If you want to improve the appearance of the house without any complication or drama, then you should consider installing DuraCeramic tile flooring.
The flooring is stylish and easy. You will enjoy having it in your property and you don’t have to break a sweat over it.
So, what’s the specialty of the flooring?
What makes it special and unique?
The General Glimpse
When you first look at the DuraCeramic tile flooring, you may be wondering whether it is a vinyl or a tile?
At first glance, you may struggle to determine it. As a faux-tile flooring, you basically have the combination of both tile and vinyl flooring.
Since it isn’t completely tile, it feels soft and warm underfoot. But the vinyl construction imitates the look of tiles, so when you have it at home, your floor will have the similar tile look.
Whereas tile flooring is generally a bit pricy, you won’t have to worry about this faux-tile flooring. Of course, such floor has its own strength and flaws.
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Appearance and Look DuraCeramic Tile Flooring
When we are talking about DuraCeramic tile flooring, we are talking about beautiful finish along with the solid construction.
The floor from this brand is premium in quality. It has impressive quality that sits between vinyl composition and ceramic tile.
With this floor, you can expect different kinds of look that imitates concrete, tiles, wood, and even stones everything is available in multiple sizes and also patterns.
The different sizes also make the installation process easier whether you choose the loose-lay or click-together constructions.
You can take a look at the collections, starting from the Origins consisting of 16 x 16 inches of size.
This is the first type of HPF groutable tile ever available out there. Within this collection alone, you can find a wide array of ceramic or natural stone look-alike tiles.
They have the beautiful gorgeous finish exuding the classic appeal. And then there is Dimensions collection with the 12 x 24 inches size in linear and rectangular design.
With this size and the arrangement, feel free to create interesting patterns of herringbone style, straight-lay layout, brick appearance, and ashlar form.
The patterns also include brushed concrete, stone, linen, and also wood-look. The collection also comes with unique and one-of-a-kind textured embossed design to complete the overall pattern look.
Another great thing about this flooring type is its flexibility. You can install the floor with or even without the grout.
If you want to enjoy the collections, you should perform an overall checking and research to know what possible layouts or designs to create.
Before the installation, you can even manage the layout and pattern, so your floor would look attractive and beautiful.
If you have more money, you are even free to hire a professional interior designer to help you with the work.
Construction and Durability DuraCeramic Tile Flooring
It is important to consider the quality of construction of the DuraCeramic tile flooring, especially if you want to have it in your house.
This flooring is made from polymer and limestone composites. And then you have High-Definition visual image that is printed on the top side of the floor, and then still protected by high-quality and durable wear layer from urethane.
Because of the wear layer, the tile becomes resistant to water, fade, stain, and scratch. One property that makes this floor different from the others is the water-resistant quality.
This is the reason why DuraCeramic floor can be placed in bathrooms, but it would be better not to be installed in areas with excessive moisture, like shower areas. You can’t even install the tiles as the shower walls.
But if you insist on installing the floor in wet sections, consider using grout to strengthen it.
Do you know that grouts can actually create a barrier (right on the joints) so water won’t be able to penetrate?
If you decide to install the floor in wet-sensitive areas without the grout, the risks are all yours.
Installing the floor without the grout is okay as long as you do it in areas that aren’t sensitive to moisture, water, or humidity.
Although the company does offer warranties for the floor, but it is only applied for product defects or delamination.
If you make errors during the installation or if you somehow damage the floor on your own, then the warranties won’t apply.
DuraCeramic vs Ceramic Floor
Keep in mind that DuraCeramic tile flooring is the faux-tile so it isn’t exactly a ceramic tile. DuraCeramic is basically an HPF (High-Performance Flooring), which is an engineered flooring with strong and premium quality.
When compared to ceramic floor, each of them has its own benefits and disadvantages. Whereas ceramic tile is rigid and solid, DuraCeramic is flexible and yet tough.
It means that DuraCeramic is able to contract and expand more flexibly when compared to ceramic tiles.
In fact, ceramic tiles won’t be able to do so at least without experiencing ledged or cracked.
Moreover, DuraCeramic is warm and more comfortable for your feet. A lot of people say that this floor is more forgiving and comfortable than the hard ceramic tile.
When you drop something on the ceramic tile, it will create crack or chip. But with DuraCeramic, you won’t have to worry about such a condition.
But then again, whereas ceramic tiles are completely waterproof, it’s not so much about the DuraCeramic.
You can install tiles in bathrooms, mudrooms, or even the basements you can even use the tiles as the shower wall or in the shower area. But you won’t be able to do so if you use DuraCeramic.
The Cost
In terms of quality, you need to understand the basic construction of DuraCeramic tile flooring. The floor is considered a premium flooring so the price matches the quality and construction.
In general, the tag price is set from $3 a square foot to $5 a square foot. It’s just the cost for the material, not including other expenses, such as grout and adhesive.
It would add around $45 a bucket to $75 per bucket to the installation cost.
If you choose floating floor installation, then you need the underfloor underlayment which can cost you about $80 per 100-square foot roll.
If you even look for Limited colors, you can go to popular retailers (like Lowe’s) and find them there.
But if you want to choose the extended options, feel free to find them at local stores or even online stores.
As if it weren’t enough, you should also remember the transitions and trims. For DuraCeramic tile flooring, you can choose one trim and expect it to does it all.
The floor comes with multi-trim functions that would be helpful for homeowners and installation.
And you should also remember about the installation whether you want to hire a skilled installer or you want to have a DIY project.
Naturally, when compared to other types of flooring, this faux-tile type is relatively cheaper.
You will have to think about the overall cost of the installation, from the material to the professional service.
You should seriously consider about whatever installation to choose (floating or glue-down) because such a thing requires extra preparation and also time.
Glue down floor requires more work and extra effort than the regular click-together flooring.
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The Pros and Cons
Naturally, there are definitely some great benefits that you can enjoy from the flooring although you should also be prepared by the downsides.
On the positive sides, the floor is warm and soft underfoot. It won’t tire out your feet when you have to stand for a long time.
The floor is water resistant and it is pretty solid and sturdy.
Another thing to like is the fact that it is easy to install making it perfect for DIY projects for eager homeowners.
There are still other things to like. The tile is easy to maintain, clean, and care.
There is no fussy implementation or whatsoever.
The designs and styles are coming in various models and variants. There are tons of different shapes, variants, and forms to choose. It would be easy to find those different styles in various retailers whether the local ones or the more popular ones.
However, be ready for the downsides too. When it comes to price tags, the tiles are basically similar to the mid-grade (ceramic) tiles, which make it quite a challenge and a struggle for homeowners with limited budgets.
Not to mention that the floor isn’t exactly 100% ceramic which means that it isn’t as waterproof as expected.
In overly wet areas, such as bathrooms, the floor may not be the perfect option. It is possible that your floor won’t match the (shower) walls.
But in the overall aspect, the floor can be a perfect option for you if you don’t mind the downsides.
If you don’t want to deal with the fuss of subfloor for the support, or you don’t want a completely real ceramic tile, this one would be the perfect fit.
Moreover, DuraCeramic tile flooring would be perfect if you want a warm flooring without installing radiant heating system or whatsoever.
