Types of Tiles that are Best for Cold Temperatures
When it’s cold outside, home is the place to be in. In here, it’s warm, comfy, and safe… Unless you have to spend the whole time fixing your floor.
Finding the right flooring suitable for places with cold weather can be difficult. Other flooring materials, quartz tiles for instance, are too weak to handle different weather conditions: the low temperature often causes wood flooring to contract, resulting in gaps between floorboards while laminate and vinyl flooring can become brittle in cold climate.
However, you can always count on tile flooring. Tile is easy to work with, and comes in many varieties, colours and designs. Tile is also versatile, and can be used on all kinds of surfaces. It is inexpensive, easy to maintain, and durable.
Here are some tiles that work great with the cold:
Ceramic. This fired clay tile is frost and water resistant, which prevents the chances of moisture damage. It’s sturdy and lasts long, so aside from occasional maintenance, there isn’t much to worry about. The unglazed variant of ceramic tile also protects against slipping especially when the area is wet. It is very popular, and is available in most places.
Porcelain. This tile is most recommended for cold temperatures. It is the most moisture-resistant type of tile, with an ideal absorption rate of 0.5% which prevents water damage. Because porcelain’s texture is rougher than ceramic, it is one of the best at preventing accidents and can even be used for outdoor flooring.
Slate. This stone tile is one of the toughest flooring materials around. Slate can handle all types of weather, aesthetically pleasing and as a natural stone product it is very durable. This is why it’s an excellent outdoor flooring option. For indoors, slate tiles retains heat effectively, so if you have an underfloor heater, slate tiles help in dispersing heat which warms the surroundings. Slate is one of the most popular flooring options today.
Limestone:. Limestone tiles are undoubtedly durable ,(that’s why limestone tiles are used often in kitchens and bathrooms ), so moisture damage from the cold is minimal at most. It also looks beautiful, and its colours are often imitated by other materials.
Travertine. This simple but classy stone tile is favoured because of its appearance and is one of the most common tiles used in structures today. Even in freezing conditions travertine tiles do not crack or turn brittle.
Always check the label to ensure that the tile you are getting is frost-resistant. You should also check the absorption rate–0.5% or less is the ideal absorption rate of tiles so you don’t acquire moisture damage from rain or snow. When you have the right flooring, you can just curl up in your comfy home and enjoy the cold weather.