Choosing concrete effect flooring to create superior interiors

Concrete effect flooring elevates the design of any home creating a wonderful contemporary feel. Made from porcelain, our concrete effect tiles beautifully imitate the industrially-sourced materials that have inspired the world of design for years. They are the go-to for those seeking a modern, sleek and stunning canvas for floors throughout the home that is beautiful, hardwearing and a joy to live with.

As a cost effective alternative to poured or polished concrete, a high quality concrete effect tile not only delivers on design, but is also super hardwearing and practical. And won’t necessarily blow the budget.

But not all concrete effect tiles are created equal so what do you look for when searching for concrete effect flooring? Let’s explore.

Design

A concrete effect tile can come in various shades. Whilst colour tends more towards greys there are collections featuring warmer tones too with off whites, sand tones and charcoal shades.

Well balanced background colours along with hints of cracking and salting bring concrete effect tiles to life. But look for designs where this is not overdone. This is about subtlety of design. Hints and soft tones.

Our Stride collection is a beautifully high quality concrete effect flooring collection in a superb range of tones that are all designed to work together. And what’s more, they can also work on walls.

Stride collection of concrete effect flooring here crafts a cool, sophisticated look in this living area

Size and Format

As tile sizes go, we tend to think the bigger the better. Opting for a concrete effect tile in a super size 1200 x 1200mm is undoubtedly sleek, simple and stunning in equal measure.

If you can’t stretch to that, then a 900 x 900 or 800 x 800mm format may be perfect. Still large enough to feel large format, but easier to handle from an install perspective and a little more wallet friendly when it comes to cost.

A 1200 x 600mm can be equally beautiful. It does bring further considerations including how to install ie stacked or brickbond (remember not to overlap by more than 1/3 for any length longer than 600mm) and which way to run your tiles, but any good installer should be able to also help out with some good advice for your project.

Docklands Charcoal concrete effect flooring here crafts a cool, sophisticated look in this living area

If you can’t stretch to that, then a 900 x 900 or 800 x 800mm format may be perfect. Still large enough to feel l

It’s been part of our collections for many years, but this tried and trusted Docklands Charcoal tile is a superb example of a 900 x 900 large format tile that is just beautifully designed. In this case the surface is a little more textured than other concrete effect tiles in our ranges, but that is what can make it special and it feels wonderful underfoot.

The Soft Antislip finish gives this tile a slightly higher slip rating than some tiles, still easy to clean, but a wonderful texture that is perfect for hardworking kitchens and homes.

High -quality concrete effect tiles

As tile technology continues to improve, those at the forefront of design are creating tiles that are ultra realistic. Put simply, this is imitation without the limitation.

Take Beat. It comes in four urban tones – white, beige, grey and anthracite – each shade carrying an authentic, worn look, enhanced by a Contour finish – a finish that not only makes Beat’s surface appear flacked with salts but echoes a worn pavement feel – bringing excitement and movement to this concrete effect tile.

So finish of tile as well as colour and design are key things to look out for.

Beat in a grey tone provides a cool, expansive feel to this kitchen space – adorning both the floor, and wall.

Designing with concrete effect flooring

This is a tile design that works in both large and small spaces. Whether the bathroom or entire ground floor, a concrete effect tile will work and because high-end tile collections generally feature cool to warmer tones,

Take our Artisan collection. The warmth of terracotta sits side by side the more neutral hues of greys, off whites and creams. These tiles are perfectly designed to be imperfect ie show the little imperfections of concrete with colour accents all of which brings a unique urban feel. The clever thing here though is the warmer saturated hues deliver a collection that works brilliantly for spaces that are ultra cool as well as spaces that tend towards a cosier feel.

Take Artisan Salt – one of our fav colours in the collection. This is one cool tile. Super contemporary and sophisticated.

Artisan Salt 1200 x 1200mm concrete effect tile

We couldn’t go without mentioning our Metro collection. This is metropolitan design at it’s best. Take Metro Grey shown here – one of three colours in this wonderfully crafted tile collection of concrete effect tiles.

Both Silver and Bone are as delightful in tone and the three colours together form a beautiful collection that works across the home on walls and floors. The Soft finish is the stuff of barefoot dreams. We simply love this tile!

Metro Grey large format concrete effect tile

We hope you enjoyed our little intro to concrete effect flooring. We’ve hand picked some gorgeous collections as part of our Wall and Floor tile portfolio so hop onto our website and check out some of our collections.

You can try Metro, Artisan, Stride, Docklands and Beat just for starters!

The TilePortfolio specialise in high quality Italian and Spanish Porcelain and Ceramic tiles, in particular large format Porcelains and porcelain tiles for inside and outside. Our carefully curated, stunning tile portfolios are beautifully presented online and supported by a friendly, warm and welcoming service. Visit our centrally based showroom in Kettering, Northamptonshire or shop on line with us at www.thetileportfolio.co.uk. We are here to help and would be delighted to get involved with your project!

Please note: We strongly recommend using a professional tiler for your project. Installation requirements may vary depending on the tiles you choose, the fixing products used and the specific conditions. Always check with your tiler regards the suitability of the tiles. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions.

Choosing concrete effect flooring to create superior interiors