How to Choose Your Entryway Ceramic
Really thinking it through when designing your entryway is like having a wardrobe cleaned by Marie Kondo: it makes your everyday so much easier. Because let’s be honest… there’s nothing worse than having nowhere to sit when taking off your winter boots or no spot to hang your coat. But we’ve got you! We gathered our best tips to help you design your mudroom and choose your entryway ceramic.
Durability and Easy Maintenance
Ceramic is the perfect material for this type of transition room. Not only is it affordable, but it’s also available in a wide range of styles and designs, in addition to being durable and easy to clean—two major properties required for a mudroom floor. Let’s go over that.
Opt for High Resistance
An entryway floor must withstand snow and gravel in winter, muddy feet in fall and spring, as well as all the back-and-forth throughout the year, thus making ceramic the best flooring option with its high resistance to wear and tear, impact, scratches, and water. Ideal for a mudroom!
However, make sure to choose the right ceramic. Did you know that there was an indicator for the level of abrasion resistance of a tile? It’s called the PEI (acronym for Porcelain Enamel Institute). This helps identify which tiles suit which application.
On a scale of 1 to 5:
- PEI 1 & 2 are for residential wall applications only (low wear resistance): best for backsplashes, showers, etc.
- PEI 3 is for low-to-normal traffic rooms: entryways & mudrooms, hallways, kitchens, patios, terrasses, etc.
- PEI 4 is for high-traffic rooms: hotels, stores, commercial kitchens, common bathroom facilities, etc.
- PEI 5 is for extreme-traffic rooms with heavy exposition to abrasive residues: shopping malls, train station halls, industrial premises, etc.
To find the best products for your application, seek for advice in store.
More tips:
- Make sure to have good thermal insulation (👋 say hi to big savings on your electricity bill) and soundproofing (say goodbye to your chatty neighbours!).
Double check the area’s resistance to leaking.
Pick A Non-Slip Option
There is also an indicator for tiles’ adherence properties: the R value. It measures the level of anti-slip resistance, from R9 to R13. The higher the number, the less slippery the tile is.
Our experts in store will know how to guide you in your selection.
Prefer Easy-to-Clean Tiles
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Choose your tiles and grout colour according to the room. For an entryway, you should go for ceramic shades that don’t show dirt and stains, such as:
- Ceramic tiles with colour variations,
- Patterned tiles,
- Various shades of beige and grey (avoid pure white).
This way, you won’t spend your time cleaning spots and dust. If you love deeper hues, we recommend avoiding pure black. A mat finish is also a better option.
As for grout! Also avoid pure white and black. We would recommend using epoxy grout for easier cleaning and higher resistance.
Design and Functionality
More than any other room, the entryway must be welcoming and functional. When you think about it, this is the first room you and your guests will see when coming into your home. So here are our favourite tips to help you create that ambiance.
Design a Sleek Entry
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Before anything, honour the style of your house by harmonizing the colours between your mudroom and every other room.
To do so:
Follow the 3-colour rule, here but also in the rest of your house.
Opt for a tonal design to create a décor that lasts; this leads to better consistency and makes the room look bigger. You simply need to choose one main colour, then two shades of this same colour. You can also play with textures, finishes or handmade details, for example.
Don’t hesitate to go bold. The entryway is a place where people come and go—they don’t stick to this room. You can choose a main shade—which can be vibrant and colourful—and then tone it down with two more neutral shades—you better go for colours you already have in your home. You can also play with tile patterns, shapes, and layout, while ensuring every element in your décor remains in harmony.
Give the way to your creativity with your tiles pattern layout: create visual effects and elevate the looks with a contrasting grout colour.
Finally, if you live in an apartment or condo, create a visual boundary between the indoor and the outdoor by using the entryway floor as a transition area. You could use a different type of flooring, either for the entire mudroom or only a small portion of it.
Have fun trying our ceramics directly into your home décor with our Room Visualizer.
Don’t Forget the Practicality
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If there is one room where space organization is essential, it’s the entryway.
We highly recommend maximizing your storage space to easily find a place for your shoes, coats, bags, and any other seasonal accessory.
Plus, don’t forget: a place to sit when putting on your shoes, proper lighting, and a mirror.
If you live in a house or have a cottage, a bigger mudroom can be a game changer to store all your outdoor and sports gear.
Installing a floor heating system is also recommended. It efficiently keeps the room dry, in addition to increasing your comfort level. Plus, a floor heating system remains affordable if the room isn’t too big.
So, how would you feel about making your everyday life easier simply by transforming your entryway into a space where aesthetic and functionality meet? For more inspiration and all our blog articles, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter.
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