Kitchen Guides
A Guide to Kitchen Floor Tiles: Gloss vs Matte Finish
This mini guide can help solve the question of matte vs gloss
Available in gloss or matte finish, in materials like ceramic, porcelain and vitrified tiles, kitchen floor tiles are some of the most hard-working surfaces in the home. Both these finishes work well on kitchen floors and can impart a completely different look and feel to the space. Deciding between both these finishes is more of a personal preference and mainly depends on the kind of look you want to achieve for the kitchen design.
Here are the pros and cons of glossy and matte tiles, along with some key design considerations that one must keep in mind to make an informed choice.
Here are the pros and cons of glossy and matte tiles, along with some key design considerations that one must keep in mind to make an informed choice.
Gloss-finish tiles
Thanks to the steep rise in real-estate prices, urban homes have become compact and are often open-plan or studio apartments. In these homes, a single type of flooring runs through the home, including the kitchen. This might be glossy tiling, so here are its pros and cons.
Pros:
Thanks to the steep rise in real-estate prices, urban homes have become compact and are often open-plan or studio apartments. In these homes, a single type of flooring runs through the home, including the kitchen. This might be glossy tiling, so here are its pros and cons.
Pros:
- Gloss-finish tiles have an attractive mirror-like sheen. The glossy tile’s reflective surface bounces light all around the space, which adds to the brightness of the kitchen. As a result, small kitchens look bigger.
- The smooth surface of the gloss-finish tiles makes it easy to clean them by simply wiping with a damp mop.
- To bring in a sleek modern look to your kitchen, nothing works better than gloss-finish tiles.
Cons:
- On the downside, the highly reflective surface of gloss finish tiles easily shows up dirt, fingerprints, footprints and wet spots.
- Another drawback of gloss-finish floor tiles is that they tend to become slippery when wet. If you have kids (or seniors) around, then opt for matte-finish tiles for better safety.
Matte-finish tiles
Pros:
Pros:
- Matte-finish tiles are slip-resistant, unlike gloss-finish tiles.
- These tiles are low on maintenance. Also, the non-reflective surface of matte-finish tiles is good at concealing stains, smudges and dirt.
Cons:
- Matte-finish tiles are dull and do not reflect light like gloss-finish tiles. Hence, they are more appropriate for larger kitchens. Matte-finish tiles in compact kitchens can make the kitchen look and feel smaller, unless the rest of it is carefully designed to counteract this effect.
- It can be difficult to remove stains from matte-finish tiles.
Can’t decide between gloss- and matte-finish tiles? In that case, consider pairing matte-finish floor tiles with gloss-finish tiles on the kitchen backsplash, as in this example.
Read more:
Granite Countertop Guide: Which Finish Is Right for Your Kitchen?
10 Indian Modular Kitchens With Personalities
Tell us:
What is your preference between gloss and matte finish, and why? Let us know in the Comments section below.
Read more:
Granite Countertop Guide: Which Finish Is Right for Your Kitchen?
10 Indian Modular Kitchens With Personalities
Tell us:
What is your preference between gloss and matte finish, and why? Let us know in the Comments section below.
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Gloss- and matte-finish tiles are made with the same raw materials and go through a similar manufacturing process, but each finish has a different level of shine and smoothness.