How to keep tiled floors warm in the winter

Tiles are a very popular and common flooring choice among homeowners and interior designers. Let’s take a look at how to keep them warm in the winter.

Not only are tiles stylish but they also help to keep your home cool in the hot months of the summer. It is not just that they are stylish but they are also super easy to clean and to maintain and it is just a fact that they certainly last much longer than any carpeting ever will. There is however one tiny thing about tiles that kind of make them not the most desirable flooring option in places where it gets extremely cold. Tiles are great at providing a cool feeling in the months of the summer but this exact feature of tiles can be a source of misery for homeowners during the months of winter. Afterall, we will assume that not many among us like waking up in the middle of a cold winter night and having to step foot on tiles that are super cold. That is the last thing any homeowner would want as it is very uncomfortable. Fear not though, there are a bunch of tips and techniques that you can make use of in order to keep your tiled floors warm, even when it gets exceedingly cold. With these few tips and tricks, you can have tiles in your home that are not only super stylish and easy to maintain but also are not cold to the touch in the months of winter.

The Kitchen

The kitchen is one part of the home that will experience higher levels of foot traffic. This is the room within the home where every member of the household comes to prepare and to also eat food. As a result of this, the kitchen is a place within the home that is almost always seeing more activity than does the other parts of the house.

As this is an area that experiences a considerable amount of foot traffic, just putting down a rug can be a bit dangerous as it may be a trip hazard. The most effective way to fix this situation of cold kitchen tiles is to have underfloor heating be installed. This simple installation can save you up to almost 50 percent of the electricity bill. What it will also do is that it will ensure that your feet are warm and toasty when you are making or preparing your food. It will not be uncomfortable to get up in the cold winter nights and to go to the kitchen to perhaps get a midnight snack.

The Bathroom

Once again, the best fix to the issue seems to be underfloor heating, especially if your bathroom has natural stone tiling. While you do not need to install underfloor heating in every part of your home, if you install it strategically in a few key areas, it usually does tend to solve the problem. It is not at all unusual to want to come out of the shower and step on warm floors rather than the super cold ones. With our tips and tricks you too can achieve that feeling pretty well. When you are talking about heating up bathroom tiling, you may want to look into hot water underfloor heating. This is, in essence, a kind of central heating for the floor. The plastic pipes that are installed beneath the floor, hot water is run around them and as a result of this, it keeps the room warm. It is important to mention here that this option is also cheaper and it will also save you on hot water.

One of the best things about bathrooms is that they are a very suitable place for an area rug or maybe even a bathmat. With these, you will not have to worry about getting your feet cold while you can also add a bit of color and funk to the space.

The Living Room

The living room is another part of the home that probably experiences the most amount of foot traffic after the kitchen. This is also the part of the home where visitors are most likely to congregate and hence this is space that you want to look the best that it can at all times. This is the part of the home that is really meant to highlight your personality and to bring out the look and feel that you want to give off to the visitors to the home.

Natural stone tiling is a type of flooring that is the easiest within the tile family to heat. Another important factor is that they also retain heat very well. So, if you are the type of person who has a wood burner or a fire in your living room, you will not have to worry too much about keeping your floors warm. The fire and the wood burner will do the trick. The heat that they generate will be more than sufficient to keep your floors warm and cosy. In fact, most people tend to burn these things for so long that they very often find their tiles still warm in the morning and that is a very pleasant feeling.

If you are not as fortunate to own a living room with a fireplace then you might consider a large area rug. This will be perfect for the center of the room. It can also add a bit of spice and color to the room and will offer a slight deviation from the other aesthetic elements of the room.

Another thing to consider might be a heated mat since underfloor heating for such a large space is such a big investment. However, we should point out that the most effective way to keep warm in the months of winter is to install a radiant floor heating system. With this you will have your tiles heated both quickly and easily.