Kitchen is one of the most used spaces in a home and hence needs regular maintenance. Keep the look of your kitchen fresh in a bold color and a unique pattern. Neutral colored kitchen tiles installed in the artistic pattern make a big statement. Since a kitchen floor is prone to rough use, ensure that the material chosen is long-lasting and retains its look for many years.

Best Kitchen Tile Design Trends In 2021

2021 is the year of dark and dramatic colors, like black, navy blue, and dark green, brick looks, hexagons, patterned tiles, and mixed metallics. Nowadays patterned tiles are widely used to cover an entire wall and ceiling, in a low maintenance material. Large pieces of tempered glass are used for creating glass splash-backs forming a pattern or print. You can also use these eye-catching glass splashbacks to make a style statement over a stovetop or behind a sink.

5 Tips For Budget Kitchen Tiling

You need to follow various strategies for installing the best kitchen tiles in the kitchen area to get the best effect and custom looks for less.

• Get most for your buck 

If your budget is limited, it is better to go for ceramic tiles for a splurge. You can use less expensive liners, and plain tiles, and some molded trim to fill the space. You can also use a bordered panel or a tile mural assembled and again use plain tiles around it. You can put a decorative accent in the backsplash of the sink vanity, along with a coordinating band of colored liners.

• Buy in the sale

 Every tile showroom offers sales on tiles. So it is always better to keep an open mind and buy tiles in a sale at an affordable price.

• Use production tiles

Use your creative side and use a custom look of tiles during installations making it affordable. You can plan out a border to an otherwise plain tile floor or can create the look of a wainscot, by using two different sized production tiles along with some liners.

• Reuse tiles 

Reusing the salvaged tile can also result in a truly unique and historic installation. You can fix individual tiles in a “picture frame” arrangement, or as panels of four to 10 pieces. As the tiles supply is finite, so you have to design around the existing sizes only.

• Do it yourself 

By working yourself on the tiling, you can save on the labor part, giving you a chance to spend more on the tiles. There are lots of good books and videos available for DIY tilers. If you are new and have no experience, it is better to start with a small project.

5 Mistakes To Avoid While Installing Kitchen Tiles

While refreshing your kitchen area, the tiles feature quite prominently because of their aesthetic and functional properties. Here we have highlighted five of the most common mistakes made when installing kitchen tiles and which you should avoid.

• Failing to prepare surfaces 

Failure to appropriately prepare the surface being tiled onto is perhaps the most common mistake made when embarking on kitchen tiling service. Surfaces should be properly leveled, and free from dents and debris. Make sure to sand down the surface properly, so that adhesive can bond easily, and make sure that it’s also free of dust and dirt. You could also use backer boards to make sure a perfectly primed surface to tile onto.

• Not using battens 

The use of a batten will help to lay the tiles in straight lines in the vertical and horizontal rows and will also prevent slippage whilst your adhesive sets. So it is always recommended to use a wooden batten while tiling walls.

• Grouting Too Fast

 Grouting should be done slowly. It is recommended to use a grout float to ensure that grout is evenly spread and the gaps between the tiles are completely filled with grout. Also, make sure that the adhesive is fully set before grouting.

• Use of the wrong type of adhesive 

Using the right tile adhesive plays a very important role in the long term. Like the use of waterproof adhesive for tiles installed in the areas exposed to direct water like baths, showers, wet rooms, and splashbacks. For tiling, a wall that is subject to movement or when you are tiling onto backer boards, always use a flexible adhesive.

• Dotting and dabbing the adhesive

 Please avoid dotting adhesive in each corner of the tile and fixing it to the wall or floor.  The adhesive should be evenly applied to the substrate and then tiles should be fixed. In dotting and dabbing the back of the tiles are not evenly covered by the adhesive, leaving gaps at places where the tile is not properly secured by any form of mortar. It can cause moisture damage and eventually cause your tiles to pop off the walls.

So make sure you don’t make the mistakes we have covered here while tiling your kitchen or using a professional kitchen tiling service. Avoiding these mistakes will save a lot of headaches and money in the long run!