In my house, remodeling a space is always on my mind. That may mean a small or big project involving the floors, walls, furniture, appliances, lighting, bedding and the list goes on. I love being creative, teaching myself about new techniques, materials, illusions, colors and designs. Over the last couple of years, I have been moving from room to room updating, improving and designing new spaces. This post is to share a quick lesson on how to choose tile for your stairs.
The entry to my home has stairs that were tiled and then a landing that was carpeted. While the tiles made sense, the carpet definitely didn’t as it accumulated all the dirt from shoes coming in from outside. Once I made the decision to replace the carpet and surrounding tiles, I began visiting stores in the area and even online resources to see what options are available to me.
I have a contemporary home with very clean lines that I wanted to continue. After visiting retailer and spending hours and hours (!) on Pinterest, I found a very simple style of tiles that fit my needs, design and budget perfectly. The tiles were a gorgeous marble with veins of color running through each tile. Elegant and modern. Just what I wanted. Or so I thought.
Following a conversation with my contractors, I realized that putting a glossy and potentially slippery stone tile on the stairs would be an accident waiting to happen. Once the tiles got wet from snow or rain from our shoes, they would inevitably be dangerous to walk on. The last thing I wanted to happen was to have anyone, including myself, fall as a result of the choice of marble tile on the stairs.
So, back to the drawing board on shopping for tile. Now though, I had an idea in my head that just needed the right material. Happily, I found a very creative solution that is really the reason for this post. I found marble stone tiles that would work on the landings and a matte version of the same tiles that would go on the stairs. And that is my no slip solution!
While I was a little nervous that the difference in tiles would be noticeable, I was thrilled with the finished project. I had accomplished exactly what I was looking to achieve.
Here are a few tips that I found very useful in my various remodeling efforts:
- Make friends with your home improvement store and their sales associates. I can’t begin to tell you how much I have learned from them along the way with all my projects. They are not just selling you products. If you are lucky, they will teach you how to do certain skills with the right tools so you don’t have to hire the work out every time.
- Four home improvement stores to explore.
- Pinterest and Instagram are great design resources. Confirming what you already know.
- Check your city for tile outlet stores. These are hidden places to find expensive tiles from high-end projects that are now significantly marked down. You will have to work with the boxes of tiles that they have left but it’s a good place to look around if you don’t need large numbers of tiles. In Chicago, we have the Tile Outlet Center.
I’m pleased with the results I have achieved with the tile installation. My home remodel list is less one line item, although new ideas are gradually being added with a focus on flooring, appliances and bathroom updates among other initiatives.
What lessons have you learned from remodeling your home? Please share them as well as your lessons learned on what not to do. Those are almost more valuable to us DIY contractors. Be creative. You will be very proud of your accomplishments. It’s your home after all!
Thanks for stopping by.
