Tuesday, 17 March 2015

Fireplace Tiles For Strength And Beauty

By Mike Hartwick


Homeowners are always seeking ways to beautify their homes, and installing new fireplace tiles is the perfect way to do just that. In addition to creating amazing focal points, tile can also increase the value of a home. When considering the numerous benefits and the added barrier against accidental fires, tile is the perfect material for fireplace beautification.

Besides being fireproof, tile can handle significant and constant changes in temperature. As a result, tile is an excellent choice for surround walls and in fireplace hearths. A fireplace surround is the wall directly around a fireplace; the hearth is the floor directly under, and in front of a fireplace. When tile is installed on the surround and on a fireplace hearth it offers lasting beauty and tremendous strength to a fireplace hearth.

There are so many tile options that it can seem overwhelming at first. However, choosing the right one isn't as hard as you would think. You will need to take your current decor into consideration first, in order to help you find colors and patterns which match well. Another very important thing you will need to look at is the strength of the tiles. While you can get away with wall tiles on a surround, for the hearth they need to be floor tiles. Make sure fireplace hearth tiles have a PEI rating of 4 to 5 to guarantee their strength.

When deciding on a tile material, there are many excellent choices. The most popular are often ones made from natural stone. Marble, slate, and granite, all are incredibly sturdy and attractive. Porcelain and ceramic are also very common and ones which can even be made to look like natural stone but cost less. Replica Victorian fireplace tiles also are a unique looking way to go if you want something more traditional.

Both Victorian and Edwardian tiles are known for their charm and looks. Luckily today replica tiles use actual vintage patterns and designs but are a fraction of the cost of buying actual antique tiles. Art Nouveau tiles are another choice which are from the 1800's and can look very fancy. If you are looking for these types of fireplace tiles UK residents are in luck as they are much easier to find there than in the United States and other countries.

Tile is as you can clearly see, the best choice for any fireplace project. All you need is to do a little research on the different types and you'll be well on your way to having a beautiful focal point in no time!




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