Should I Use Tiles Or Carpet For My Living Room?

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As a homeowner, renovating your living room can be an exciting or dreadful time. Your living room is what defines your home to every guest that walks through your doors; whether they are family, friends, visiting children, or a friendly neighbour who’s stopped by for a cup of tea. 

It’s an old question, one every budding DIY home designer has asked themselves: Should I tile or carpet my living room floor? 

There are so very many flooring solutions these days, and so many options for each kind of flooring, that it feels a little overwhelming. But fear not! In this post, we’ll be looking at both types of flooring and comparing the two.  

Living room carpeting

Using carpets in the living room is something we’re all very familiar with. Our parents had carpets, so did our grandparents. We’ve all grown up with the old red and green entwining floral patterns or darkly colored carpets. 

Today, the market looks towards more minimalist or colorful carpets. Catalogs, magazines, and showrooms are awash with pastel tones, whites, blacks, greys, etc. The carpet has never been the focal point of a living room, but it is the foundation for the rest of the room. If you ever struggle to clean it, you can get in touch with Cairns carpet cleaning.

The living room is the forefront of the home, as much as the kitchen is the heart of it. It is the first impression of your personality and life that you give everyone. That means that it’s important to consider every aspect of the room when you’re decorating it – from the décor to the paint on the walls, to the carpet that you walk on. 

So, here’s the lowdown on the living room carpet life: 

If you use carpeting in your living room, you’ll find that you’ll need to hoover the floor at least once every day or two, depending on the footfall and activity of your household. A minor thing to mention, but it’s definitely something to take into account. 

Using carpet allows you to have a solid theme to build the rest of the room on. You can choose to have your carpet in one color, and the walls in a similar or complimenting color. Plain carpets are great in minimalist homes, but you could also go the opposite way and have a colorful carpet installed to show off the vibrancy of your household. 

Installing a carpet is also extremely fast when compared to other flooring solutions.

Living room tiles

Now, let’s look at tiling and the benefits of this unique flooring for your living room. 

You won’t be hovering your tiles daily, and cleaning them will be much easier if something is spilled or dirt is tracked in from outside. That’s one benefit, for sure. Tiles are the cleanest kind of flooring that you can have installed in your home, next to laminate flooring. 

The worry most homeowners have when looking at installing tiles is the lack of warmth. Carpets are always warm, but tiles won’t retain heat by themselves. Thankfully, underfloor heating is an option here, but that would add an extra cost on top of the tiles you’re buying. 

Tiles are also extremely durable. They won’t tear like carpets and they don’t wear down easily. A tiled floor will stay in good shape for years after it’s installed in your living room, and when it comes to aesthetics and style choices, tiles always look amazing in any home because of the sheer amount of color and style options that are available for them. As a homeowner, you would be spoilt for choice by the designs on the market. 

Planning A Kitchen Renovation: Everything You Need To Consider

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The kitchen: the heart and hearth of the home. A place that feels like it’s never changed but has probably changed quite a lot over the years. There’s a sense of “home” to a kitchen that you just can’t find in any other room. It’s full of memories, from a parent teaching their child how to bake, to that first party you had in the garden when you were a kid and the many summertime barbeques that gathered your family. 

It’s an inviting, nostalgic room. Therefore, it’s important to renovate it the way that you want to, while considering the best advice available. 

Your needs

Consider your wants and your needs. A kitchen is a big room to renovate – not necessarily in size, but because it has so many amenities and so many needs to fit into one room. Breaking down your renovation plan into steps will make this huge project feel a lot more manageable. Also, you can also call the experts at Newcastle Kitchen Renovations.

Clear out all of the rubbish, old appliances that don’t work, crockery and utensils that you don’t want, and get ready to get down to business. Once everything that you don’t want is gone, look at what you have left, and keep a list of items to be replaced. 

Next, consider items that you didn’t have but would like to purchase for your new kitchen. Stick to the internal workings of the kitchen first, such as appliances and utensils, the overall design comes in the next step. 

Designing your new kitchen

Stop! Don’t spend any money just yet. Ask yourself what theme you want for your kitchen. This doesn’t mean an actual theme for many people (like western, antique, Victorian, etc.), but it might for you. Usually, a theme will include a color palette, which will be incredibly helpful to you later on. 

Start assigning colors to your appliances, counters, cupboards, and all the other items that you have or want in your kitchen. You might decide to keep your current cupboards etc., so make sure the new items you’re buying don’t clash with existing colors in the room. On that note, this is also where you might decide on new paint colors and flooring if you’re renovating the room in its entirety. 

At the moment, you probably have a couple of different lists and things might start feeling confusing. When you have the time, sketch out your kitchen, get some measurements written down, and make sure everything will be perfect where you’re planning to use it. 

Get inspired

Not everyone can design a kitchen off the top of their head without any help. Look towards blogs, kitchen showrooms, and social media channels like Pinterest for some great design ideas. Create your mood boards and keep your lists and sketch updated as you go along. 

Purchases

When it’s time to start buying the products and items that you need, be on the lookout for discounts, sales, first-time buyer reductions online, and the like. Your kitchen could be a bargain renovation with some money knocked off the price tag. 

Bathroom Tiling Renovation Tips And Tricks

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It’s time to remodel your bathroom but looking over the room fills you with that sense of dread that everyone gets when they aren’t sure where to start on a project. Well, we’ve gone and gathered a handful of tips and tricks to make your daunting project feel more manageable because if there’s one thing about owning an enjoyable home, it’s being able to renovate as much as you want to or as little as you want to. 

Renovating on a budget

It is possible to renovate cheaply. Working on a budget isn’t as hard as one might think, and there are plenty of ways to get great deals on the tools and items you need to spruce up your bathroom space. It all depends on what, exactly, you want to do to your bathroom. If you’re looking to renovate the entire space and uphaul everything inside the room, then you might find yourself spending a lot. 

Consider what you need or want to change in your bathroom, and why you’re changing it. It’s easy to change just a few small things and make a space look brand new when your budget is quite tight. 

Here are some inexpensive ways to renovate your bathroom: 

Use less tiling

Tiles are expensive, especially if you find that you need quite a few of them. Ideally, don’t change the tile in your bathroom at all! According to Tilers Hobart, if you already have white tiles or other monochromatic colours, it’s very simple to change the look of your bathroom without taking down and replacing your current tiles. Alternatively, shop during sales, look for discounts and limit the number of tiles you use. 

Freshen up your grout and seals

These two parts of your bathroom are the first to start wearing away or looking grubby. Grout pens are cheap and easy to use, and resealing can be done at home without hiring a professional.

Looking at countertops? 

Many bathrooms don’t have space or need for them. If you have a smaller bathroom, forego the countertop and stick to other storage solutions and a standard sink. If you are planning to use countertop in your new design, bypass the price by buying granite slabs that have imperfections. 

Our last tip for this section is this 

Why not try just painting your bathroom and changing the knick-knacks and décor a little? A fresh, bright color, with some matching decoration, will make your bathroom sparkle. 

Essential tips and tricks

Going down the route of the full renovation? Not to worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are our essential bathroom tips and tricks to help you bring your bathroom design vision to life: 

  1. If you didn’t get this tip from the last section, remember to create a budget for your bathroom renovation. It’s an investment! If you ever want to sell your property, having up-to-date features is an extremely good way to add more value and attract buyers. 
  2. Sketch out the different designs you like the idea of. Interior design comes to life on paper; when you keep everything in your mind, you’re more likely to make mistakes. Take some time to measure the important parts of the room, get to grips with how much space you have and how big everything is. 
  3. Make sure the bathroom furniture that you want will fit in your bathroom. This is where those measurements will come in extremely handy. 
  4. Write down the things you need and keep a to-do list. Stick to that list. We know it’s difficult.
  5. Consider the type of bathroom you want. Do you want a standard bathroom with just the average amenities (sink, toilet, bath/shower), or do you want a more luxurious bathroom? Are you renovating a full-sized bathroom or an en-suite? These things will significantly affect your financial plan and the items you buy for your bathroom. 
  6. Speaking of bathtubs, do you want one? Although large spaces are required to install Bathtubs, they’re very beneficial for a range of individuals. If you choose to buy a bathtub, also consider having a showerhead installed. 
  7. Consider your lighting. Bathrooms should be bright, but not blinding!

 

What to consider when doing outdoor tiling

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Outdoor tiling is a little different from indoor tiling. Once you are done with selecting the perfect tiles (outdoor ones, not indoor ones, a mistake that is easily made) for your outdoor, you need to consider a few more factors. The weather is one because if it’s raining or going to rain on the day that you’re planning to tile, you should give up before you even think about starting. Even if there’s the smallest chance of rain that day, don’t tile. Rain will ruin the products that you use and will make your tiling job look extremely lacklustre. 

Before you begin

Tiling outdoor necessities more attention than interior tiling. Give yourself time to complete your task with the proper materials at hand and ready to go. During this project, the last thing you want to think of is running out of grout or find out one of your tiles has cracked, and you don’t have any spares. 

Make sure that surface you are applying the tiles is even and crack-free. You won’t be able to use grout or filler to cover up every mistake, so it’s great to start when you have everything in place. 

What to remember

Remember that the tiles you’re using could react to the climate that you’re in. Hopefully, you did your research before you purchased, but if you haven’t, then now is the time because you can still exchange the tiles in-store before you use them. Some tile materials don’t work well in direct sunlight, and others are water-resistant but not great for harsh winters. 

Prepare the area that you’re tiling before you get started. Give yourself measurements and outlines to work with so that everything remains neat and uniform. The last thing you want is wonky outdoor tiling. 

Screeds

Some professionals advise laying a screed before starting your tiling project. There are definitely benefits. A screed is a thin concrete layer that can provide a smooth floor to begin tiling on. It also assures you of a strong foundation to build your tiles on, offering better durability for your outdoor tiles. This is perfect for small tiling areas like patios because there isn’t too much work involved in the process. 

After tiling

Your tiles will be exposed to the elements every day once they’ve been placed and sealed. They’ll get more stress than your indoor tiles. Once you’ve grouted your outdoor tiles in place, you will need to give them enough time to set appropriately without outside interference.

According to Tiling Sunshine Coast, the best way to allow your tiles time to set is to add a coat of sealant to both your tiles and the grout that you’ve used. Once you’ve sealed everything, try to protect the area from any bad weather if you can – just until the grout has completely hardened. 

As much as you may be willing to use your newly tiled area within a few hours of completing your project, putting pressure on the tiles before they’ve set will cause more harm than good. Give them time, preferably at least 24 hours, if possible. 

 

What you need to Know About Tiling for your Patio

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Outdoor tiling, a subject that’s not as confusing as you may believe. When it comes to putting down tiles on your patio, there are a few things that you would benefit from knowing before you get started. The tips and advice available here will prevent you from making any mistakes or having any issues during your newest tiling venture. 

Your patio

Patios can add a lot of worth to your home, whether you know it or not. Any extension or extra feature added to a home can easily boost its value, which is great if you’re viewing to sell your home a few years down the line. But for your home to retain that value, your patio will need to be looked after and be in amazing condition, even if it’s several years old. 

Tiling can help with that. How do you ask? Well, let us tell you!

The difference between indoor and outdoor tiling

Let’s start with the basics: The contrast between indoor tiles and outdoor tiles. 

Unfortunately, you can’t just put down any old tile in the room, extension, or garden of your home. There are specific types of tiles that work better, depending on where you’re planning on laying those tiles down. 

The two most obvious ways that indoor and outdoor tiles are different are the design of the tiles, and how durable the tiles are. 

Outdoor tiles will be more textured and will generally take on the appearance of a more natural-looking design. Whereas indoor tiles come in a larger range of shapes, sizes, and colors, etc. As mentioned, an outdoor tile will also be more durable; this means that they will be able to last longer even if there’s a lot of harsh weather. 

Before putting your patio together, you should double-check that you’ve purchased outdoor tiles and not indoor ones. 

Choosing the right tiles

You’ve found the outdoor tiling, but you’re having a hard time deciding which ones would be better for you. 

First, think about your budget. This will limit which designs and how many tiles you can afford to buy to kit out your patio area. Don’t get pulled in by special offers and cheap pricing, make sure that the number of tiles you buy meets the square footage that you need to cover at home. Going by the price, you may end up with smaller tiles that don’t cover enough of the space you’ve set out for your patio. 

Second, think about the location of your patio. Not all outdoor tiles are made to be the same and some can withstand a lot more than others. In addition, consider where the tiles will be – are you installing them on your walls or the ground? All of these factors are important. 

Third, think about the climate in your area. If you get a lot of rain, you’ll want to purchase hardier outdoor tiles that are extremely durable. Also, if it’s not very sunny where you live, you may consider buying brighter tiles to add a little light to your garden. 

Fourth, think about the style and colors you already use in your home. There should be a sense of harmony throughout your home, you don’t want your patio tiles to have clashing colors. 

Types of tile

There are plenty of different types of outdoor tiles available, too. Not just textures and colors, but the material used to make them. 

Ceramic tiles are fine for milder climates and light use. They aren’t very strong, so it’s better to lay them in a covered patio area. 

Porcelain tiles are very strong, but homeowners often accidentally purchase indoor porcelain tiles which are more abundant in tile sections of stores. 

Quarry tiles are water-resistant but don’t work well in areas where winter is harsh. 

Slate tiles are very popular because they’re a natural choice that comes in a range of colors. They’re also quite strong. 

Whatever you choose, make an informed decision!