Discounted Ceramic Floor Tiles

Everyone appreciates a bargain, and discounted ceramic floor tiles are no exception. When renovating the floors in your home, tile, wood, and stone can help increase the value of your property and beautify your environment.

If you are considering discounted ceramic floor tiles for one of your rooms, the best way to get what you want for a price you can live with is to be an informed shopper.

There are a number of ways to source discounted ceramic floor tiles. You can look for bargains locally, or search the Internet or factory direct options. The advantage of factory direct merchandise is that suppliers have eliminated many of the costs of maintaining brick-and-mortar stores and can pass the savings on to you.

One of the disadvantages is that, with limited or no merchandise to show you, you might be unhappily surprised to discover that the tile you purchased may not look exactly like the pictures online or in the brochure. If you have some latitude regarding the color of your tiles, this won’t be a problem, but if you need some verification that those attractive terracotta tiles really are . . . terracotta, don’t rely on photos. Ask for samples. This might involve some delay and a nominal charge.

With discounted stock, like the bargains advertised at your local home improvement outlet, they’ll have the stock for you to inspect, but supplies may be limited, so have a rough idea of the quantity you’ll need by determining the square footage of your room.

Ceramic tile is a combination of clay and shale that is kiln fired. The firing process makes the tile durable and moisture resistant. There are different categories of ceramic tile that will have an impact on its price, appearance, and durability.

Ceramic tile is sold in both glazed and unglazed varieties. Glazed ceramic can be fired multiple times to achieve the effects the designer wants. This can result in an intricately patterned, highly colored, shiny tile, but at an increased cost. Glazed tiles also resist stains better than unglazed varieties.

Unglazed ceramic tile is likely to wear better than glazed varieties. It also has textural variations that will make it less slippery. It is harder to clean though, and can be susceptible to staining.

Porcelain tile is a ceramic that can be glazed or unglazed, but is typically kiln fired at very high temperatures. The resulting tile is hard and extremely durable.

Ceramic tile can be sourced at prices anywhere from $.75 to $15.00 a square foot or more. Less expensive varieties may use inferior materials and practices that can cause them to fade and wear faster than their more expensive counterparts. Most manufacturers will rate their tiles for recommended use, like indoor-outdoor or heavy traffic applications. Using these guidelines to help make your selection and using a manufacturer whose name you trust will insure that the tile you choose will survive for the life of your home.

Ceramic tile installation can be expensive. The cost of a professional installation can be as much or more than the tile itself.

Before you decide that you want to update your floor with ceramic tile, make sure to evaluate the subflooring in your room. Uneven floors will have to be leveled, which can add to your costs.

Ceramic tile is heavy. If you have a contractor who’s handling the manual labor and will receive the delivery, fine. If, however, you’re planning on handling everything yourself, remember that delivering and moving the tiles to their prep area can be hard labor and require a strong back and some preplanning.

When settling on the number of tiles you'll need, allow for as much as a 10% fudge factor. You’ll be glad you did.

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