Embracing That Concrete Look
The introduction of stone and tile into your design brings sophistication and elegance to any room. Over time, tile, whether ceramic, porcelain or natural stone, made its way out of the bathroom and kitchen, bringing its warmth and unique style to the rest of the home.
In fact, innovations in tile allow for looks once deemed far-fetched, like concrete, which is giving homeowners the option of that trendy cement floor look without actually pouring, staining and dying the real thing. Besides, if you live in a humid, damp area, concrete floors do not fare as well. The concrete can swell and crack, and create surface moisture.
The resemblance of non-cement tile to the real thing is uncanny—and can be a lot less expensive than concrete. Plus, the ceramic and porcelain concrete-emulating tiles are manufactured to be durable and easy to clean.
These tiles come in various sizes and offer lots of options. Using large format styles of 24 x 48 and thin grout lines, you can complete the illusion of a seamless poured concrete floor. Or you can create a cracked concrete look, like the one pictured, using Daltile’s Cotto Contempo tiles.
Concrete Tiles vs. Encaustic
Concrete tiles are nothing new. Also called cement tiles because they are made with cement and minerals, they were first created in the 1800s. The majority of these are decorative tiles designed not to look like concrete or cement. That new trend of achieving the concrete look noted above is relatively new.
Some people call cement tiles encaustic cement tiles, but it’s a misnomer. Encaustic tiles, gracing some of the most beautiful floors in the world including the United States Capitol, first appeared in medieval times and are made from two or more colors of clay. They are not made from cement.
As with look-alike concrete tiles, decorative cement tiles and encaustic tiles have also become popular elements in today’s designs.