How to choose a tile for a bathroom?

When it comes to repairing the bathroom, the vast majority of apartment owners choose tile as the main finishing material. It is comfortable, hygienic and in most cases beautiful. In construction stores, you will certainly be offered many options for such finishes - your eyes run wide. The article will discuss how to choose a tile for the bathroom.

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Types of Tiles

Turning over the catalog in search of a solution which tile to choose in the bathroom, you can easily see that there are a lot of types of this material. You will meet some strange names. For example, such:

• bicotura;
• monocottura;
• clinker;
• porcelain tile.

Different technologies are used for the manufacture of tiles, which is why different quality is due.

Bikotura and monocottura

The prefixes “bi” or “mono” indicate the number of firing. Monocottura was burned once, bicotture - two. These species have many advantages:

• resistant to detergents, including abrasive and aggressive;
• strength;
• moisture resistance.

At the same time, the monocottura is stronger, it can be laid both on the walls and on the floor, while the place of the bicotura is only on the walls.

Important! Glaze reduces the strength of monocottour tiles.

Clinker

Clinker tiles are stronger than other types of ceramics, which usually finish the room. For its manufacture, special technology is used, which allows to increase strength. Unfortunately, the choice of clinker tiles in stores is still small, which significantly reduces the design possibilities.

Porcelain Tiles

This material is intended primarily for flooring. It is characterized by increased strength. Porcelain stoneware does not wear out, but scratches do not appear on it. The assortment is not very large - such tiles are designed mainly for granite or marble.

Important! What is especially valuable for the bathroom - porcelain stoneware does not slip.

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Tiles from other materials

Ceramics are not always used for lining bathrooms. Other types of tiles are also on sale:

• glass;
• mirror;
• polymer;
• stone.

Glass and mirrors

Great materials to create a very original interior. If they are handled carefully, they can serve for a very long time. Glass and mirror tiles are easy to keep clean, although you should not use abrasive materials for cleaning in either case.

Important! The biggest drawback of these materials is the extreme instability to shock loads. It is best to decorate walls or ceilings with such tiles; it is completely unsuitable for the floor.

Polymer

Great cheap and eye catching stuff. The PVC tile is smaller than the ceramic one, but you can change the interior of your bathroom at least every month. Tired of one finish - you can quickly remove it and put another, good, in the store you will be offered an incredible amount of colors and shades.

Stone

Magnificent old material, which to this day has not lost its relevance. Serve such coverage will be centuries. The only thing that stops the owners of apartments is a very high price. But here you really have to choose what you prefer.You can pay a lot once and expect that the decoration, even with your great-grandchildren, will look as if it was done yesterday. But if you like changes more, choose something simpler and cheaper. Ceramics - the golden mean, the optimal combination of price and quality.

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How do they do it?

Before choosing a tile for a bathroom, try to answer the question of what exactly you want from the finish. This will help you understand which ceramic tile production method is best suited to your goals. Tile manufacturers use the following technologies:

• casting;
• extrusion;
• compacting.

Casting

A tile made in this way is not very suitable for a bathroom. He has serious flaws:

• the surface is uneven;
• dirt accumulates in the pores, which is difficult to remove;
• it’s very difficult to fight germs and mold.

Moreover, the tile is quite thick and durable, so that in other rooms it can be used.

Extruding

Perhaps the most popular technology. Most of the types of ceramics that you see in the store are made that way. This material has a lot of advantages:

• flat surface without pores;
• smoothness;
• flawless angles;
• uniform thickness over the entire area.

The pore-free surface allows you to quickly and easily wash the coating. The same thickness, as well as almost perfect right angles, greatly facilitates the repair.

Important! The disadvantages include the excessive smoothness of some varieties - it is easy to slip on such a coating, so you need to choose very carefully.

Pressing

This technology allows you to get a very durable ceramic, which is not afraid of any mechanical stress. In addition, the pressed plates have a very even coating, practically without pores. Use this tile mainly for the floor, but you can choose a suitable look for the walls.

Important! Tiles can be of five strength classes, which are indicated by the letters PEI and Roman numerals from I to V. The larger the number, the higher the class.

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Where to get the information?

Everything you need to know about the tiles, you will find on the packaging. This is a graphic code that includes many elements:

• snowflake;
• hand on a dark background;
• leg on a dark background;
• flask;
• crystal;
• letters of the latin alphabet;
• reeds of flame with a number inside.

Important! Having seen a snowflake on the packaging, you can be sure that the product tolerates low temperatures well. For the bathroom, this is not particularly important, but knowing about this property will not hurt.

Hands, feet, flasks, crystals

By these symbols you will find out what surfaces the tile is intended for, how you can handle it:

• If the hand is drawn on the package - the tile is intended for walls, if the foot is for the floor.
• When you see the flask, feel free to wash your tile even with “Mole”, even with sulfuric acid - nothing will happen to it. Of course, it is not worth using such substances to clean surfaces, but there are quite often situations when something like this spills on the floor or splashes on the walls.
• By the crystal, you will learn about hardness, and the letters AA, AB, AC, and so on until the end of the Latin alphabet, indicate moisture resistance. The best class is AA, and the farther from the first letter of the alphabet, the worse the tile refers to moisture.
• You can find out about the number of firing by the flames on the marking - there is a number inside.

Skid coefficient

If you have not decided how to choose a tile in a bathroom, pay special attention to this option. Falls in the bathroom are very common, and sometimes they result in serious injuries.

Important! On the marking you will see a shoe on an inclined board and a number from 1 to 4. The larger the number, the higher the coefficient.

Attrition rate

This quality is indicated by a gear. According to this indicator, tiles are divided into five classes:

• 1 - the softest, suitable only for walls in apartments;
• 2-4 - for walls and floors in residential premises with low traffic;
• 5 - flooring in industrial buildings.

Important! A floor covering of 2 hardness classes is sufficient for a bath.

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What do you want from her?

The best tile for the bathroom is one that meets the maximum requirements of the owners. Therefore, before starting repairs it is useful to determine the selection criteria. Bathroom tile should have some qualities:

• resistance to detergents, including abrasive and aggressive;
• resistance to temperature extremes and steam;
• low moisture permeability;
• high quality glaze;
• solid color.

If you choose a floor covering, it should have other qualities:

• abrasion resistance;
• bending resistance.

Surface types

Which tile is better for the bathroom - glossy or matte? It depends on several reasons:

• household preferences;
• room style.

Important! The matte surface is suitable for lovers of the classics. Coverage looks simple but noble. Glossy gives the interior a solemnity and sophistication, good for modern styles like Hi-tech or Minimalism.

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The size

The size of the elements greatly affects the perception of the interior as a whole. The larger the tile, the smaller the bathroom will appear. Therefore:

• large tiles are best used in spacious apartments with large bathrooms;
• in a small apartment and tiles should be small.

Most popular sizes:

• 30x60 cm - for very spacious bathrooms and kitchens, as well as for narrow and long rooms, if you need to visually reduce the length;
• 45x45 cm - for medium and spacious rooms;
• 20x30 cm - for small bathrooms.

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How to use it?

How many bathrooms - so many options for their design. And if you are looking for the answer to the question, high-quality bathroom tiles - which is better, think about how you are going to glue it. There are enough options:

• the walls and floor are fully tiled;
• on one of the walls is a mosaic;
• tiled borders and an apron, the rest is finished with other materials;
• contrasting stripes are laid out on the walls;
• mirror elements are included in the surface, or part of the wall is lined with mirror tiles.

And this is not a complete list of options.

Important! Even if the walls and floor are fully tiled, this does not mean at all that they are absolutely homogeneous. You can make them contrasting or in tone, use tiles of the same color, but of different sizes, play with elements of different shapes.

Stacked panel

A very popular element of the decor of the bathroom is a picture with a seascape, fish, sea animals. It can be whole or consist of several elements. Many manufacturers produce kits that include panels and tiles for the rest of the walls.

Mosaic

For such a composition, small tiles are used, from which bizarre patterns are made. It can be either one color or different. A very effective option - the walls shimmer, the space seems larger. The most important thing is to choose the right lighting.

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Manufacturers

Tiles are made by almost all companies involved in the supply of building materials. The selection of tiles in the bathroom is influenced not so much by the brand as the country where this material is made:

• The best tile is from Italy. True, it is quite expensive.
• A reasonable combination of price and quality - Russian firms and enterprises of the former Soviet republics. They produce material with quite acceptable technical characteristics and are interesting in color and shape, but the price is much lower than goods from leading European manufacturers.

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Talk about shades

What color tiles to choose in the bathroom? It is difficult to answer this question unequivocally - the variety of colors is so great that it is incredibly difficult to stop the choice on just one thing. When buying, you need to consider several circumstances:

• Light walls and floors visually enlarge the room.
• Dark walls reduce space.
• The floor should always be slightly darker than the walls - this provides psychological comfort to households.

The most popular colors for walls in a hygiene room:

• beige;
• cream;
• blue;
• aquamarine;
• lilac;
• Gray;
• light brown.

In a large bathroom, you can afford unexpected options;

• dark grey;
• silver;
• chocolate;
• the black;
• Orange;
• Violet;
• combination of black and gold;
• cherry.

Important! The bathroom should not be motley - it is best to use 2-3 colors.

Why is tile so important?

The interior design of the bathroom, as a rule, begins with the choice of tiles. Already they are picking up plumbing, furniture, and accessories. Therefore, pre-estimate whether you can choose a bathtub or shower cabin that is suitable in color and style to the tile you like.

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What else to consider?

Tiles of different thicknesses are glued to the floor and walls:

• For the floor, the best option is 9-12 mm.
• The wall covering may have a thickness of 6-9 mm.

Important! It is better if it will be the products of the same company. Using tiles from different manufacturers, pay attention to whether the thickness and size match.

Be sure to check to see if the content matches what is written on the package. Of course, it makes no sense to experiment with hardness and bending resistance, but you can compare the color, as well as calculate the quantity.

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Choose grout

The interior depends not only on the coating itself, but also on what it is glued to, that is, in this case, on the grout. In stores you will find three types of this material:

• cement;
• furan;
• epoxy.

Cement grout is a dry mixture, it is used if it is necessary to fill the joints with a thickness of not more than 2 cm. Furan is made from furan resin, in residential premises it is usually not used. The most popular option for apartments is a two-component epoxy grout, which is more expensive than cement, but also gives a higher quality of the seam.

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How many tiles do you need?

Dealing with the look, quality and color is not all. It is necessary to calculate the quantity - so that it is enough for the entire surface, and not overpay. It should be noted that part of the material will go to waste, because it is very rare for anyone to finish the walls the first time - and not to break a single element.

Therefore:

1. Calculate the area to be finished.
2. Measure the perimeter of the floor and multiply it by the height of the walls.
3. Take away the area of ​​openings.
4. To determine the floor area, simply multiply the length and width.
5. Add another 10-15% to both areas.
6. Determine the area of ​​one tile by multiplying the length and width.
7. Divide the area of ​​the walls by the area of ​​the tile - you get the amount.
8. If the division result is fractional, round it up.
9. In the same way, calculate the number of tiles needed for gluing the floor.

It is possible to simplify the task with calculating the required number of tiles for the bathroom by using a special calculator .

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Stock footage

In this article, we gave you a lot of valuable tips so that you can quickly, easily choose a tile for a bathroom, turning this procedure into a fascinating creative process. But do not forget about the technical side, so that the final quality of the finish matches your expectations.