. They are cheaper than porcelain tiles. They usually come in subtle grey shades that could accentuate the beauty of your concrete patio. They are, however, best used in areas not prone to the extremities of the weather. Not all ceramic tiles are built the same, so special attention should be paid to your pick’s durability. Where you are not looking to break the bank, ceramic tiles are your best bet. 

Concrete Tiles: Concrete tiles are best known for their durability and strength. They can withstand harsh weather conditions.  They also provide a cheap way to complement your concrete patio without having to source external materials. With concrete tiles having neutral colours, you also do not have to worry about contrasting tiles and patio colours. However, they require resealing after a few years. 

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, a lot of effort goes into aesthetics when determining tiles to complement a concrete patio. However, you should also pay cognizance to factors such as; the weather, budget, the color of your concrete patio, and several other factors mentioned above. Without a doubt, you should consider one of the tiles listed above when choosing the best fit for your concrete patio. 

Best Tiles to Install in Your Home

Do you need tiles in your home?

When building or renovating your home, one important factor you should consider is the type of floor you want. The type of floor used is crucial, from the kitchen to the bathroom and other functional rooms in the home. Amongst the numerous flooring options, tile floors are considered the best. This is due to the countless benefits and advantages that are associated with them. 

Tile floors are the commonest and most popular type of floor in modern homes. Apart from their durability and strength, tiles give a tasteful and colorful finish to your home. They are slip-resistant and water-resistant. These benefits make tile floors the most suitable option for your home

What Type of Tiles Is Most Suitable For Your Home?

The answer to this question is simple. Tiles come in various designs, colors, textures, and sizes. These styles and colors make them the most suitable type of floor needed to give your home the desired beauty and comfort. 

When considering the type of tiles to install in your home, there is a wide range of options to choose from. Your choice largely depends on some factors such as size, durability, strength, and versatility. All tiles are not made equal, and their suitability varies from room to room. For instance, the tile type in the kitchen might not be suitable for the sitting room. Rooms and places such as bathrooms, dining rooms, hallways, entryways, and laundry rooms require different floors. 

Below are some of the types of floors you can install in your home.

Ceramic tiles: these types of floors are made from quarried clay. They are often prepared and molded. They are made available in a polished or glazed form and unglazed or unpolished form. Ceramic tiles are relatively cheaper than other types of tiles. As a homeowner,  ceramic tiles give you a cheaper option to tile your home. Unlike other types of tiles, you can easily cut and install them by yourself.

Porcelain tiles: compared with ceramic tiles, these types of tiles are less porous and heavier. They have a minimal or small amount of impurities. They have a high density. This high density makes them stronger and highly water-resistant. They are mostly suitable for heavy traffic places due to their durability. 

These types of tiles can resist stains, scratches, and heavy feet. However, they can chip or crack if a heavy object falls on them. Porcelain tiles are most suitable for the kitchen and bathroom due to their ability to resist water and other liquids.

Concrete or cement tiles: these tiles are produced from cement. They are the best choice for exterior walls and floors. They are also suitable for driveways as a result of their strength and high durability. These tiles have reduced or less friction even if wet because of their rough finishing.

Faux wood tiles: these are the newest type of tiles. They give your home the natural beauty of the wood. Like porcelain and ceramic tiles, faux wood tiles are durable, water and stain-resistant, and easy to maintain. These tiles also can resist a termite attack.

Mosaic tiles: These tiles are made from varieties of materials such as porcelain, natural stones, ceramic materials, or glass materials. They are made available in glazed or unglazed forms. They are tiny sized and are the best choice for the bathroom and kitchen.

Terracotta tiles: terracotta tiles are made from natural clay. They can resist water and are durable. They are installed both on the wall and floor. Terracotta tiles are glazed and polished to improve durability and color variation.

Conclusion

Tiles in your homes are one of the best decisions you can take to uplift your home. Whatever may be your choice, you have already seen it above. The decision is now with you to make.  For more information on concrete tiles contact https://www.concretemidlandtexas.com.

The Secret To Successful Removal of Tiles

Tile removal might seem like a simple task, but it is actually a messy and cumbersome undertaking. Knocking off and clearing away the tiles, debris, dust, and thin sets is a laborious process and depending on the size of the space, might even take you a whole day or two. You have to break the tiles, remove the adhesive and thin sets and clear off the debris. For DIY tile removals, you will need tools such as a chisel and hammer or an electric drill. 

If you are going the DIY route, you will probably be squatting the whole day and expanding your sweat in the process. Besides, your tile removal might be hindered by factors such as site accessibility. When removing tiles, you need to select the areas that your tools and machinery can maneuver easily without causing damage to the other structures and installations. Being a physical and energy-sapping job, most prefer hiring ceramic tile removal contractors who have the right sets of tools, machinery and experience to efficiently remove old tiling and install new ones with speed and the highest standards of quality. But what are their secrets? How do they get a job that is so messy and laborious? In this article, we let you in on some of the top tile removal secrets used by professional tile removals that you should familiarize yourself with if you are planning to replace old tiling.

Knowing the Right Tools 

The right sets of tools will enable you to do the job more efficiently. If you use a tool that is not designed for tile removals, you will end up creating a big mess out of it. You will need several tools to get this right. These include: 


  • A Pulsing Hammer Drill: This should come with the right chisel bit and will speed up the tile removal process.
  • Sledgehammers: You will use the sledgehammers to hit the tiling at the right angle to detach them from the flooring.
  • Floor scraper: You need this to get rid of adhesives, concrete, thin sets and other substances that are still attached to the subfloor.
  • Shovel and buckets
  • Shop-Vac: This will be a lifesaver, enabling you to quickly suck in all the dust and debris generated from the tile removal work.

Clear Up Space

Before you begin the tile removal process, start clearing and organizing the space. Cover all the valuables in the house and remove all essential items from the vicinity of the area. This task will generate an intense amount of dust, and you need to take all the requisite precautions to protect your most valuable possessions. The vacuum must suck in most of them, but if you don’t take measures to protect sensitive or delicate items, they will be quickly covered in thick coats of dust during the tile removal. 

It would be best if you also got rid of the trims and baseboards before you begin working on the room. The trim work should be removed with some attention care to avoid damaging them. This will enable you to reinstall it when installing your new tiling to avoid incurring unnecessary costs. Take care to remove the appliances and even built-in furniture like cabinets where possible. If the room has lots of vents, you should cover them using a painter’s removable tape, and plastic as this will prevent the copious amounts of dust generated from getting into your ventilation system. 

Removing Tiles from the Edges of the Room 

It isn’t easy removing floor tiles that are so close to the cabinet by hitting them with a sledgehammer. You will have tremendous success in these areas with the hammer drills. The tiles adjacent to the edges of the rooms will come out a lot faster if you remove the baseboards first before you begin removing the tiles. 

Remove Grout and Caulk Before You Begin Removing Tiling 

Use a utility knife to remove the grout and caulk before you start removing the tiling. You can remove the grout just as it is. Use a heat gun to soften the caulk before you proceed with its removal. After removing the caulk and grout surrounding a tile, use a putty knife to try and pry it. Some tiles will come off easily when you attempt this enabling you to complete the tile removal task quickly. If it doesn’t come off easily, then you will need to employ more engrossing tile removal methods involving the use of hammer drills and sledgehammers, among other tools and equipment. 

Removing the Underlayment

If the tile removal is complete, determine the condition of the tile underlayment. If there is some deterioration, then you should remove it and replace it with a new one. Use a screw gun to remove any screws that have affixed the underlayment onto the floor. Then use a roofing cake and flat shovel to pry the underlayment and remove it from the floor. 

Scraping off the thin-set

Then the thin-set must be scraped off until it is smooth before you lay down the new tiling. Make sure you wear a mask during this exercise as it generates clouds of dust. A hammer drill and a tile chisel set to pulse will do an excellent job removing the thin-set. Depending on its thickness and hardness, you might have to make several passes with your hammer drill to remove the thin-set.

Smoothing the Floor 

After getting rid of the thin-set, the floor should be smoothened using a floor scraper. The smoothing is required because the concrete foundation will still contain some thin-set even after you have carried out multiple passes with the hammer drill. You probably won’t manage to remove every bit of them, but the surface should be very smooth in preparation for new tile installation. 

Use the flat edge of your flat shovel to get rid of any residual adhesive on the concrete. For large surfaces, you can use a carpet scraper for this purpose. Clean up any remaining glue or screws with a broom and a shop vac. The subfloor will need to be completely clean and smooth before you start installing new tiling.