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Don’t Choose Kitchen Tiles Before Considering These 4 Factors.

3rd Nov 2021

kitchen tile

If you’re considering a kitchen remodeling that includes floor tiling, backsplash, or countertops, then travertine with its durability and undeniable beauty might come as a natural choice. Still, choosing the best material for your kitchen might seem daunting, especially when you have so many options on the market and one chance to get it right.

To help you choose the kitchen material that perfectly suits your project and needs, our stone experts have prepared five important factors to consider when making your decision. Keep reading.

kitchen tile

Why is the kitchen material important?

When renovating or building a kitchen, flooring is one factor that requires a lot of thought. You have to make sure that the tiles you are installing will withstand the ever-changing temperature in that area, the heavy foot traffic, the moisture but most importantly, it should be easily cleaned.

The kitchen is the room in your house that might have different tiles in different applications. And, along with the wall color, the flour has a great impact on your kitchen's overall feel and look. And if you tie up the kitchen with the rest of the rooms in your house, your end result will be a beautiful and harmonized home.

When you start researching your tile options, you might get overwhelmed by the vast array of choices you have at your disposal. And if you don't have a clear direction on choosing the material for your kitchen, you might end up with a kitchen that feels disjointed. To simplify that process for you, we have prepared a list of four simple steps that will help you end up with the best tiles for your kitchen.

1) Think about the overall look.

When choosing the right tile for your kitchen, it's essential to consider the overall look of the place. The right kitchen tiles can beautifully enhance your whole house. And by right, we mean the tiles that flow naturally with the design in your other rooms and tie perfectly and in harmony with your space.

If you want to add a luxurious feel to your kitchen while at the same time tying it perfectly with your other rooms, then you might want to consider the beautiful, natural and durable stone - travertine.

Travertine enhances the overall market value of your property and can be installed in various finishes (brushed, honed, polished, etc.). This way, you can add to your kitchen a unique feel and look.

Travertine is available in many elegant earthy colors - Saturnia Travertini Italia also has a unique and mesmerizing grey travertine for those who want to wow. The various tonalities and cuts (see our post on vein cut and cross cut) give the client a variety of options which fit perfectly with many different feels and looks. This versatility and uniqueness of the stone make it a perfect choice, even for the extremely picky.

2) Maintenance

When weighing up your tiling options, you should take into account how easy the material is to clean. Most of us don't have hours of a day for cleaning, so we prefer to stick with materials that are easy to clean. Some material deteriorates with time, especially if often exposed to liquids and food like in the kitchen, but natural stone like travertine can be easily wiped down and lasts an eternity.

Many people choose travertine in their kitchen and it’s becoming ever more popular. However, when choosing the right travertine we strongly recommend filled travertine (check out our post on filled and unfilled travertine) for the kitchen which makes travertine much easier to clean. We also recommend the polished or honed finish which leaves the stone perfectly smooth.

Natural stones like travertine are easy to clean as far as you don't use acidic cleaners like bleach. Some people are recalcitrant to use natural stone in the kitchen for fear of it staining with acidic liquids. However, more and more people are turning to natural stone in the kitchen for that beautiful and luxurious look, because as long as you don’t leave those liquids for hours on the stone, there is no issue of staining. If you install travertine in your kitchen, you should simply remember to wipe off any dark liquids if they spill but that’s just what any normal person would do!

3) Durability

When choosing the best kitchen tiles for your home, you should consider your family's habits and how often you are willing to replace material. If the answer is not very often or not at all, that you prefer to do things once but well, then travertine is the solution. With simple cleaning, it endures the test of time; it does not decay, wear down, it does not lose its colour and it gives your kitchen a timeless feel.

If you have kiddos running around your home, you will want to choose a flooring material which withstands heavy traffic, and spilled food. In this case, travertine might come as a natural choice. Travertine has stood the test of time and proved as a durable and withstanding heavy traffic material.

4) Where to use it in the Kitchen

We have spoken about using travertine as floor tiles but we should also consider the other two main uses of travertine in the kitchen: for the bench top or the backsplash.

Travertine floor tiling can be a great way to create harmony with the rest of the house so the kitchen doesn’t look disjointed yet the floor is not the focal element in the kitchen. Statement pieces are usually the benchtop and increasingly, the backsplash. Because this stone is full of character and charm and warmth, with its mesmeric patterns and veining, travertine is a stone which wows anyone coming into the kitchen. It simply attracts the eye, especially when the travertine is polished, which brings out the beautiful colours of the stone. Benchtops can be custom-made for your project and they are pieces that our clients simply love.

On the other hand, some people prefer to use travertine as a backsplash. It is easy to clean, withstands heat and is durable but most importantly, as travertine often gives unique and wonderful colours and patterns, they make great statement pieces giving that element of design and luxury to your kitchen project.

5) Your Budget

Another very important part that will hugely impact your decision is the budget you have at your disposal. Don't get sold on a particular look before carefully considering your budget. Travertine, for instance, is a luxurious natural stone which adds great value to your house but will not cost you an arm and a leg.

If you are looking for an estimate based on the material you will need, just contact us here, and we will help you determine your budget cost.

The bottom line

Choosing the right material for your kitchen floor, benchtop or backsplash is a process that requires a lot of careful consideration. Considering factors like your budget, the overall look that you want to achieve, and how durable and easy it is to maintain will help you get through the clutter and make your choice a lot easier. If we can further assist you in selecting your perfect kitchen material or have any questions, send us a message here.