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Flooring Design Dilemma

Matte vs glossy large format tiles in great room?

last year

last modified: last year

I live in the southwest i like contemporary. i’m tempted to go with glossy tile throughout in the house that will be built. Currently I have a dull matte wood look tile that shows everything, water spots etc i hate it. Way too many grout lines too. I want to use a large format tile. This is a huge decision and i dread making the wrong decision. The color would be grey. Does anyone have any advice?

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Comments (6)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
I love high gloss floors but I will mention really large format tiles need a really good subfloor and an expert tile setter who has done many of these installs . Since you will need to remove the old tiles that sub floor will need major work the get completely level and smooth so line up the tile setter and look at his work by seeing actal floors he has done . I love Porcelanosa for the tile and the shops that sell it usually have tile setters they recommend . I have high gloss marble look floor in my bedrooms and I love them so I would go high gloss for sure .
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
The glossy tile may show as much as the matte tile, especially with sneakers. Evidently, some of the issue with footprints, etc has to do with the cleaners used on the floors like Swiffer which leaves behind a residue that attracts soiling. Vinegar and water or Spic & Span might help your issues.
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White ceramics or porcelains are not the easiest thing to find because white is difficult to get "white". It's worse than the 10,000 posts a year in the DÃÂ©cor Forum asking about the "perfect" white. Most tiles actually aren't all that white when you objectively judge them against a white balance scale, especially the red clay based ones. White glazes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. And the whitest white tiles are the most expensive because of that difficulty. The whitest white tiles are usually a white bodied porcelain, with an expensive white glaze for the top surface. "Plain" is also more difficult to achieve than a tile with a little bit of a swirl or movement to the color, or texture to the finish. A plain glossy tile has to be absolutely perfectly smooth, or you notice it. Simple IS usually the hardest thing to create in any design, because of the much tighter tolerances and no trims to fall back on. You're asking for a double whammy, truly white and plain,
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MLK, your shower is beautiful, and so is that floor outside the shower! We finalized our tile choices! I am going 50/50: First, glossy 2 x 6 tile (Heath Soft White) for the bathroom where the shower is rarely used. It gets direct sunlight from a window at the end of the tub. For the walk-in shower in the master, a matte 3 x 6 tile (Heath Muslin.) The floor of the shower will be 3x3 in Heath Muslin. (The only custom tile I'm going to need.) I'm so excited that I figured out a way to use Heath Tiles. I have it in my kitchen and it is such beautiful tile. It is particularly beautiful when the light hits it, because each tile reflects the light slightly differently. Their new line, Modern Basics, is much cheaper than their custom work, and best of all, there will be a 20% off sale over Thanksgiving-right before we were planning to do our bathroom. We are going to do unglazed white hex tiles on both floors. (I liked them so much better than the matte glazed ones, plus the square edges match the Heath tiles.) We just have to decide on 1 inch versus 2 inch, or maybe penny tiles or squares. I ordered one of each sample from Subway Ceramics to see how they compare to my local tile shop. (He only has small hex in the unglazed.) Sigh, I thought once I picked the tile that would give me enough direction that all of the other choices would be easy. We did decide on Biscuit fixtures, but which ones??? And then there's the faucets and such... LOL, my head still hurts. Here is a link that might be useful: both colors of Heath tile I'm using are here
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Comments (26)
Yes, that 3rd one is the Barbary Tilebar has it. Comes in the soft white too: https://www.tilebar.com/barberry-decor-mandorla-24x24-matte-porcelain-tile.html and most those others I've posted are from tilebar. have you checked out their site? you get 5 samples for $5. Look under 'large format' for flooring. since you like the grays, do you like this chevron porcelain wood look? If you don't like the chevron, it comes in an 8x48 tile too: Kenridge But, I kind of like it in the warmer maple tone too. comes in this design. great for the bathroom. I like these warmer tones because grays and whites can look too cold and too sterile. So doing something in the warmer wood tones gives it a little depth. Kenridge Ribbon Maple 24x48 I like the first flooring pic you posted but don't you think that room looks really gray? don't know what your decor ideas are going to be, but I'm guessing you like a bit more modern looking? look at this white/gray tile. it's very cool looking. a soft sculpt look https://www.tilebar.com/sculpt-chevron-white-24x48-natural-porcelain-tile.html They even have the terrazzo. I'd do those for the bathroom! they even come in a porcelain that looks like terrazzo. this is from my tile place. I like that white terrazzo tile paired w/this Tilebar Klondike Yukon plank tile. It's 16x48"! so, minimal grout lines. I'd love these last two tiles for a bathroom. maybe the black and white terrazzo just for some more contrast
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Comments (4)
Yes for glossy in the shower, great! white subway for the shower sides and the marble for the back wall ... kind of run the floor up the wall on the back wall of the shower? When you walk into the bathroom, are you looking straight at the shower wall? a few things to think about. Have you looked for bathroom tile ideas? small mosaic tile accents are too trendy, and don't always last the test of time. Why not just you the same large format tile for everything, including the niche, and so called accent? Classier. I am guessing you don't have the square footage to make the accents mean anything ... photo of the room would help.
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Jennifer Hogan
last year
I had light colored, high gloss tile in my last home. I was in Southern CA, had great big windows and tons of natural daylight.

Every time I needed to clean the tile I had to mop, rinse and dry the tile so that it didn't have any streaks when it was dry. It was like owning a 1200 sf mirror.

Maybe if I didn't have the sun shining in on the floors it wouldn't have been so bad, but it was a poor choice for my situation and a total PITA.

On the other hand, when it was clean and shined it looked stunning.
irynaq
last year
What did you end up doing? I also live in the southwest and I'm also contemplating using a 24" x 48" polished concrete look tiles for our new build. It has very long wide hallway that lead to a 40' x 26' grand room. It is open floor plan with the kitchen, dining, and living room so large format tiles are the way to go. Everyone says polished tiles will have a harder upkeep, but we don't wear shoes inside the house, instead we wear slippers and in this house, I've purchase slip-resistant slippers. I would love to see what you ended up using.
Susie Kief
Original Author
last year
Im still debating. The house will not be started for a while. I’ve read that matte is harder to keep clean. I want 24x48 grey tiles. Thoughts?
M Riz
last year
last modified: last year
For me, it would come down to how slippery the floor could be when wet. Ive walked through many model homes with absolutey stunning high gloss tiles overlooking a beautiful pool. It just looks like an accident waiting to happen. I guess every tile has a slip rating so you could look into that. For me, (my home is recently built) the tiles were a huge expense and longevity through color and finish made sense for me. How many homes have you looked at on line and thought that the first thing you would change are the floors. Time marches on and styles change so no choice will be immune but a neutral backround is the most versatile. Good luck.

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