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Grout & Tile:

Bucks County Grout & Tile:

Grout and tile is an important part of the aesthetic design of your home.  They are placed when remodeling or building your home and are not items that can be replaced on a whim.  Tile and grout will be the foundation of the overall look of the rooms it is placed in.  Replacing them can be costly, so you want to have something that will adapt to design trends that will occur over the years you own the home.

How To Choose Your Tile

The first thing you want to do when choosing a tile for your home is to determine exactly which room it will be in and what the purpose of it will be.  Most homes decide to tile their kitchen and bathroom.  There are multiple purposes within these rooms.  Will it go on the floor?  The counter?  As a backsplash?  Or all of the above? If you are planning on tiling the entire room you’ll want to purchase coordinating tiles.

There are many types of tiles available in different materials.  Choose the one that makes more sense for your aesthetic and lifestyle.  Ceramic tiles, marble tiles, and stone tiles are just a few materials you can choose.  Something to keep in mind, when choosing materials, is what will be done on those tiles.  For instance, tiling the kitchen floor with ceramic tiles might not be the best idea if you have younger children or someone in your household is clumsy!  Accidentally dropping a pot, pan, or plate on the ceramic tile is scary. 

Many people today do not want a tiled kitchen counter, they typically prefer marble or granite smooth countertops.  However, getting a backsplash that coordinates nicely with that countertop will be an awesome look.  Tile doesn’t have to be the solution for everything, it can just be added to give a slight accent that adds to the overall look. 

Grout Options

Grout is somewhat of a liquid that is used to fill in the gaps between tiles.  It also stabilizes the tiles so that they stick to the floor and to each other better. However, there are so many choices when it comes to grout!  You can have fun and be a little crazy if you choose.  Grout comes in a variety of colors and changes the look of your tiles.  It is made of cement, sand, water or chemicals.  Unfortunately, the main negative to grout is that you can never truly make it 100% clean.  The grout, when dried, is porous and dirt can get into those tiny holes.

There are three types of grout:

1. Sanded Grout - This type of grout is used when you need to fill large gaps and it takes a lot of time to get dried.  Sanded grout can be used inside as well as outside your home but requires time to fix the gaps.  It will protect your tiles from dirt, dust, and spillage.
2. Unsanded Grout - This type of grout is used when you fill small gaps and is a lot similar to the sanded grout.  Unsanded grout requires more pressure and needs to be taken care of or your grout will fall off.  This type of grout is very sticky.
3. Epoxy Grout - This is a new type of grout in the construction industry but is different from cement.  If you seal your tiles with this one, bacteria won’t be present on your tiles at all.  Using this grout is good for counters, decks, or near pools.  The main disadvantage of using epoxy grout is that if kept open for a longer duration this grout becomes hard and impossible to use. Epoxy grout has a shelf life and should be used within that time period.  This is also one of the more expensive options at this time.

Cleaning Grout And Tile

Regular sweeping and mopping of your tiled floors is recommended, however, to do a deep clean it is recommended to hire a professional.  As mentioned previously, the porous grout can be very hard to clean and can build up with dirt and grime.  Because of this, regular deep cleaning should take place so that it does not get too bad.  The entire color of your grout can change quickly if not professionally cleaned on a regular basis.

You could try cleaning the tiles and grout yourself, but be forewarned that this will be a time consuming and physical job. You’ll have to do your research on the proper cleaning methods and equipment for your tile.  Make sure that you set aside a few days to complete the job - possibly more depending on how big your tiled area is.

Of course, you can eliminate this back breaking and time consuming job by reaching out to one of our trusted, local Bucks County Grout and Tile companies.  They can help you with the actual installation and the cleaning of your floors.

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