PROPERTY owners are increasingly choosing tiles to decorate their home or office, according to retailers in Yangon.

Daw Kyawt Kay Thi Linn, assistant manager of INAX under TMW Enterprise Limited, says there are two tile options: ceramic and aluminium.

She said one new option was the ECOCARAT cera-mic tile, which has proved popular with pet owners in particular because the tiles absorb unpleasant odours and control condensation. While this kind of product doesn’t come cheap at K4 million for ten square feet, Daw Kyawt Kay Thi Linn said affluent home owners are increasingly making quality, rather than price, their top priority when choosing materials for their home.

“The standard of living among some people is getting higher and higher by the day. People want to use good quality materials and show their wealth, maybe as a status symbol.”

U Saw Kyaw Linn , managing director of KING METAL Trading Company, said: “Customers are dema-nding modern style designs which makes convenience, easy to use, durable and natural look design such as decorating wall with tiles.”

He said many customers want to design their home in a Japanese traditional style, with cool colours like grey and white. Japanese-made tiles cost about K10 million for ten square feet, he said.

Chinese-made aluminium tiles are a much cheaper opt-ion and cost K3000 to K4500 per square foot, which includes labour charges.

“They’re very easy to ins-tall and finish and come in a variety of colours and des-igns that match different wall types,” he said.