How to select the right floor tiles for your home

"My father's house had floor tiles and whenever I looked at them, they reflected a never-fading beauty. I vowed that when I constructed my house, it would have tiles.

My dream came true two years ago, when I completed my house and had tiled floors. I was, however, disappointed that after two years, my tiles were fading, yet they cost an arm and a leg," says Adrian Nsubuga, a resident of Mukono.

Osbert Luyinda, a construction engineer, says if one wants to tile their floors, they have to get a professional construction engineer to guide them through the different types of tiles before they make a choice.

‘The floor tiles sold in Uganda are imported from China, Spain, India and Italy. These vary in type, size, colour, quality and price depending on the country in which they are manufactured.

The most durable tiles are those made using porcelain and they are manufactured in Spain.

Owing to their durability, tiles from Spain are the most expensive on the market. In addition they are shiny.

The matt floor tiles are the second most durable ones, although they are not as costly as the porcelain ones," says Luyinda.

He says that tiles should be bought in square metres because the space where they are fitted is measured in square metres.  However, the tiles in boxes are not packed in square metres.

‘This means that one has to spend more money in buying tiles in boxes than that one who has bought them in square meters.

"One square meter costs sh35,000-sh85,000 depending on the size which are 400, 500 and 600 cm and quality of the tiles," Luyinda emphasises.  

Fred Waswa, another construction engineer, says the floor tiles fitted in the bedroom, sitting room and dining room can be shiny or smooth, but those in the kitchen and bathroom have to be rough.

This type of tiles can be put in both the bathrooms and the kitchens

"Tiles in the sitting room and dining are shinny because they are the face of the home and, therefore, have to have to have attractive colours. The bedroom that has shiny tiles, makes it attractive and enables the person sleeping in it to have a good night sleep," says Waswa.

He explains that the kitchen and the bathrooms have to have rough tiles because there're high chances of water and soap being spilled on them given the activities that take place there.
The water and soap spills make the floor slippery and thus can easily lead to falls, especially among children, and these can easily lead to injury or death.  

Waswa advises that the best way to maintain your tiles is by cleaning them with a tile cleaner because it will leave them attractive.

The lifespan of the tiles can be extended to over 15 years if they are not hit with hard objects such as a hammer that can break them.