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Timeless vs Trendy: Choosing the Perfect Kitchen Tiles for Your Home 9

Timeless vs Trendy: Choosing the Perfect Kitchen Tiles for Your Home

By General, Kitchen Tiles, Trends

The kitchen is often considered the heart of a home, and its design and aesthetics play a crucial role in creating a welcoming and functional space. When it comes to choosing the perfect tiles for your kitchen, you may find yourself torn between timeless options that withstand the test of time or trendy designs that add a contemporary flair. Considering the great impact the ceramic tiles can have on the look and feel of your home, you want to make sure you make a choice you’re happy with now and for the years to come.

In this blog, we will explore the benefits and considerations of both timeless and trendy kitchen tiles to help you make an informed decision that suits your personal style and stands the test of time. 

Timeless Kitchen Tiles

Regardless of whether you’re renovating your forever home or you’re looking to increase your property’s value to sell–the ceramic tiles you choose for your kitchen will make a great impact on the design and experience of your home. Whilst trends come and go, choosing timeless designs will allow you to make a reliable choice that you won’t regret as your style preferences as well as your lifestyle changes

Additionally, timeless tiles will allow for more flexibility for buyers that are inspecting your property. Choosing trending tiles could narrow your market and it could be the reason why a buyer makes (or doesn’t make) an offer. It’s important to note that trending tiles for selling a property is a risk that doesn’t always pay off

Explore our timeless kitchen tiles below to see if this is the correct decision for you. 

Minimalist tiles

Timeless kitchen tiles are characterised by their classic appeal and enduring beauty. Options like white subway tiles, natural stone, and neutral-coloured ceramic tiles exude elegance and sophistication, making them a safe choice that won’t go out of style. What’s essential for timeless tiles is upholding a minimalist design. These minimalist tiles provide a versatile backdrop that allows you to experiment with various design elements over the years without the need for a complete overhaul.

Choosing a minimalist style doesn’t mean minimal options–in fact, if anything, there’s more minimalist and timeless designs to choose from due to their long-standing impact. From classic white tiles, subtle stone-look tiles, large format tiles or subway tiles–you’ll be spoiled for choice when selecting your timeless kitchen tiles for your home.

When choosing timeless tiles you’ll want to steer away from bright colours or intricate designs. Instead, choose neutral colours such as whites, browns, greys or blacks. Although these minimalist colours might appear plain, once installed they’ll brighten the space, providing a versatile canvas for your kitchen.

For trusty and reliable kitchen tiles, we recommend choosing a classic non-resistant tile in a subtle shade such as: Peronda Ground Silver Polished (soft stone finish and anti-slip tile), Senzatempo Bianco (soft and light stone-look tile) or Slate White (rectified glazed ceramic in a classic white colour).

Timeless vs Trendy: Choosing the Perfect Kitchen Tiles for Your Home 10

Subway tiles

Installing subway tiles is a classic and beautiful way to elevate your kitchen. Install the subway tiles along the lower table, as a splashback behind the tap or, behind the stove–chat to your designer or consult with our team to find the most aesthetically pleasing option for your kitchen

Subway tiles is a traditional design that has been used since they emerged in the subway tunnels in New York City in 1904. Since their introduction to design, subway tiles have been repurposed to achieve different looks from traditional to modern to experimental. Depending on the tile colour and pattern you choose, subway tiles have the potential to match any theme.

For your timeless kitchen, choose subway tiles that are black, grey or white. These colours stand the test of time, offering a subtle sophistication that won’t go unnoticed. Some options include: Raku Nero Lava (high gloss, black, porcelain tiles), Gloss White Bevell (beveled edge, gloss, white, porcelain tiles) and Gloss Grey (classic gloss grey tiles). Explore our full range of subway tiles here.

Trendy Kitchen Tiles

Trendy kitchen tiles offer great fun to the interior design of your kitchen. Choosing trendy kitchen tiles is a great opportunity to express your unique style and showcase your personality in your home. Whether you enjoy bright and colourful, experimental and edgy or modern and captivating–there’s such a wide range of kitchen tiles to choose from, you’ll be able to find kitchen tiles that accurately capture your vision.

Timeless vs Trendy: Choosing the Perfect Kitchen Tiles for Your Home 11

Mosaic tiles

Mosaic tiles are an eye-capturing way to showcase your unique style in your kitchen. With their intricate patterns and diverse colour combinations, mosaic tiles have the ability to transform a kitchen into a captivating work of art. Whether used as a backsplash or a focal point on the floor, mosaic tiles bring a sense of individuality and character to the room

Mosaic tiles can vary considerably from one design to another. You can keep it minimalistic with just white or black, experiment with white and black, embrace different colour combinations or opt for an unexpected shape. The small, intricately placed pieces come together to form a cohesive design that can range from traditional and geometric to whimsical and contemporary.

To begin exploring mosaic tiles and to define your style preferences, take a look at our selection: Scales Black Gloss Fan Mosaic (Spanish half circles available in gloss finish, white, light grey and black), Crystal Green Stack Bond Gloss Mosaic (vibrant green stack tiles for splashbacks), Diamond White Gloss Mosaic (diamond shaped white and grey gloss tiles).

Bright and bold tiles

Colour has a profound psychological impact on design, influencing our emotions, perceptions, and overall experience of a space. Different colours evoke specific psychological responses, and understanding their effects is crucial when creating a desired ambiance. Considering ceramic tiles take up a large portion of the room, the colour you choose will play an important part in dictating the feeling experienced in the space. Here’s where choosing bright and bold colours offer a lot of fun in design, embracing lighthearted emotions to complete an eye-grabbing and charming interior.

Bold and bright ceramic tiles can be a game-changer when it comes to kitchen design, offering vibrancy, energy, and a sense of playfulness into the space. Keep in mind the emotion attached to the colour you choose in order to achieve your ideal look and feel. For example, shades of red are associated with passion and energy, blue is known for calming and yellow is associated with happiness and joy

Playing with coloured ceramic tiles is a great way to elevate a simple space into a design wonderment. If you’re looking to add a splash of colour to your kitchen, browse our wide selection of ceramic tiles. From Raku Blu Oriente (high gloss, porcelain, subway tiles) or Solid Pink Glossy (just like it sounds–solid, pink and glossy ceramic tiles)–the option is yours at Ceramic Tile Supplies!

Decorative tiles

Nothing draws your attention quite like decorative tiles. Made famous by Spain with famous landmarks such as The Alhambra, Park Güell, Casa Batlló and not to mention the entire Seville city in Spain which is known as the city of ceramic tiles! Today, interior designers and homeowners alike embrace the allure of decorative tiles to create stunning, visually captivating spaces that pay homage to the vibrant heritage of Spain.

Whether you’re looking for a fun and quirky design or a sophisticated modern look, decorative tiles vary considerably to match your vision and deliver that ‘wow-factor.’ Decorative tiles can be used to create stunning backsplashes, accent walls, and of course for flooring options too, instantly transforming the kitchen into a visually captivating and inviting area

Decorative tiles provide an opportunity to experiment with different styles, textures, and colour combinations, allowing for a truly customised and unforgettable kitchen design. If this is the vision that you’re seeking to achieve in your kitchen, we would recommend browsing our selection of decorative tiles. Styles vary from Spoon Blanc (white, patterned and embossed tiles), Ciment Floral (heritage inspired glazed porcelain tiles), Self More Decor 16 (13th century inspired matt finished glazed porcelain tiles) and many more!

Timeless vs Trendy: Choosing the Perfect Kitchen Tiles for Your Home 12

Where to find timeless and trendy titles in Perth

Choosing your ceramic tiles for your kitchen is no easy decision. Whether you’re choosing timeless ceramic tiles or trendy ceramic tiles, either option holds countless options that offer a different look and feel to your interior. Before purchasing your ceramic tiles, we recommend always inspecting the tiles in person. Although browsing online gives you good insight into what style you might prefer, seeing the tiles in person is a different experience. Luckily, we offer our complete range of kitchen ceramic tiles at our showrooms in Wangara and Myaree. We encourage all to visit our showroom, talk with our friendly staff and find the timeless or trendy tiles that will complete your dream kitchen. 

View our Kitchen Tiles

Grifths StoneValley GREY Tile

A comparison of different floor tile materials and their durability

By General, Porcelain Tiles, Tile Selection, Timber Look Tiles

When shopping for floor tiles, one of the biggest factors to consider is the tile’s durability. Not all floor tiles are created equal, and some materials are more durable than others. Depending on where you’re installing your tiles you might need floor tiles with higher durability. 

In this blog, we will compare the durability of different floor tile materials we provide at Ceramic Tile Supplies and offer useful information that will help you make your final decision. If you have any questions along the way, contact our team and we will be happy to help you.

Ceramic Tiles

Ceramic tiles are a popular choice for flooring due to their durability and affordability. They are made from clay and other natural materials that are fired at high temperatures. Ceramic tiles are strong and scratch-resistant, making them ideal for high-traffic areas such as kitchens and hallways.

 

Although many people mix-up ceramic and porcelain tiles, they are in fact different materials that hold different benefits. Ceramic tiles are considerably less dense than porcelain tiles, which makes them easier to cut into different shapes and sizes; however, it means they’re also less durable than porcelain tiles. If faced with heavy impact, ceramic tiles can chip/break, which can deter customers from choosing ceramic tiles.

To increase the durability of ceramic tiles, choose a ceramic glaze for your tiles. This is a thin layer of material that can be applied to a porcelain and/or ceramic object to give it a protective layer. Glazed ceramic tiles are a great option for all areas from indoor spaces such as bathroom floors and kitchen splashbacks, to outdoor areas where slip resistance is required.

Bathroom Ceramic Tiles
Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain tiles are denser and therefore more durable than ceramic tiles. They are fired at a higher temperature than ceramic tiles, which gives them a tougher and heavier surface to withstand heavy impact. Porcelain tiles are highly resistant to scratches, corrosive liquids and general wear and tear, making them an ideal choice for high-traffic areas such as commercial buildings and outdoor areas.

 

Additionally, porcelain tiles are also impervious to water, making them ideal for installation in wet areas such as bathrooms and around swimming pools. They are also highly resistant to heat, so they can be used in spaces with fireplaces and stoves. 

 

Due to this higher durability, porcelain tiles are generally more expensive than ceramic tiles. Although you will face a higher cost initially, you can expect a longer lifespan, making them a worthwhile investment.

In recent years, thin porcelain tiles emerged in the market, which offers the tough surface of porcelain tiles yet, at a lower density. Thin porcelain tiles offer a minimal thickness of between 3 – 8mm (previously, thickness was 10 – 12mm) and often range from 750mm – 1000mm wide and up to 3 meters in length. Unlike traditional porcelain tiles, thin porcelain tiles can easily be cut into different shapes and sizes to fit your design. 

Timber Flooring

Timber is a much-loved material in Australia, with one of the most popular ways to incorporate timber is using timber for your flooring. Offering an eye-grabbing warmth of colour to the room whilst also providing comfortable underfoot, natural insulation and durability—timber flooring is a great option for your floor tiles. 

Although timber flooring entices designers with their visuals, they’re not always the best choice for all homeowners. Natural wood flooring is expensive, requires regular maintenance (sanding, staining and waxing), can fade over time and are not recommended for wet areas. Ensure to consider the use of the space before you decide to install timber flooring.

Timber Wooden Tile
A comparison of different floor tile materials and their durability 17

Timber-Look Tiles

Another option for timber flooring is choosing timber look tiles. These are tiles that visually look like timber however, are made of other materials. 

With incredible advancements in technology, timber look tiles can appear almost identical to timber flooring, with added benefits that timber flooring lacks. For example, timber look tiles are more affordable, hard-wearing, water resistant, heat proof, easy to clean and require little maintenance. If you’re looking for an alternative to timber flooring, choosing timber look tiles is a no-brainer.

Stone-Look Tiles

Similar to timber-look tiles, stone-look tiles replicate natural surfaces in a hard-wearing, water resistant and more affordable tile material (porcelain, ceramic and classic travertine – honed and filled). From limestone, clay, marble, rock surfaces and more—all stones can be replicated into stone-look tiles.

Stone-look tiles require little upkeep, offer great insulation and never go out of style. If you’re looking to achieve a modern aesthetic whilst accommodating a high foot traffic space, stone look tiles are an ideal choice of tile for your needs.

A comparison of different floor tile materials and their durability 18
Travertine Tiles

Travertine Tiles

Travertine is a very durable and heavy type of natural limestone made from mineral deposits from natural springs. Travertine tiles are appealing with their organic surface and striking appearance featuring naturally formed swirls in the rock. 

You can find travertine in bathrooms, showers, around pool areas and other wet areas due to the natural non-slip surface of the stone. Often travertine tiles are used on feature walls, offering a modern and stylish aesthetic to the room.

Here at Ceramic Tiles Supplies, we offer travertine tiles in both crosscut and vein cut formats and can be supplied in any size, with any finish. Depending on the finish you choose, slip resistance may be altered. Discuss with our team to ensure the glaze you choose accommodates your requirements. 

The best floor tiles for your home

In conclusion, different floor tile materials offer varying degrees of durability, with porcelain and natural stone tiles being the most durable, followed by ceramic tiles and vinyl tiles. It’s important to consider the intended use of the flooring, the level of foot traffic, and the likelihood of exposure to water, heat, and acidic substances when choosing the right type of tile. With proper installation and care, floor tiles can retain their high quality, colour and appearance for years to come. 

We recommend visiting one of our Ceramic Tile Supplies showrooms (located in Myaree & Wangara) to see the selection of floor tiles in person. Floor tiles completely transform the aesthetics of a room, you want to ensure you’re 100% satisfied with your decision. See our opening hours here to organise your visit.

View our floor tiles

NDIS Requirements - Non Slip Ceramic Tiles 23

NDIS Requirements – Non Slip Ceramic Tiles

By General, Architects & Builders, DIY, Tile Selection

An important requirement in the NDIS recommendations is installing non-slip ceramic tiles. Here at Ceramic Tile Supplies, we offer a wide selection of non-slip ceramic tiles to meet these NDIS standards. If you’re looking for non-slip tiles for an aged care center, bathroom, hospital or home – CT Supplies is here to help you provide a safer environment for your needs. 

About NDIS

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides all people with disabilities essential resources, connections and services that improves their overall wellbeing. With around 4.3 million Australians with a disability, this is an important initiative that improves millions of lives in countless ways. 

Providing home modifications is an essential piece of the puzzle, with the NDIS recommending detailed guidelines for builders and designers. From small adaptations such as a grab rail, to more complex modifications such as ramp solutions for dwelling areas. To meet NDIS standards, there’s a detailed list of Complex Home Modifications (CHM) with funding accessible through the individual’s NDIS plan.  

When it comes to flooring, there are specific flooring requirements to meet for different areas/spaces. Below, we’ve outlined flooring information to keep in mind when choosing your NDIS flooring. However, always consult with a NDIS provider to confirm what will be best for your requirements.

Slip resistant tiles

Slip resistant flooring are glazed or unglazed porcelain tiles that meet the required slip resistant ratings that have been assessed by Slip Tests. When browsing through CT Supplies’ range of slip resistant tiles you will notice the Slip Ratings given alongside each tile. 

Slip resistant tiles are tested via three different methods:

  1. Oil-wet ramp test (R9 – R13)
  2. Pendulum test (P0 – P5)
  3. Wet barefoot ramp test (A/B/C)

For more information, visit our slip resistant tiles page here

 

Bathrooms

Due to the amount of water that is sprayed from taps, sinks and shower heads, it’s vital to invest in non-slip bathroom tiles to increase safety. Regardless of whether you’re seeking to meet NDIS requirements or, you’re simply building a general bathroom for your home – slip resistant tiles are essential. 

Slipping and falling is a major cause of home injuries for elderly, children and people with disabilities. By installing non-slip tiles you will greatly reduce risk and improve usability in your bathroom. 

For aged care bathrooms and ensuites the wet pendulum meets P3 with an oil/wet ramp rating of B. This means the flooring needs to be tough and negate water to prevent a slippery surface as well as appropriate substrate surface for wall tiling too. 

For toilet facilities in offices, hotels and shopping centers, the requirements are similar with the wet pendulum test requiring P3 tiles and an oil/wet ramp rating of R10.

NDIS Requirements - Non Slip Ceramic Tiles 24

Entrances/hallways

Entrances and hallways are the main point of entry, seeing a lot of foot traffic constantly. It’s vital that these areas of the building or home cater to all guests and visitors. 

Alongside providing easy access paths and walkways (offering 1000mm minimum width, or wider for wheelchair access), the flooring must be a slip resistant surface, such as concrete broom finish or wooden trowel finish. This applies to any ramps or dwelling entrances too.

Kitchens

Kitchens are another area that is prone to water spraying from taps, sinks, dishwashers etc. Ideally, slip resistant tiles would be installed in every home/building kitchen regardless of meeting NDIS requirements. This improves overall safety for all occupants. 

NDIS kitchens vary significantly depending on the design of the kitchen as well as the disability of the individual/s. A requirement that’s consistent across the board, is installing non slip tiles. It’s always useful discussing with your local NDIS provider on which flooring they would recommend for your specific job. 

Non slip tiles Perth

If you’re looking for non-slip tiles in Perth, look no further. Here at Ceramic Tile Supplies, we’ve got a wide range of ceramic tiles to suit all needs and style preferences. Visit one of our showrooms or browse our selection online. We’re only a phone call away if you have any questions. 

View our slip resistant tile range

Edimax Shade D Decorative tile 2

Ceramic Tile Trends: Inkjet Technology

By General, Architects & Builders, DIY, Tile Selection

Inkjet technology has truly transformed the potential of ceramic and porcelain tiles. When applied to ceramic and porcelain tiles, inkjet technology has allowed for some very unique and innovative products to emerge. 

Through Inkjet technology, manufacturers are not only focusing on the challenge of replicating realistic reproductions of existing surface materials (wood, stone or brick), but are also immersing themselves in the opportunity to print out different textures. The reproduction of these different materials and textures is uncanny, offering a more affordable option for high quality materials.

How inkjet technology works

Inject technology works similarly to a printer, digitally printing liquid onto a material to create patterns and images. However, where inkjet technology differs is how advanced the printing equipment is, allowing for the ability to replicate exact images as well as textures that can be felt by the hand. Where your printer is clearly producing images with ink, it’s next to impossible to differentiate inkjet’s printing from the real material. 

Digital printing

Many customers are surprised to learn that inkjet technology doesn’t actually touch the ceramic tile! All printing is done digitally, printing high resolution patterns and designs to imitate your chosen texture (marble, granite, limestone, wood etc.)

The inkjet technology works by using the heads/dispensers (6 main heads, 3 additional for detailing) each of which have millions of pixels distributing the specialty ink over the ceramic tile. Controlled by a computer, tiles are digitally printed with high-resolution 3 dimensional materials.

The options – endless!

Inkjet printers can utilise 8 or more colours, allowing for a great range of shades and tones to be printed on the tiles. Amazing detail, contrast and variations – the options are truly endless with inkjet technology. 

Designs 

Inkjet technology revolutionizes the way designers can manipulate images, opening up immense choice with styles. Renovators, interior designers and home developers now have the freedom to create hundreds of different visuals by merging or mixing several images. You can produce anything from concrete looking tiles, stone, marble, brick and even textiles. The challenge will be deciding on which style you’re after!

Materials 

Have you always wanted timber-look tiles in your bathroom but don’t want to deal with the maintenance involved? Well, now you can! 

Inkjet technology offers the best of both worlds, aesthetically matching your ideal visuals yet, also maintaining the ceramic and porcelain tile canvas allowing for little maintenance. Now you can obtain stunning aesthetics in any room of your house without having to think about the extra maintenance involved with other materials. 

Ceramic Tile Trends: Inkjet Technology 30

Cost

If you’re renovating or building your home, it can be quite the challenge sticking within budget. It only takes one meeting with the builder to realise you’ve exceeded costs in areas you weren’t anticipating. Here’s where inkjet technology always surprises and delights customers. Maintaining impressive quality yet also being cheaper than harder natural stones or wood, inkjet technology is a no-brainer for many designers. 

Plus, with inkjet technology, you don’t need to be worried about the long wait times that timber and natural stones are currently facing.  

Inkjet technology, the future!

Ceramic tiling has been re-defined with inkjet technology. High quality, affordable, endless styles and available now! See more information on our Inkjet technology here or, give us a call or email to talk with our team. 

View our tile range