Porcelain tiles are one of the most popular options for home flooring, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Deciding on porcelain tiles isn’t too hard, but there is a whole heap of further decisions to make even after you’ve made that initial pick. Though most people only want to think about the cosmetic concerns of style, colour, and size, you should also be thinking about whether you want a matt or a gloss surface.

For flooring, matt surfaces tend to work better, and here are just a few reasons why.

Matt Tiles Provide Superior Traction

Of all the reasons to use matt tiles for your flooring, superior traction is the most important. While gloss tiles are worked to a mirror sheen, matt tiles are left slightly rough. When you move your hand across a matt tile, you’ll notice that your hand doesn’t move as easily, while it will glide smoothly over a gloss surface. That makes gloss tiles problematic for flooring – their smooth surface provides minimal traction, making slips more likely. A matt tile provides a little grip, so you’ll enjoy superior peace of mind when it’s underfoot.

Matt Tiles Aren’t Too Reflective

People are often attracted to gloss tiles because of how well they reflect light. In fact, you may have read that using gloss tiles will bring more natural light into your home. That’s true, but gloss floor tiles can make things too bright, and they tend to reflect artificial rather than natural light since they are positioned right below your ceiling lights. If you want to bring more natural light into the kitchen, it’s best to keep the gloss tiles for your backsplash and use matt porcelain tiles for your flooring.

Matt Tiles Hide Imperfections

A gloss surface might look attractive at first, but it’s not going to stay that way for long. Smudges, scratches, stains, and other marks are going to show up easily on such a reflective surface, and floor tiles are almost impossible to keep free from imperfections since you need to walk back and forth on them all the time. Matt tiles disguise imperfections and everyday marks far more effectively.