Easy ways to upgrade tiled floors
Tired of your tiled floors, but can’t face removing them? Consider one of these cover-up options: they’re easy, effective and mess free!
There are many benefits to having a tiled floor: they’re durable, low maintenance, cost-effective and often quite beautiful. But they can also be cold, hard, difficult to repair and unpleasant (read: messy and expensive) to replace.
Fortunately, there are simple ways to update your flooring without lifting the current surface. Read on for four great option…
- Cover up with vinyl
Vinyl flooring is often used as an alternative to stone, wood and wood laminate floors because it’s soft underfoot, waterproof and easy to lay. However, there is a new trend towards simple peel-and-stick vinyl flooring and vinyl rugs which come in a variety of eye-catching colours and patterns. See Airloom’s feature floors for inspiration.
- Paint a fresh colour
Painting tiles isn’t as tedious as it sounds, though you will need to properly prepare their surface beforehand – which means washing them with sugar soap solution, getting rid of mold and mildew (use white vinegar and warm water) and scrubbing grout (an old toothbrush is great for this). Choose an epoxy or oil-based paint and stick to neutral colours for best results.
- Create patterns with stencils
Add interest to your original or repainted tiles by creating patterns with tile stencils. Moroccan and geometric designs are on trend for bathrooms and kitchens.
- Add rugs and runners
Rugs are an easy way to add warmth and luxury to an area. Choose hard-wearing varieties such as polypropylene, sisal, jute, nylon and wool for high-traffic areas and opt for runners in the kitchen, bathroom and hallway where width is potentially limited. You can minimize any tripping risk by placing carpet tape on the underside to secure the corners in place.
* Photo: Airloom.co.za
