Choosing Wall and Floor Tiles for Florida’s Humid Climate
Porcelain and ceramic tiles are perfect for Florida’s weather – cool, durable, and easy to maintain.
The tiling work, like the painting work, seems to drag on indefinitely. Here, too, German diversity comes into play in our construction work, because the American does it best “all in one”. Our floors and bathrooms, on the other hand, are creatively planned and deliberately different.
You can read about how we decided on which materials in the color session. We deliberately wanted to have different floor coverings to match the room colors, wallpaper and functions of the rooms. In total, we used five different floor tiles in three different materials: travertine, decor and cork, as well as two wall tiles in marble and decor.
Weeks of tiling are hard on the nerves
Our superbuilder didn’t just look at the money when choosing a tiler, but also dared to experiment. The craftsman from Bulgaria came to the construction site to ask for work. He was hired without further ado. Together with an assistant, he spent weeks laying our tiles. You got the impression that he hadn’t done it that often before. Apart from a few minor details, we were satisfied with his work.
Natural stone travertine as floor tiles in the living area
Travertine for the living room
Large stone slabs laid quickly
Looks great
The decorative tiles in the kitchen set them off visually from the travertine in the Great Room.
We laid travertine in the living area and hallway – sanded to a silky matt finish and filled. Travertine is a natural stone – more precisely, a porous freshwater limestone that is precipitated from mineral-rich springs and rivers. Famous deposits are located near Tivoli/Rome (“Travertino Romano”), in Denizli/Turkey, as well as in Iran, Mexico and in the USA, including Texas. Depending on the origin, the color palette ranges from ivory/beige to noce/walnut to silver/gold, with cloudy or banded patterns.
Travertine is very popular in Florida because the stone is natural and timeless and remains pleasantly cool underfoot. In its large formats, it is very easy to clean. Each stone is unique – this makes large surfaces lively without appearing restless and enhances the interior.
Incidentally, travertine is not porcelain stoneware, but a genuine natural stone with character – visually warm, durable and suitable for the Florida climate. The natural stone pattern perfectly matches the light from our six sliding doors and looks spacious thanks to the continuous installation.
Incidentally, we also had travertine laid around the pool and terrace , but in smaller sizes. We wouldn’t choose the same tiles again because they do become uneven after a while.
Wall and floor tiles in bathroom & kitchen
The narrow joints later emphasize the wood look.
Wood-effect tiles in the bedrooms
Floor tiles guest bathroom
Wall tiles guest bathroom
Floor tiles master bathroom
Shower tiles
Bidet installation
Bathroom cabinets and washbasins
Finished master bath
Finished guest bathroom
In kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, we use wood-effect decorative tiles in various shades. They look warm, but are so robust. The joints are kept very small so that the floor looks even more like a wooden floor.
The bathrooms follow the usual concept in Florida: walk-in shower with level access and frameless glass partition. We will deal with the drama surrounding the German toilets in a separate article. The high window in the guest bathroom and master bathroom with two additional windows brings daylight into the room.
In the master bathroom, we opted for marble tiles for the wall tiling. This is where the tiler’s amateurishness was particularly evident. First of all, he didn’t take care to evenly distribute the tiles with very differently nuanced color tones. We had completely dark areas vice versa, so my husband had to laboriously knock some of them out again and replace them. The good man also didn’t remove the grout haze, which caused me days of scrubbing long after we moved in.
The large-format decorative panels in the guest bathroom extend out from the shower and give the room a hotel feel; in the shower itself, the smaller pattern on the floor ensures a good stand. The washbasins in both bathrooms echo the look in our kitchen: wide vanity units with granite tops, undermount basins and an almost wall-width mirror that adds light and depth. A powerful, outward-facing fan keeps moisture and mirror fittings under control.
Cork flooring for offices
Comfortable cork flooring in the offices
The first Ikea carcasses are assembled.
We love cork. It is the most pleasant floor covering for living spaces from our point of view. However, as it is not advisable to lay cork or wooden floors in Florida due to the high humidity and we didn’t want to do without it completely, we only chose cork for the offices. This at least benefits the use of office chairs.
