kitchen tile Archives - Inspired Remodels

Choosing Floor Tile Size: Advice from a Flooring Contractor

When it comes to remodeling your Orange County home or adding on a new space, selecting the right floor tile size means more than just making a design choice. Consider this decision a strategic one. Ask any experienced flooring contractor, and they will tell you that the tile size you select affects room appearance and even how easy the floor is to maintain.

Use the advice from Inspired Remodels, an Orange County flooring contractor, to help you pick the best size tile for your home. Learn the many ways tile size impacts your flooring project.

Common Floor Tile Sizes

Porcelain and stone tiles come in a wide range of sizes. Here are the most common formats available for Orange County homes:

Small tiles: 2″x2″, 4″x4″, 6″x6″ are great for mosaics, shower floors, or detailed patterns.
Standard tiles: 12″x12″, 12″x24″, 18″x18″ offer versatility that makes them popular for residential floors.
Large-format tiles: 24″x24″, 24″x48″ work well with the open-concept spaces so popular in Southern California and enhance modern designs.
Plank-style tiles: 6″x24″, 8″x48″, 12″x36″ come into play when you opt for wood-look porcelain floors.

Courtesy Novo Drain

Why Tile Size Matters

The tile size impacts everything from the look of the floor to how easy it is to maintain.

Visual Impact on Room Size

Larger tiles make small rooms feel bigger by reducing grout lines. Large format tile like a 24″x24″, 24″ x 48″, or varying sizes of wood-look porcelain tile create a sleek, open feel in a kitchen or living room. Smaller tiles, by contrast, add texture and pattern but can make small areas feel crowded. So, use large tiles in open areas and smaller tiles where detail or traction is needed, like bathroom floors.

Design Goals and Aesthetics

The tile size you pick should complement the aesthetic of the overall design of the space. Whether you aim for a modern, traditional, or eclectic look, make sure the tile and the tile size itself supports your goal.

In general:

Modern spaces thrive on large-format tiles with minimal grout.
Traditional homes may benefit from medium-sized tiles with a warm pattern.
Rustic or eclectic designs often use mixed-size tiles or tiles that create mosaic patterns.

So, don’t ruin your modern design with small, polygon tiles.

Grout and Maintenance

One overlooked advantage of larger floor tiles is less grout to clean. Fewer joints mean fewer places for dirt to settle. Smaller tiles require more grout, and more grout means more maintenance. If easy maintenance is a priority, tile size should be part of the conversation with your flooring contractor. Also, discuss sealing grout or using grout with an integrated sealant to prevent staining and keep grout lines clean.

What Flooring Contractors Recommend

Every space is different, but flooring contractors apply these general guidelines for most Orange County projects:

Bathrooms: Use 12″x24″ tiles to elongate the space or mosaics for traction in wet areas like the shower floor.
Kitchens & hallways: Depending on the size of the space, larger format tiles reduce grout lines and look modern.
Open living areas: 24″x48″ tiles create a seamless, spacious feeling to rooms.

Work with a Flooring Contractor to Get It Right

The right floor tile size balances beauty, function, and cost. Whether you’re going for bold and modern or timeless and classic, tile size plays a central role in the success of your remodeling or renovation project. Work with a trusted flooring contractor and use their expertise to help you make a decision that elevates your space, beautifully and practically.

kitchen remodeling after photo stainless sttel stove and hood with gre, black & white backsplash

Kitchen Remodeling Fall Inspiration

By Inspired Remodels / Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

Fall in Orange County means football on TV, fewer tourists at the beach, and a drive to the mountains for leaf peeping. The change in season provides the perfect backdrop to refresh the home before the holidays. So, here’s a little inspiration for kitchen remodeling this fall.

Make a Splash with a Backsplash

A kitchen backsplash possesses the remarkable ability to transform the entire room and breathe new life into its design. This often-overlooked feature is not merely a protective barrier against splashes and stains but also a canvas for creativity and style. See how these backsplashes work magic in kitchen remodeling projects.

How unusual is this tile? The current green and white palette goes great, but honestly, this tile will match any color the homeowner ever uses. Talk about tile with staying power!

Another kitchen, another green and white combination. But, a completely different look thanks to the marvelous backsplash.

For something completely different, go for traditional subway tile but lay it in a herringbone pattern. All the beauty of a chevron with none of the extra labor costs for cutting the tile at an angle.

Update Kitchen Hardware

New cabinet hardware breathes new life into a kitchen, instantly transforming its overall look and feel. These small but impactful elements play a pivotal role in the kitchen’s aesthetic, functionality, and style.

Cabinet hardware serves as a visual focal point in the kitchen. It’s like jewelry that enhances an outfit. Selecting hardware that complements your kitchen’s design theme creates a cohesive and harmonious space. Change the choice of hardware and change the tone for the entire room.

The same style cabinets just look different when you use brushed nickel versus gold hardware.

Decorative Lighting

New decorative lighting in a kitchen remodeling makes a room more functional and visually appealing. Swap out decorative lighting for a fresh and rejuvenated look.

First and foremost, lighting fixtures can serve as the focal point of your kitchen’s design. Whether it’s a stunning alternative to traditional pendant lights above the kitchen island, a row of elegant sconces along the walls, or a unique chandelier, the choice of decorative lighting can set the tone and style for the entire space. Lighting becomes a statement piece, elevating the room’s overall aesthetics.

Fall In Love with Kitchen Remodeling

This Fall, fall in love with the kitchen remodeling experts at Inspired Remodels. Get ideas for kitchens, baths, entryways, bedrooms, or any room in the house!

General Contractors Guide to Tile

By Inspired Remodels / Bathroom Remodel, Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

It doesn’t matter if you are thinking of updating one room or the whole house. Chances are you are thinking about tile. With so many types of tile on the market, picking the right tile is tough. Inspired Remodels takes the headache out of picking the right tile. Take our advice as general contractors, decide on the tile material first and then the design of the tile. It makes the job of selecting tile much easier. Here’s a general contractors guide to the different types of tile.

Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile has been popular for hundreds of years. It is a clay-based product. You’ll find ceramic tiles in the bathroom and kitchen. They are on walls, floors, backsplashes and showers.

Ceramic tile is an easy care material. Like other hard surface materials, you can wipe up spills easily, vacuum and wet mop tile. Glazed tile doesn’t normally stain and it doesn’t absorb water. However, like with all tiles, you’ll want to seal the grout to protect staining, but ceramic tile itself does not need sealing. Because it is impervious to water, it’s perfect for bathrooms.

Ceramic tiles are made in squares, hexagons, circles and more. It is a relatively inexpensive tile. It is also not the hardest clay tile. So, it’s not the best choice for high traffic areas.

Porcelain Tile

There is a difference between ceramic and porcelain tile. Yes, both are clay-based products. But, there is a difference in the clay based used to make the tile. With porcelain, the clay is highly refined and much more purified than the clay used to make ceramic tile. In addition, porcelain tile is fired at a higher temperature. The result is a tile that is more durable and stronger than ceramic tile.

Don’t use the terms ceramic tile and porcelain tile interchangeably. They aren’t the same. Porcelain is more expensive than ceramic because it is more durable. Like ceramic tiles, it is glazed and will not absorb water. It’s equally at home in the bathroom as in the kitchen, hallways, mudrooms or other frequently trafficked areas.

If you pick ceramic or porcelain tile, when choosing the actual tile color or design, make sure it is a through-tile. This means the color is not only applied to the top of the tile but permeates through. This is a very important feature. Surface colored tile shows every chip and ding.

Satillo or Terracotta Tile

When you think satillo or terracotta tile, you usually think of patios and entryways. But it can be used indoors as well. This clay-based tile is not glazed and needs to be resealed every few years whether installed inside or outside.

It’s a warm looking and feeling tile. Satillo tile doesn’t get as cold underfoot at ceramic or porcelain. But, because it absorbs water, you don’t want to use it in the shower. But it’s perfect for sunrooms and transitional spaces.

Stone Tile

Limestone, marble and slate are all popular tiles for use throughout the house. Each type of stone has its challenges when it comes to installation. Installing stone tiles isn’t a DIY undertaking. This is one place where the work is best left in the hands of general contractors.

That being said, stone tiles are popular on bathroom floors, in showers, on walls and backsplashes. Depending on the stone you pick, it may need sealing periodically. Granite floors can be slippery and limestone is easily damaged by the wrong pH cleaner.

Talk to your general contractor about how you will use a space and who will use a space to determine if the stone you have in mind is a good match for your application.

Stone tiles can look warm (think limestone or slate) or cool (think granite or marble). When it comes to cost, stone will be more expensive than ceramic or porcelain. But with the proper care, it will last much longer.

Glass and Metal

These two materials get an honorable mention for their decorative applications. They are not suitable for floors, but make lovely accent tiles on walls, fireplaces, and backsplashes. Glass and metal may be mixed with other materials in a mosaic design. Both materials are easily scratched, so take care when cleaning.

General Contractors Make the Difference

When it comes to new tiles for the floors or walls, the general contractor you pick does make a difference. General contractors that have your best interest in mind will let you know if a material you pick isn’t the best material for the application. Respect their expertise and listen closely to their recommendations. When it comes to making dreams a reality, turn to Inspired Remodels. They will guide you through the design process and make sure the remodel is not only beautiful but functional.

Call (949) 716-1938 or Contact Us online today to talk about your next remodel or renovation. And if you decide to move instead of remodel, we can help with that too. Inspired Realty is our complete real estate brokerage firm.