What Type Of Tiles?

[raayn 0]

hi all,

i am in the process of picking tiles for my flat and am unsure should i pick the hdb sold ones (terrazo?). ceramic tiles (for easier sweeping/cleaning) or laminated flooring..

parquet definitely out of budget.

share please for those that are more experience..

thanks thanks.

[yokine9a 1]

I have terrazzo in my living room, laminate flooring in my 2 bedrooms, homo tiles in my kitchen

For easy sweeping/cleaning, terrazzo/marble/granite are the best, no grout lines. But they are natural stones and do absorb water, got to be very careful with acid, will stain the floor if left overnight.

Laminate flooring is not as cold as natural stones. Cleaning wise, the workers who installed the floor told me to use plain water to mop it will do. For daily maintenance, just need to avoid water and sharp objects. Water will make the floor warp and sharp objects will scratch the floor.

Homo/ceramic tiles have the biggest selections in the market. Plenty of designs, patterns and prices to choose from. Cleaning is easy but need to brush the grout lines occasionally.

Edited April 30, 2008 by yokine9a

[raayn 0]

I have terrazzo in my living room, laminate flooring in my 2 bedrooms, homo tiles in my kitchen

For easy sweeping/cleaning, terrazzo/marble/granite are the best, no grout lines. But they are natural stones and do absorb water, got to be very careful with acid, will stain the floor if left overnight.

Laminate flooring is not as cold as natural stones. Cleaning wise, the workers who installed the floor told me to use plain water to mop it will do. For daily maintenance, just need to avoid water and sharp objects. Water will make the floor warp and sharp objects will scratch the floor.

Homo/ceramic tiles have the biggest selections in the market. Plenty of designs, patterns and prices to choose from. Cleaning is easy but need to brush the grout lines occasionally.

Hi yokine9a,

thks, indeed your reply is very informative.

my kitchen and 2 bathrooms came already with tiles, i tink its ceramic. the rest of the house is bare.

we are considering laminate as well, but after hearing your experience, dunno whether we can be very careful about the sharp objects thingy.

hmmm...

[yokine9a 1]

You are most welcome

If you are more concerned about sharp objects for laminate flooring, can consider Kronotex. The demo they did in the expo was very impressive, they knocked/scratched/hammered on their floor board but left no markings/scratches.

From what I know, as long as you are not dropping a sharp heavy object on the floor at a 90 degrees angle, it should be ok. Even a piece of stone or tile will chip if you drop heavy object on them, laminate flooring is just wood leh

[virgo2829 0]

consider homogenous tiles...now there are a wide variety of choices in teh market...some are even marble like designs...

[raayn 0]

consider homogenous tiles...now there are a wide variety of choices in teh market...some are even marble like designs...

hi virgo2829,

between homo n ceramic, which one is cheaper?

i am still considering shld i splurge or shld i scrooge on the tiles.

alternatively, can go like what

yokine9a has done, mix and match!

[applefreak 1]

ceramic is definitely cheaper, but is more fragile too

my old home has ceramic floor tiles and has lots of holes due to keys dropping, high heel shoes hitting the tile :jawdrop:

now using porcelain tiles, much hardier i'd say

so far no hole and cracks

[virgo2829 0]

consider homogenous tiles...now there are a wide variety of choices in teh market...some are even marble like designs...

me too am using porcelain tiles as i do not like glossy ones....as we have 2 dogs at home and the urine will stain the tiles if we are not home to clean up the urine asap.....

[aoi 0]

hi all,

i am in the process of picking tiles for my flat and am unsure should i pick the hdb sold ones (terrazo?). ceramic tiles (for easier sweeping/cleaning) or laminated flooring..

parquet definitely out of budget.

share please for those that are more experience..

thanks thanks.

homogenous tiles are easy to sweep and mop, better than ceramic tiles.

i chose homogenous for the hall and rooms, whereas ceramic for kitchen.

becos kitchen floor tiles are best to be non-slip type, to minimise risk of accidents when floor is wet.

[raayn 0]

homogenous tiles are easy to sweep and mop, better than ceramic tiles.

i chose homogenous for the hall and rooms, whereas ceramic for kitchen.

becos kitchen floor tiles are best to be non-slip type, to minimise risk of accidents when floor is wet.

hi aoi,

my kitchen is already with tiles and wall tiles.

i think ceramic. so dunno whr that is gd or not. but HDB already come with that whn we buy the new flat.

i was thinking of laminates for rooms, but is it advisable in terms of long run?

dun realli plan to move after 5yrs..maybe staying for say 8-10yrs as my flat is already in mature estate n beside mrt.

[yoongf 11]

the choice of laminates depends on the criteria for decision making.

timber strip is by far the most popular and I wld think.. is the default choice. However, it colour or pattern is more important, then laminates is the way to go.

High traffic areas will also favour laminates. but in terms of repairability, is timber strip.

[yokine9a 1]

If you want to save some $$, can keep the tiles and wall tiles done by HDB.

As for the laminate flooring in my bedrooms, I don't see there will be any problem in the long run. As long as I try to avoid too much water when mopping it.

I like the cozy feeling my bedrooms is giving me Having laminate flooring is really different from having tiles flooring

[raayn 0]

the choice of laminates depends on the criteria for decision making.

timber strip is by far the most popular and I wld think.. is the default choice. However, it colour or pattern is more important, then laminates is the way to go.

High traffic areas will also favour laminates. but in terms of repairability, is timber strip.

thanks yoongf!

may i ask timber strip is a kind of laminate issit?

i just bought home & decor mag for ideas and they attach a bookmark laminate frm formica.

is this a good brand?

do they scratch easily if i chose the timber strip? my sister's parquet flooring is heavily scratched, based on my observation.

for maintenance wise, is it just mop with water or those floor cleaners thingy?

sorry if i seemed abit stupid but dun really do housework before this so kinda need to learn proper way to maintain.

thank!

If you want to save some $$, can keep the tiles and wall tiles done by HDB.

As for the laminate flooring in my bedrooms, I don't see there will be any problem in the long run. As long as I try to avoid too much water when mopping it.

I like the cozy feeling my bedrooms is giving me Having laminate flooring is really different from having tiles flooring

yokine9a,

i am planning to keep the hdb tiles in the kitchen n wall tiles to save $.

i tink once i am free this wkend, need to go down ID and just ask around.

but dun realli know waht to ask ley.

[yokine9a 1]

I reckon you already have something in mind what reno work you want to do for your house. Qtns that you can ask are warranty like, country made, $$ per sq feet, how to maintenance etc.

For tiles, to me it is pretty straight forward, either matt or shine surface. Matt surface gets dirty easily, need to scratch like mad But shine surface might be slippery when floor is wet. Anyway, I chose matt but pretty smooth surface for my kitchen floor. Just go for those designs and patterns that you like as long as its pricing is within your budget.

If you decided to go for laminate flooring, Pergo, Kronotex and Supreme are the common brands offered by IDs. They all have their selling points.

No worries, you can always post qtns here when you have doubts. Good luck

[yoongf 11]

thanks yoongf!

may i ask timber strip is a kind of laminate issit?

i just bought home & decor mag for ideas and they attach a bookmark laminate frm formica.

is this a good brand?

do they scratch easily if i chose the timber strip? my sister's parquet flooring is heavily scratched, based on my observation.

for maintenance wise, is it just mop with water or those floor cleaners thingy?

Timber strip is commonly referred to as "Parquet" floor. In reality.. parquet is a design pattern, not a material. Go to other countries and ask for parquet floor, u will get those small 2cm X 15cm in squarish pattern wooden strips popular in 70s and 80s. Is real wood, not laminate.

Scratches on timber strip is normal, and I feel that is gives a more homely feel, rather then see it as a defect. but if a scratch is something that bothers u.. then I think stay clear of timber. My view is that a home is not a showflat, must be comfortable and not generate stress over damage. timber strip is normal mop maintenance, nothing to worry about.

Formica is a world leader and expensive "brand". One of the pioneers in laminates, but this is cabinet laminates, not laminated flooring specialist.