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flooring options for your retail space

When opening a retail store, you may have to make a decision about the flooring being installed. If you are fortunate enough to get to plan the design of the interior of the building, you have quite a few great options to consider. Our blog is all about commercial flooring for retail spaces. You will learn about the different types of flooring available that will help to reduce the amount of noise that is carried through the building, how to find easy to care for flooring and what you can do to make your decision a little easier on your mind and your budget.

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flooring options for your retail space

Useful Tips For Installing Floor Tiles

by Vanessa Douglas

Do you want to try a DIY floor tile installation? It isn't such a difficult job if you have the necessary tools and knowledge. If you believe in your ability and wish to give it a go, then you should also use the tips below to come up with perfectly installed tiles.

Choose the Right Tiles for the Room

Tiles have different properties that make them suitable for different rooms. They vary in strength, water absorption, scratch resistance and other properties. For example, you need slip resistant tiles that do not absorb water easily for the bathroom floor.

Right Substrate

It's also essential to install a tiff support on which to install the tiles. Otherwise, you will have to contend with cracks and floor squeaks – the strength of the substrate determines the durability of your tiles. Cement board is a good example of a strong substrate, especially for the bathroom. What is more, it will not warp, crumble or even smell after getting repeatedly wet. Of course, you should also follow the manufacturer's (of the tile) directions.

Do the Walls First

If you are doing both the walls and the floors, then it is better to start with the walls as you work your way down. This is to reduce the susceptibility of the floor tiles to damages such as cracks and chips that may occur if you start with the floor.

Mind the Bumps

It's possible that your tiles' edges may not be perfect; they may have little lugs or spacing on them. For this reason, it's important to push the tiles against each other (or their spacers) as close as possible to avoid leaving extra wide spaces between them. Of course, any imperfections here will be corrected by the grouting, but you don't want to leave too much irregularity to start with.

Consider the Temperature

Don't forget to leave the requisite expansion joints. These joints are necessary where the tiles are constrained, such as the room perimeter and the tub lips (in the case of bathroom flooring). Otherwise, your tiles will have no room for expansion and crack under temperature fluctuations.

If all these seem like too much hard work, then you aren't ready for tile installation. Why not save yourself all the trouble by hiring an experienced floor contractor, like those at Costen Floors Inc? Going with a professional can be a lifesaver for complicated tiling jobs. 

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