The urge to renovate has finally hit and you’re ready to give your home the long-awaited makeover it deserves. We don’t blame you as 2022 has featured many inspiring tile trends that would make anyone dive headfirst into a new and exciting tile venture.
You may have a few questions that need answering before you get started — first and foremost, how do you get started?
To help you find your footing before jumping into your big renovation, Tile Town’s very own Judi Merrell, an interior designer at our Richmond location, offers these 10 useful tips to help your tiling project begin smoothly.
Get to know your closest Tile Town location
The best way to kick-off your project is by acquainting yourself with one of our stores, and our website is a great place to start! Read customer comments that share their tile selection process and experience with us, browse our Ideas Gallery, or simply try our Visualizer Tool to help you visualize your dream renovation.
Book an appointment
Having scheduled time ensures that you’re receiving the best help possible, as one-on-one consultations allow for a more personal and thorough experience. This is an optimal space to play off any of your ideas, so bring any and all concepts you’ve been playing around with to discuss.
Research tile designs
Google, Pinterest, and websites for designers and manufacturers are great places to help you finalize and describe your vision for the space you’re renovating. Our various social medias (Instagram, Pinterest, Houzz, etc.) are also accommodating resources for fast and organized design inspiration.
Bring in any physical samples
An easy way to articulate your vision is by bringing in any reference points for design elements found in your home. Samples could be paint swatches, countertop or cabinetry samples, and so on. If you’re unable to bring any samples currently installed in your home, take pictures that clearly show colours, layouts, and the types of material.
Organize your ideas
Having a cluttered mind is just as inconvenient as a cluttered work area. Avoid this by creating albums or files of design inspiration for each project. You can separate them by room, aesthetic (minimalistic, industrial, etc.), or patterns.
Have a basic concept for tile sizing
There are an abundant of different sized tiles, each with their own design capabilities. Start by deciphering what size you need: large rectangle or square tiles? Tiles for a backsplash, or tiles for your floor? Use this starting point, and then work out the details.
Visualize your perfect colour story
You know the layout, accessories, and lighting in your desired renovation space — what colours exist here that you can work with? Knowing what colour of tiles you want will help narrow the scope of possible tiles that fit (or don’t fit) into your design. You can either use pops of colour on a vibrant accent wall, or blend light-coloured tiles with darker spaces for contrast. (Learn more about choosing coloured tiles.)
Consider materials and textures
Between 3D-textured tiles, marble, and porcelain, there’s a lot of tile surfaces to choose from. Eliminate any potential tiles that could clash, such as marble tiles in a primarily wooden-accented space or textured tiles that would make a backsplash seem too busy.
Work within your home’s style
Whether you’re working with traditional, modern, or the highly popular midcentury modern, you’ll want to stay within the constraints of your home’s design to achieve cohesion.
Be ready to listen and learn
Having an open mind is a surefire way to see a project successfully executed. It’s not unusual for designers to have a clear vision of what they’d like, and eventually find something that appeals to them more. Who knows, depending on available stock and new ideas, you may have to consider a different look that might work even better for your space!
Now that you have the tools to begin, give us a call or come on down to any of our locations — we’re ready to help!