Tile is one of the most versatile and functional design choices you can make for a space. It’s both beautiful and functional: set the tone in an entryway, create an inviting kitchen, or add serenity to your bathroom. But when it comes to those high-traffic areas, especially in New York City homes, some tiles outperform others in durability and maintenance.
What Makes a Tile Suitable for High-Traffic Areas?
Tiled floors in mudrooms and hallways get the most wear and tear, while kitchen backsplashes around sinks and stoves are prone to splatters and food. Bathroom tiles must be able to stand up to a lot of moisture and water. With all of the different functions your home must perform, MTK Contracting can help you select the best tile for each high-traffic space.
Durability and wear rating
The hardest working tiles are rated according to the hardness of their glaze. One of the most beautiful stones is natural stone, which is unglazed and is therefore not rated, according to the Porcelain Enamel Institute, or PEI. Other ratings include:
- Group 1: Tile in this category is rated only for walls and is not recommended for floors.
- Group 2: This tile is acceptable for light residential traffic, including bathrooms.
- Group 3: This tile works well for moderate traffic, including kitchens and living rooms.
- Group 4: This tile is harder-working and more durable for those high-traffic areas.
- Group 5: Tiles in this category can hold up to the heaviest traffic and is often used in airports and schools.
While Group 1 tiles are not a good choice for floors, because they are prone to cracking under weight, Group 5 tiles are the most durable.
Slip resistance
Tile is also rated according to its slip resistance, which is important for bathroom and shower floors. A tile that can stand up to water on the walls of a shower may not necessarily be the best choice for a shower floor or even a bathroom floor.
In the United States, the Dynamic Coefficient of Friction, or DCOF, is used to measure the slip resistance of a tile surface. A DCOF of higher than 0.42, with matte or textured finishes, will give you better traction on bathroom or shower floors. Tile format can also provide better grip if the tiles are smaller with more grout lines.
Maintenance and cleaning
To keep your beautiful tile clean and looking good, especially in those high traffic areas, regular sweeping or vacuuming to remove loose dirt is a must. Mopping, rinsing and drying with a mild detergent and water is also important. The kind of detergent you use to clean your tile and grout will also extend its life. Avoid harsh or abrasive cleaners, which can weaken the grout, and instead opt for a PH-neutral product.
Best Tile Types for Busy Spaces
The most durable tiles for high-traffic spaces are porcelain and ceramic tiles. But, natural stone can also provide a beautiful floor or countertop with proper maintenance.
Porcelain Tile
Porcelain tile ranks high for its durability and resistance to moisture and stains. Porcelain tile floors hold up well against scratches and overall wear. It’s a popular choice for bathrooms due to its longevity and ease of cleaning.
Ceramic Tile
Ceramic tile also does well with heavy foot traffic in mudrooms, entryways and other high traffic areas. While not as dense as porcelain, ceramic tile holds up well against water and dents, while being easy to clean and cost effective.
Natural Stone
Natural stone floors are beautiful and vary in durability, depending on the type of stone. While granite, quartzite and slate are among the more durable, marble – a timeless choice for centuries and often the most expensive – will require proper sealing to ward off stains and etching.
Cement Tile
Cement tiles are a more affordable option and can offer durability against heavy use, if they are regularly sealed. Cement tiles are very porous and prone to moisture damage in kitchens and bathrooms without proper protection. Once sealed, cement tiles are a low maintenance choice and will maintain their colors against fading, even with extensive sun exposure.
Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) as a lower-cost alternative
The lowest cost tile is a luxury vinyl or LVT. It is a layered product that contains a printed film, a vinyl core and a backing to provide durability against scratches and stains. LVT can last between 15 and 25 years with proper cleaning. Keep in mind, LVT can dent or scratch and is susceptible to fading if exposed to prolonged, direct sunlight.
Where to Use These Tiles
Tile is a versatile and beautiful finish that can also make a space more durable, whether it’s in the entryway where shoes pile up, in the kitchen where cooking creates messes, or in the bathroom where water and steam produce condensation.
Kitchens
Tile is the go-to material for kitchen backsplashes, but tile also makes a statement when installed from the counter all the way up to the ceiling, around windows, and above cooktop ranges. It’s your chance to add color and personality, while keeping the walls clean from anything life dishes out. And tile isn’t only reserved for vertical surfaces in a kitchen, it also makes a great choice for kitchen floors.
Entryways
Entryways are notorious for gathering shoes and coats, as well as the latest rain, snow or mud that comes in from the street along with the outerwear. A hard-wearing tile is a great choice to catch anything that may come from the outside, while making a beautiful statement to guests as they enter your home.
Hallways
Hallways are another high source of traffic inside a home, making tile an excellent choice for this area that transitions between spaces. Consider a large-scale tile with fewer grout lines that will stand up to pets, kids and adults.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms are the only rooms in the house where different kinds of tile are used anywhere and everywhere to protect walls, floors and even ceilings above the shower. In addition to tiled floors and shower walls to mitigate water, tile can also be used as a decorative wainscoting or even a dramatic backdrop to mirrors hung above bathroom sinks and counters.
Apartment common areas and brownstone entries
If you pay attention to public spaces or lobbies in apartments or hotels, you will notice that tile is the number one choice for flooring due to its durability and cleanability. Apartment common areas will often use large-scale tiles in black to hide dirt, while older brownstone entries or vestibules will show off their history with a smaller-scale mosaic. These tiles also make excellent choices for the beauty and durability of your home.
Style Meets Strength: Tile Options for NYC Homes
The marriage of style and strength makes tile the number one choice for your New York City home — and the options are endless, with color, shape, layout and use driving any number of design decisions.
How to balance beauty and durability
While natural stone – like marble or slate – pays off in terms of beauty, it is often the more expensive choice for countertops and floors and can require more maintenance with resealing. Some homeowners appreciate the patina that etching in marble brings over time. In comparison, porcelain tiles can mimic the beauty of marble but at a significantly lower price and without the maintenance.
Popular luxury tile trends in Manhattan
Luxury tile trends in Manhattan are ever-evolving. Among the latest: color drenching a room or bathroom with one rich hue of tile, such as dark green or blue, using various shapes. The tile drench is a dramatic twist on the paint color-drenching trend, popular over the past few years.
Tile “carpets” are often seen in NYC’s brownstone vestibules and other floors to create the look of a bordered rug by using mosaic tiles in the middle of a space to add visual interest.
While classic rectangular tile continues to be a favorite for kitchens and bathrooms, with the subway pattern remaining a timeless choice, a herringbone pattern or a soldier stack – where the tile is laid vertically – are also popular and more contemporary choices.
MTK Contracting: NYC’s expert in custom tile selection and installation
MTK Contracting serves homeowners in NYC with expert high-end material selection and installation services. We are a luxury renovation company, run and owned by women and specializing in kitchen, bathroom, apartment and brownstone remodels in Manhattan, NYC and parts of New Jersey.
Let MTK Contracting help you see all of the possibilities for your home with a complimentary remodeling consultation.
