TIPS ON TILE

• Porcelain tile won’t stain or chip like marble or travertine, and it’s tougher than ceramic tile, too. It comes in a variety of sizes for flooring and backsplashes, but also comes in big sheets so you can use it like slabs of granite on kitchen or bathroom counters. • Wood-style tile comes in a variety of colors and widths. If you’re using porcelain tile in another design, the ontrend style would be in long planks or large rectangles. Twelve-inch squares are no longer in style — not even for a small room. • One hack for a beautiful floor on a budget is to buy 12-inch square tiles, but then have your installer cut them into 3-inch strips and lay them in a herringbone pattern. You’ll be using the least expensive size tile and end up with a floor that looks luxurious. • When selecting porcelain tile with a design such as wood grain, make sure you get one with a “through body” image. That means the pattern’s dye has gone beneath the surface. • Porcelain tile resists water, but grout does not. To make your floor more waterresistant, make sure your installer uses an epoxy or resin-based grout. If you’re a DIY’er using regular grout, mix it with a sealer in place of water. It will be easier to clean, too. • Have your tile installed with 1⁄16-inch spacers for a clean, contemporary look. This is narrower than most installers’ default installation of ¼ inch to 3⁄8 inch. • Another advantage is that porcelain tile is adhered directly to a concrete slab. There’s no subfloor to potentially hold moisture where mold would breed. • Woodlike porcelain tile works best in traditional, Mediterranean or transitional style homes. It would be used less in contemporary or modern homes. • Porcelain tile with a “grip” texture is now made for indoor-outdoor use around pools and patios. Sources: Cindy Aplanalp-Yates of the Chairma Design Group; Andee Parker of the Casa Bella Design Group; Stuart Rae, president of Thorntree Slate & Marble