Ceramic Tile Patterns

Posted By admin on May 3, 2010

Glazed Ceramic Tile Floor

How to choose your kitchen or bathroom DIY ceramic tiles

Planning and upgrading your bathroom or kitchen is not always an easy task. You are full of enthusiasm but are faced with lots of choices. The choice of ceramic tiles is bewildering. Usually colour, design and budget are the key factors affecting your choice. However I would add a further factor ‘technical performance'. Remember all tiles labeled as ‘ceramic' are not the same. Indeed some natural mineral tiles such as slate or marble sometimes use the same terminology.

 To most people tiles are tiles – aren't they? Well no! You need to know there are at least 2 categories of ceramic tile; floor tiles and wall tiles. What makes them different is ‘technical performance'. They are both usually made of ceramic, they can both be glazed with a shiny surface and both can be highly coloured with designs. However they do not have the same technical performance in use!

Wall tiles

Wall tiles are usually porous (on the back) and have a highly glossy glaze finish on the face. This allows them to be hygienic, cleanable, and not absorb moisture on the face when exposed to wet conditions in bathrooms and kitchens. However in manufacture they are normally fired in a fast fire kiln in less than one hour. This means they have limited strength, abrasion and slip resistance.

 Floor tiles

In contrast floor tiles are fired to a higher temperature usually with a special glaze coating. This gives a much increased strength, abrasion and slip resistance. Clearly this gives advantages when used under foot where stronger tiles are less likely to crack, scratch or wear out as well as resist slipping. Indeed a number of standards need to be met for tiles to be considered suitable for floor tile use. So choose wisely for your location. Floor tiles for floors, and wall tiles for walls!

 Colour and finish

A second consideration is tile finish and colour. Although this is generally down to individual taste, for best slip performance floor tiles have a dull gloss or matt texture. Wall tiles can have a much wider range of textures and gloss but a smoother finish is usually more easily cleaned than a textured finish. Please be aware that although most tiles supplied in a box set are matching in design and colour they are not identical!

 Quality

Probably the most important aspect of tiles is the quality of manufacture. This is not easy to assess. It means how strong are they? How long will they last? How flat are they (tiles warp during manufacture)? How easy are they to install?

 Although most tiles supplied by reputable suppliers are manufactured to European standard BSEN14411 or American ASTM standard equivalents, it is not readily apparent by how much they exceed these standards. In Europe the CE Mark is a sign of quality adopted by tile manufacturers. Established brands like Marazzi or Porcelanosa are constantly pushing the boundaries to produce consistent products which exceed expectation in terms of quality, design and performance.

 Summary

In summary, take a little time to choose the right type of tile for your job. Look for the CE marks or the BS standards on the packaging as a sign of meeting a quality standard. Use quality branded products if possible as often they give better performance in use and have been designed for ease of installation.

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Hand Painted Mexican Talavera Ceramic Tile - 4x4 Universe Sale Price: $1.85   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product Description The Universe talavera tile can be a perfect complement to decorate a bathroom shower wall, a kitchen backsplash, a fireplace, a stairway, or any other project you have in mind. Each of our Mexican talavera tile is unique and handcrafted. The hand made nature gives it a warm and rustic finish. The tiles are made from clay dug out of the ground and fired to a temperature at which the clay undergoes chemical changes and becomes permanently hard. Then the tile is glazed and decorated by hand, and fired once again to give it its final and lively finish. Its physical characteristics make Mexican tiles particularly attractive and distinctive. Characteristics of Mexican Talavera Tile: 1) All sizes are nominal. Due to the handcrafted nature heir ACTUAL SIZE is approximately 4 1/8 x 4 1/8 in. 2) Handcrafted talavera tiles are not perfectly square. 3) The height and length of a tile may not be the same. 4) Measurements within a tile may vary by as much as 1/8 in. 5) All of our standard Mexican tiles have a 1/4 in. thickness. 6) The tiles are slippery when wet if used as floors. 7) Industry standard recommends to add on 5-10% additional to the tile needed to account for waste, special cuts, or other unforeseen problems. This is particularly important in complex installations. 8) Lot variation in size and color may be present. 9) There is no guarantee that tiles ordered as add-ons will match those from the original orders. This is an inherent characteristic in all ceramic tiles, and particularly in all handcrafted tiles. 10) Talavera tiles are NOT frost proof. SUITABLE TILE USAGE FOR MEXICAN TALAVERA TILE: All residential and commercial wall applications, bathroom walls, light-use countertop, showers, back splashes, fireplaces, counters, and light-use flooring; as accents flooring, or as a border to define an area. Pool chemicals may negatively impact glazes. Not slip resistant. Outdoor use is subject to climate. Features All our talavera tiles have a red body bisque. Color variation within individual tiles. Crazing effect may be appear before or after installation. Variations in thickness, flatness, size, colors, design, and squareness. Characterized as unique, irregular, functional, and expressive. Our talavera tiles have a 1/4 in. thickness.

Mexican Talavera Ceramic Tile - 4x4 Terra Cotta Lace Sale Price: $1.85   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product Description The Terra Cotta Lace talavera tile can be a perfect complement to decorate a bathroom shower wall, a kitchen backsplash, a fireplace, a stairway, or any other project you have in mind. Each of our Mexican talavera tile is unique and handcrafted. The hand made nature gives it a warm and rustic finish. The tiles are made from clay dug out of the ground and fired to a temperature at which the clay undergoes chemical changes and becomes permanently hard. Then the tile is glazed and decorated by hand, and fired once again to give it its final and lively finish. Its physical characteristics make Mexican tiles particularly attractive and distinctive. Characteristics of Mexican Talavera Tile: 1) All sizes are nominal. Due to the handcrafted nature heir ACTUAL SIZE is approximately 4 1/8 x 4 1/8 in. 2) Handcrafted talavera tiles are not perfectly square. 3) The height and length of a tile may not be the same. 4) Measurements within a tile may vary by as much as 1/8 in. 5) All of our standard Mexican tiles have a 1/4 in. thickness. 6) The tiles are slippery when wet if used as floors. 7) Industry standard recommends to add on 5-10% additional to the tile needed to account for waste, special cuts, or other unforeseen problems. This is particularly important in complex installations. 8) Lot variation in size and color may be present. 9) There is no guarantee that tiles ordered as add-ons will match those from the original orders. This is an inherent characteristic in all ceramic tiles, and particularly in all handcrafted tiles. 10) Talavera tiles are NOT frost proof. SUITABLE TILE USAGE FOR MEXICAN TALAVERA TILE: All residential and commercial wall applications, bathroom walls, light-use countertop, showers, back splashes, fireplaces, counters, and light-use flooring; as accents flooring, or as a border to define an area. Pool chemicals may negatively impact glazes. Not slip resistant. Outdoor use is subject to climate. Features All our talavera tiles have a red body bisque. Color variation within individual tiles. Crazing effect may be appear before or after installation. Variations in thickness, flatness, size, colors, design, and squareness. Characterized as unique, irregular, functional, and expressive. Our talavera tiles have a 1/4 in. thickness.

Mediterranean Asphahan Ceramic Tile 8x8 Sale Price: $16.50   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product Description 8x8 Inch Square Tile.-All tiles are handmade -100% ceramic -Frost Proof: Guaranteed life under sweet water, salty water. -Good for outdoors: handle well sun, rain, heat, cold.Please allow 1 to 2 weeks delivery time for larger orders. Please contact us for express shipping, extra fees will be applied. Features Handmade in Morocco. Painted ceramic glazed tile.

Mexican Tile - Set of NINE 4x4 Terra Cotta Talavera Tiles Sale Price: $8.55   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product Description Talavera tile can be a perfect complement to decorate a bathroom shower wall, a kitchen backsplash, a fireplace, a stairway, or any other project you have in mind. Each of our Mexican talavera tile is unique and handcrafted. The hand made nature gives it a warm and rustic finish. The tiles are made from clay dug out of the ground and fired to a temperature at which the clay undergoes chemical changes and becomes permanently hard. Then the tile is glazed and decorated by hand, and fired once again to give it its final and lively finish. Its physical characteristics make Mexican tiles particularly attractive and distinctive. Characteristics of Mexican Talavera Tile: 1) All sizes are nominal. Due to the handcrafted nature heir ACTUAL SIZE is approximately 4 1/8 x 4 1/8 in. 2) Handcrafted talavera tiles are not perfectly square. 3) The height and length of a tile may not be the same. 4) Measurements within a tile may vary by as much as 1/8 in. 5) All of our standard Mexican tiles have a 1/4 in. thickness. 6) The tiles are slippery when wet if used as floors. 7) Industry standard recommends to add on 5-10% additional to the tile needed to account for waste, special cuts, or other unforeseen problems. This is particularly important in complex installations. 8) Lot variation in size and color may be present. 9) There is no guarantee that tiles ordered as add-ons will match those from the original orders. This is an inherent characteristic in all ceramic tiles, and particularly in all handcrafted tiles. 10) Talavera tiles are NOT frost proof. SUITABLE TILE USAGE FOR MEXICAN TALAVERA TILE: All residential and commercial wall applications, bathroom walls, light-use countertop, showers, back splashes, fireplaces, counters, and light-use flooring; as accents flooring, or as a border to define an area. Pool chemicals may negatively impact glazes. Not slip resistant. Outdoor use is subject to climate. Features Includes nine (9) 4x4 inch tiles Color variation within individual tiles. Crazing effect may be appear before or after installation. Variations in thickness, flatness, size, colors, design, and squareness. Characterized as unique, irregular, functional, and expressive. Our talavera tiles have a 1/4 in. thickness. All our talavera tiles have a red body bisque.

Categories: ceramic tile patterns
Tags: bathroom, color, flooring, tile