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Remodeling Flooring Design Dilemma

Matte vs glossy porcelain tile?

2 years ago

I'm remodeling a beach condo and am choosing between matte and glossy, 48", creamy marble/limestone look tiles. The glossy looks way more dazzling, though the designers I've met with say that they prefer matte for its sophistication, less glare and less slippery. When I look at the matte tiles they seem kind of blah to me and seem to pick up dirt. They kind of look like concrete. Am I missing something? Or can you recommend a pretty, creamy white (beige not grey undertone) limestone/marble large sized tile? Thanks!

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Comments (7)

AGKY
2 years ago
What are the tiles for? A floor? What room?
PRO
JAN MOYER
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
"the designers I've met with say that they prefer matte for its sophistication, less glare and less........"

So you go back to the designers. Why marble floors in a beach condo? And certainly not gloss on a floor.
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Matte tiles are also fired and glazed and so clean exactly like glossy tiles. (I have a mixture in my backsplash.) I don't think maple cabinets call for one over the other and I also have seen pretty examples of both in farmhouse kitchens.
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Sigh...That is such a personal decision. You obviously love the tile so here's my opinion. Appearance, I'm not overly impressed with the porcelain tiles made to look like polished marble. I prefer the matte of your two finishes. I live in the southern states, so hard surfaces such as tile are increasing greatly. As far as practicality with kids, I don't see a problem at all. Just keep your floors clean, clean up spills as soon as possible if/when they occur and have them professionally cleaned as needed and they will provide years of enjoyment.
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porcelain tiles, matte/shiny, all clean the same. not a bit deal. tiles on the shower floor (mosaics) can go up to 4". the grout provides traction. you can do larger tiles on the floor if they are suitable for wet areas and are a matte. but using larger tiles on the floor is difficult w/a slope. ifi you have a great tile guy, you can try something like this, (it's a honed basalt) but using a mosiac is easier. always look at the specs on the tile you're considering. it will plainly tell you about usage (wet or dry) , cleaning, and how to install mosaics are fine w/kids. look back into the bathrooms from 100 years ago. they always had mosaics. the grout provides all the traction. using a larger honed or matte tile is also fine. I have a 4x16 marble (honed) in a chevron layout in my bathroom and it's not the least bit slippery In my shower I did a 3" marble hex tile. also not slippery floor I did for a client. 12x24 charcoal porcelain outside, porxelain mosaic in the shower you could also go w/a larger, textured type of tile if you don't want a mosaic on the outside. Ivy Hill Artmore Venecia is a good one. it's porcelain that looks like a terrazzo. it has some 'bite' to it so it's not slippery.
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arcy_gw
2 years ago
Designers are one thing, I would talk to those who CLEAN matte surfaces. I see not wanting high gloss but matte is not a friendly surface cleaning wise.
Julie K
2 years ago
Have you considered doing a mix of the two? Here's an example from Fireclay's website and a sample installation from their SF showroom.

We're doing a mix of 8" Fireclay hex tile on our bathroom floor using 65% Gypsum (matte) and 35% French Linen (glossy). We ordered extras of both colors so if desired we can adjust the use of before we install (i.e., after our installer lays out our design on the floor floor before he installs).
PRO
Steveworks LLC
2 years ago
think about scratching the gloss with sand? if you're worried about that, go matt
G G
Original Author
2 years ago
This would be for the entire condo which is not right on the sand, but has a nice view of the beach, so sand itself won't be an issue. But general cleaning sure will be (and you can bet my housekeeper will be consulted on this too!) :-) And the mix of tiles is an interesting thought, thanks!
PRO
JAN MOYER
2 years ago
A "gloss" will show every !!!! single sweaty ( barefoot ) footprint, count on it. Matte" isn't the word. Honed is the word.

Honed doesn't get any dirtier than when honed marble is your counter tops. Dirt is dirt. Soap and water : )

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