On this page we cover the types of kitchen floor tiles including cost, patterns and designs.
Choosing Tile Flooring For The Kitchen
There are multiple considerations that should be taken into account when it comes to the tiles that are going to be chosen as a kitchen flooring. Some of those considerations are as follows
- Durability – What is the strength and life of the material.
- Surface – Whether the material needs to be polished or sealed, and what that does to the material.
- Installation – How difficult is the install? Will it be you installing or paying a contractor to complete the work?
- Cost – How much does the material cost and how much does the install cost?
Below we’ll cover the most popular types of kitchen tiles for flooring including some of their pros and cons.
Ceramic Tile Kitchen Floor
Additionally, ceramic tiles have a good durability factor, that comes in handy when things that are spilled just so happen to be in a heavy pot or glass mug. If you have a high traffic kitchen, then you may want to veer toward a low maintenance type of tile such as ceramic.
If you do encounter damage, using the tile option is handy because you can always go back and replace just one broken tile instead of having to get an entire new flooring, or being forced to live with a cracked floor.
From an aesthetics point of view, ceramic tiles are high quality! There are a good deal of colors and patterns that can be selected with ceramic tiles.
Porcelain Kitchen Floor Tiles
Porcelain tiles are often used in commercial kitchen, not just residential ones like most of the other selections for this reason. The porcelain tiles are a very low maintenance product due to the high quality of the product itself.
The downside to both the ceramic tiles above and the porcelain tiles described here are that as such hard surfaces, they can be cold and hard, making them uncomfortable underfoot after standing for a while. They can also be extremely heavy – making them not always be able to be placed upstairs if the load limits are not sufficient.
Visit this page to read more about porcelain vs ceramic tile.
Wood Tile Kitchen Floor
This can create a floating floor that is easy to install and remove if ever needed. Unfortunately these wood flooring tiles are a bit more susceptible to damage as some of the other options due to the added flexibility. The flexibility that the tiles have allows the flooring to expand and contract freely with temperature and humidity.
Quartz Kitchen Floor Tiles
Quartz tiles are also on the strong side; they do not commonly chip, scratch or crack. Additionally, quartz tiles are on the more reasonably price section of catalog.
Unfortunately due to the shiny smooth surface, these tiles can become slippery when they are wet.
Granite Kitchen Floor Tiles
Granite tile flooring is a durable material that is one of the hardest stones that can be used for flooring – this means the tiles hold up well to impacts and resist a lot of things that could break them.
Additionally, Granite tiles are resistant to staining. Unfortunately granite tiles can be slippery when wet from the applied polish and they are on the expensive side of the price range.
Marble Kitchen Floor Tiles
While marble tiles are functional, they do not excel in the areas some of the other mentioned tiles do. Marble tiles are susceptible to damage from scratches and stains, but it can be sealed periodically to help with this.
Luckily, the flooring is waterproof – but the above mentioned polishing levels can make the flooring extremely slippery when wet. Other than that, another downside is the high cost of the marble tiles and the price tag on installation fees.
Travertine Tile Kitchen Floor
Additionally, Travertine is a product that could potentially last a lifetime. While it has the potential to last a lifetime, if the proper care and maintenance is not kept up, this project will not withstand the tests of times like it is capable of. This requires regular sealing to give it a water barrier that the natural product does not have.
Due to the natural quality of the material, it does shrink the colors Travertine is available in, but the earth tones it is available in are breathtaking, and add a rustic earthy feel to the space.
Slate Kitchen Floor Tiles
Not only are the aesthetics of the slate tiles wonderful, the durability is also impeccable. Slate flooring is pretty resistant to cracking and chipping.
Slate tiles are also mostly resistant to water and staining, but it is recommended to get them sealed regularly to keep the pristine condition as well as giving the longest possible lifespan you can to the tiles. The only real downside to the slate tiles is the price is extremely high due to the fantastic quality and the appearance of the tiles.
Concrete Kitchen Floor Tiles
Unfortunately concrete is a porous material – meaning it needs to be sealed on a regular basis. Even with that sealing the material could still be susceptible to damage from water, scratches or stains.
Brick Tile Floor Kitchen
Brick tiles need to be resealed once every year or even every six months if there is a lot of traffic throughout the space. There are a good variety of colors and patterns to choose from when it comes to brick tiles.
Terracotta Kitchen Floor Tiles
The glazing does give the tiles a nice shine to them, which is an added bonus. There are different densities of terracotta clay tiles that can be picked from that determines its durability. The higher the density of the terracotta clay tile, the higher the durability.
Adhesive Kitchen Floor Tiles
This type of tiles can be picked up at a home improvement store and can come in a variety of different materials that are described throughout this article. The main difference and point of the adhesive tiles are that you can peel off the back of the tile like a sticker and adhere it to the base flooring.
This is not recommended for a beginner, but a practiced do it your-selfer (or a newbie with really good instruction following skills) should be able to knock this type of project out.
Mosaic Kitchen Floor Tiles (Ceramic & Glass Tiles)
As previously mentioned ceramic/porcelain floor tiles are durable, affordable and offer low maintenance.
Glass mosaic tiles have a high level of cleanliness, being one of the most hygienic and easy to clean products available.
Unfortunately mosaic glass tiles are susceptible to scratches over time, and they are an absolute nightmare to install. Luckily, a scratched tile is easily replaced, and it is easy enough to pay someone else to install to save yourself the headache.
Cost to Tile Kitchen Floor
Porcelain tile – Porcelain tiles are on the higher side of the price range. Installation costs are also higher as it is a difficult project. The cost can be anywhere from $3 to $10 per square foot depending on the qualities and designs.
Wood tiles – Wood tiles are a middle of the road price range. This can vary anywhere from $1 to $6 per square foot depending on the quality of the wood selected. Engineered wood versus natural wood will play a big part in the price.
Quartz tiles – Quartz tiles are a middle of the road price range. This can run about $3 to $ 5 per square foot uninstalled.
Granite tiles – Granite tiles are on the upper middle side of the price range. This will put you at about $5 to $10 per square foot of granite tile.
Travertine tiles – Travertine tiles are a middle of the road price range. This puts the price tag at about $3 to $5 per square foot without installation.
Marble Tiles – Marble tiles are at the top of the price range. This product could run you about $6 to $12 per square foot uninstalled.
Slate tiles- Slate tiles are at the tippy top of the price range. Slate tiles can cost anywhere from $5 to $15 per square foot without installation.
Concrete tiles – Concrete tiles are a lower middle of the road price material. This puts the price tag at about $2 to $4 per square foot without installation.
Brick tiles – Brick tiles are at the upper middle of the road price range. This can be about $6 to $10 per square foot deepening on the thickness, color and quality.
Terracotta tiles – Terracotta tiles are a middle of the road price range. For a pre sealed terracotta tile you are looking an initial cost of $3 to $7 per square foot uninstalled with a frequent resealing need of about $2 per square foot every year or less.
Adhesive tiles – Adhesive tiles are at the lower end of the price range. These will usually cost about $0.50 to $2 if you are looking at the standard peel and stick tiles. Anything fancier than that can raise the price significantly.
Mosaic tiles – Mosaic tiles are an upper to middle of the road price range. The price can range from $3 to $9 per square foot depending on design.
For installation costs there could be an addition $4 to $30 per square foot cost to any or all of these tile purchases if you opt for professional installation.
Based on the intricacy, weight and design of the flooring can change the exact price. Contactors can give a quote based on the design. Other additional costs when opting out of professional installation can be glues, tool and other installation related items that may be needed for the project.
Kitchen Floor Tiles Designs
Large kitchen floor tiles
This gives a unique and sophisticated look. Additionally, the large tiles can contrast with any mosaic backsplashes or designs throughout the kitchen to show different types of sized tiles that can be used in the design.
Interlocking kitchen floor tiles
This can give a cleaner, more minimalist look to the overall flooring. When it comes to the functionality of these tiles, the interlocking tiles create a floating floor that is extremely easy to install and de install, as it does not require being glued to the subfloor.
Black and white tile floor kitchen
The two colors contrast and give the very opposite pros from each color. With the black tiles working to open and cool down the space, the white shrinks and warms up the room at the same time, bringing harmony to the space.
Kitchen Floor Tile Patterns
Some popular pattern suggestions to check out are listed below. To see our full gallery of tile patterns and layouts visit this page.
Herringbone
Hexagon tiles
Grid (Stacked)
Pinwheel
Random
Offset
1/3 Offset
Versailles
Basket weave
Read more about different tile shapes here.
Best Tile For Kitchen Floor
The best kitchen floor tile when it comes to durability, maintenance and price is porcelain tile.- interior designer Savannah.
It is widely sought after in the kitchen and the vast amount of colors and designs means it can work with practically any kitchen style.
As a personal choice I would also have to put slate at the top of the list, when budget and overall design are not factors. The tiles have beauty, durability, resistance to water and stains, uniqueness, and a long lifespan that can only grow with proper care.
For more related content see our page on kitchen subway tile backsplash ideas.