7 hot trends in tile for walls and floors
With two dogs of their own and six others owned by family members who visit often, Jack and Carol Banowsky are well aware that canine nails and wood floors do not play well together.
So when it came time to pick the flooring for their new home in Boerne, the couple installed a scratch-resistant faux wood porcelain tile.
“We’ve had wood floors before, and we know what dogs can do to those,” Carol Banowsky said. “We didn’t want to make that mistake again.”
Tile made to look like wood and other materials is just one tile trend for walls and floors that experts expect to see a lot more of in 2021. Others include encaustic tile made of porcelain and ceramic, the return of hexagonal tile and tile made of mixed materials, including metal and glass.
Here are seven tile trends coming at you next year:
Bolder encaustic tile: With colorful, statement-making patterns, encaustic tile flooring is increasingly popular in kitchens, entryways, sunrooms, bathrooms and utility rooms. And when made from porcelain or ceramic, which are produced from a clay base, they are more durable while also holding their vivid colors longer than traditional cement-based tile, which tend to fade or bleed over time. Prices start at $4.95 to $6.99 per square foot.
Faux materials: New tile styles can mimic virtually any natural material, from wood to Carrara marble, often at a fraction of the price. Porcelain, for example, can be made to have the deep, rich look of marble while also being more durable and easier to maintain — no annual sealing needed. Faux wood is available with realistic grain and in colors from light pine to dark mahogany. Prices start as low as $2.99 per square foot.
Metal plated: When fused to a porcelain tile, various metals, including copper, make for decorative flourishes on shower floors, in wall niches and kitchen backsplashes, and as simple bands along a bathroom wall.
Prices start at $12.95 per square foot.
Large format tile: Tile measuring 24 by 48 inches or bigger is increasingly popular, especially in larger homes, where they fill the space with fewer grout lines, according to Kelly Vallejo, a designer at Royal Tile. Large format tile can be difficult to handle, she cautions, so be sure your installer knows how to set it prop-erly.
Hexagon tiles: A blast from the past, this six-sided, so-old-it’snew-again style comes in a variety of sizes, including the 1-inch pinwheels you may remember from your grandma’s bathroom floor. For that modern-yet-retro look, newer styles as large as 12 inches across are also available. Starting at $5.99 per square foot.
Mosaics: Mixing different materials, such as glass, chrome and Carrara marble, can tie in a tile wall with the rest of a shower or kitchen while adding some pizazz. The bling is more expensive, however, with prices starting at $9.99 per square foot.
Color: After years of grays, taupes and other neutrals, Stacy Blair, a designer and project manager with Sunn Carpets and Interiors, said she expects a brighter new year as the country’s mood lightens. That means more jewel tones, such as sapphire blues, garnet reds and emerald greens. Set against monochromatic cabinets in rich browns or whites, for example, these colored tiles will make a splash in the kitchen, bath or laundry room.