We take a look at the best choice of tiles for homes that are in tropical and humid climates and give you our take on the matter.
Homeowners who live in climates that are humid and tropical, always seem to be at odds as to what type of flooring or tiles to get. It happens to those who experience hot and humid weather throughout the year. The thing that you want to make sure when you get a type of tile, or any other flooring material for that case, that will last you a good few years without the need for replacement or repair. You also ideally want tiles that are easy to maintain and to take care of. Installing tiles is not an easy thing to do and neither is it cheap. It is a both difficult and expensive process and you would ideally want all that effort and money to not go to waste. In hotter and humid conditions, i.e. tropical climates, this is even more of a challenge and hence you would want to be doubly sure that the tiles you are getting are right for your home.
In most areas where you experience high levels of humidity and heat, Porcelain tiles seem to be the best option time and time again. These are tiles that last a lot longer than their counterparts and they also provide comfort all-year long. You may quite reasonably think that tiles are flooring materials only for the bathroom or the kitchen. You would not be completely off base in making that assumption. A lot of homeowners still hold that view but the fact of the matter is that it is simply not true. There now exists a lot of new trends and designs of tiles, especially of the porcelain variety, that can be installed and used throughout the house. Below we will take a look at exactly why porcelain tiles are the perfect option for your tropical home.
Very little moisture absorption
In areas of the house that tend to get wet, these areas also tend to retain a lot of moisture. This means that the floors will be susceptible to damage in the future in the long run. Flooring options that are not of the porcelain variety are much more susceptible to face this kind of problems. This is one of the primary reasons why porcelain tiles are so good for homes in tropical climates. Houses in tropical climates, by definition, are exposed to much more moisture than homes that are not in tropical climates. Therefore when you are using any material that will be exposed in these types of climates, it will be wise to make sure that it has a good rate of moisture absorption. Otherwise they will just not last as long and will soon need repairs or replacements.
When you consider other flooring options and do a bit of research on them, you will soon realise how much better porcelain tiles are for homes in tropical climates. If you take hardwood flooring as an example, it is a type of flooring option that retains large quantities of water and they also facilitate the growth of molds. By comparison, floors made with porcelain tiles absorb much less moisture. Furthermore, if you have children or pets within the home, they will come in more handy as children and pets are often the cause of many spills within the home.
Harder, Resilient, Durable
The heading for this section perfectly encapsulates the adjectives that are normally associated with porcelain tiles. Even though they may look like they are a delicate material, they are the furthest thing from that. In reality however, porcelain tiles are actually highly-durable, they last a long time and they also protect floors from getting scratches on them.
The fact that porcelain is manufactured at such high temperatures, makes them the way they are, which is incredibly tough, hard, resilient and durable. The manufacturing process of porcelain tiles makes them much more durable and harder as well than other types of materials that are commonly used for floors.
The fact that these tiles are water-resistant and also due to the fact that they require practically no maintenance and repairs, makes it perfectly suited as a flooring option for homes in tropical climates. If you install them properly with the help of a professional installer, you can rest assured in the knowledge that your tiles will last you for decades to come without giving you too many problems.
Easy to Maintain
The last thing that you would want to do when you install tiles, is to spend a major part of your time taking care of it. Fortunately for you, porcelain tiles are super easy to maintain and to take care of. While it is true that porcelain tiles are a bit more expensive than the other available flooring options, the fact that it is so much easier to maintain means that you save on a lot of potential costs in the long run. So even though the costs of the tiles may be steep when you buy them, you do end up saving a ton of money in care expenses. They very rarely need repairs that can be termed as being major. The minor abrasion that you will need to fix from time to time requires a very small amount of money.
As we have already mentioned, porcelain tiles are moisture resistant. Due to this fact maintenance in the long-term and also just the regular cleaning are made to be much easier tasks. All that is required in order to clean your porcelain tiles are a mop and some detergent. The detergent does not need to be too strong, you just need a mild one. With just these two simple things, you can have your floor looking splendid and beautiful for decades to come.