Tile flooring works everywhere - from your bathroom to your living room, depending on the type of tile you choose. Whether you go for a fancy ceramic tile or a plain Jane vinyl covering, all tile flooring comes with a host of benefits. Two of tile's top benefits are its durability and versatility. Unlike wood or carpet, tile is generally difficult scratch, scorch, stain or downright ruin.

Tile is also at the top of the list when it comes to maintenance. A few swipes with a damp mop or cloth often clean the flooring. Raleigh is rife with tile retailers for your flooring; Durham is equally well-stocked. Your choices include specialty flooring stores or even stores that specialize specifically in tile flooring. Raleigh and Durham also have myriad home improvement and department stores that might also be able to meet your tile needs.

Different types of tiles achieve different goals. If you are going for aesthetics, ceramic tiles come in a number of different colors, sizes, cuts and styles to add major pizazz to your flooring. Raleigh also offers a few stone and other decorative tile places. Tile meant mainly for function rather than frills is less costly than ceramic and can include different materials, such as vinyl flooring. Durham has several stores that offer laminate tile flooring, which happily stands up to heavy use and abuse. Other options include faux wood tile, which is more durable than real wood since it is neither as soft nor porous, slate tile flooring, porcelain tile flooring and cork tile flooring. Raleigh retailers that specialize in sports flooring could tell you the exercise benefits of a cork tile floor, which absorbs impact and adds a cushioning beneath your feet, especially if you include padding beneath the flooring. Durham has contractors that work with disaster repair that also offer cork tile flooring.

Other general tile benefits include the ease of installation. Tile is ideal for the do-it-yourself maven that wants to install his own flooring. Dunham and Raleigh both offer full installation services if you'd rather hand over the reins - and tile glue - to a professional. Some tiles don't even need glue. Self-sticking tiles only require you peel off the back backing and stick them in place.

Tile repairs are also fairly simple, as long as you have replacement tile on hand. Simply scrape around and pull up the old tile, level off any remaining glue and put in the new piece of flooring. Raleigh and Durham retailers might not always have the replacement tiles you need if you return years later, so make sure to stock up on extra tiles when you do the initial installation of your tile flooring.

Raleigh and Durham shops are often stocked with professionals who can help guide you in your tile flooring decision, whether it's opting for the cheapest, longest-lasting tile you can get or splurging on an intricate tile floor mosaic to grace your home's large foyer. You don't have to go far from home to get the tile flooring that best suits your needs.