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Kevin Ahern

By: Kevin Ahern on October 20th, 2015

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How to Choose a Kitchen Tile Design

Residential

Picking the right kitchen floor for your needs can be overwhelming. There are so many choices on the market and each choice is so different. Never fear!

Choosing the right kitchen tile design happens in three easy steps. This step-by-step tutorial can help you narrow your choices in a logical way, to help ensure that the flooring you pick is the right option for you.

Choose Your Materials

Your options range between natural and synthetic, high and low-maintenance, understated and colorful. Here are a few of the most common choices:

  • Stone. Stone is immensely popular now. Stone looks best in kitchens with earthy color schemes near other natural surfaces like wood cabinets and granite countertops. Keep in mind that some grouts can be easily stained. Darker colored grout between stone tiles shows dirt more slowly.
  • Vinyl floor tile. You don't see this much anymore, but if you're designing a retro kitchen, vinyl floor tile is extremely easy to clean, easy to install and durable.
  • Spanish tile. Warm in tone, but cold to touch, Spanish tile is an excellent choice in Mediterranean themed kitchens. Spanish tile can be somewhat easier to clean than stone, but the grout may still become stained, so think hard before choosing a light colored grout between tiles.
  • Wood laminate. Kitchens aren't the ideal place for real wooden floors because of all the moisture, but wood laminate is easy to clean and maintain and can be more water resistant than hardwood.

Pick The Colors

Depending on the type of material you've chosen for your kitchen floor, there may or may not be many color choices available to you. Choose colors that match the other colors found in the kitchen. For example, if your kitchen features a lot of earthy greens and browns, earthy brown stone will provide the best match.

If your kitchen, on the other hand, is bright and sunny yellow, choose a bright, cris colored flooring material. Consider white porcelain tile or perhaps black and white vinyl tile. If the type of flooring that you've chosen doesn't come in a color that matches your kitchen, consider choosing a different material.

Select a Pattern

Now if you've chosen multiple colors of tiles for your floor, it's time to pick a pattern. Patterned floors work best in kitchens that don't have a lot going on visually. In busy kitchens with highly patterned fabrics, bright colored walls, and a variety of different materials used to build the cabinets, countertops and walls, the pattern on your floor should be somewhat minimal. This will help offset the wild activity in the rest of the room. If your kitchen is muted in design, choosing a tile floor with contrasting colors and a busy pattern can spice up your kitchen and create visual interest.

If you're still feeling stuck and need help picking a tile floor design for your Connecticut kitchen, contact Litchfield Builders. We'll help you pick the right design.

Request a free construction consultation

About Kevin Ahern

Kevin is the Co-Founder of Litchfield Builders, an award-winning, industry leader with a reputation for managing projects others shy away from. They are known for their high-quality work, customer service, and reliability and though still relatively small in size, Litchfield Builders now competes with some of the areas largest firms in both the residential and commercial arenas.