Tile for a modern bathroom

If you have to repairs as important for the whole family as a bathroom, then you have a lot of difficult decisions and dilemmas ahead. It will be necessary to determine the style of the room, choose finishing materials for all surfaces (protecting walls, ceilings and floors from high humidity - the main task), make a decision on the models of sanitary ware and accessories for it. But in this publication we will focus on the method of decorating the planes of a bathroom using ceramic, glass or stone tiles.

For many years, tile has been one of the most popular finishing materials for bathrooms, especially among our compatriots. And there are many reasons. Tiles, glass, stone and its artificial counterpart have a lot of advantages, which significantly outweigh the minor disadvantages.

Currently, the range of tiles for lining the surfaces of bathrooms is incredibly wide. Whatever material the tile is made of, it has the following advantages over other finishing materials:

• moisture resistance. Perhaps not one of the materials that are widely used for cladding the planes of rooms for water procedures does not have such a high level of resistance to high humidity;
• strength and durability. Ceramic and glass tiles will last a long time if the installation was carried out correctly and during operation the bathroom owners did not use aggressive cleaning methods and mechanical influences. Stone tiles can serve faithfully for more than one generation of your family, but you need to be prepared for the fact that you may need polishing (for example, marble is polished once every 3-4 years);
• practicality. It is very simple to look after a tile, it is not afraid of influence of chemical cleaners;
• the tile practically does not fade, its appearance remains in its original state for a long time, the color and pattern do not fade or wear out;
• a wide selection of sizes, shapes, textures and a huge color palette;
• universality of application. The tile easily fits into any stylistic direction that you can choose for the bathroom.

Among the shortcomings can be noted a little:

• complexity of installation. If you do not have experience as a tiler, then you will certainly have to contact a professional for the competent and correct, aesthetically attractive installation of tiles. Such services are not cheap, but the cost of finances, time and energy spent is offset by the beautiful appearance of your bathroom, the durability and practicality of the finish;
• if you were talking about ceramic tiles and mosaics, their cost varies in the average range of costs for bathroom lining, glass and especially stone (even made of artificial material) castings will cost significantly more, installation services will increase in price in proportion to the cost of the material;
• the presence of connecting seams (joints). The smaller the tile size, the more there will be seams that need to be treated with a moisture-resistant grout. Over time, the color of the grout changes, it darkens, possibly the appearance of mold, so timely care and prevention of the formation of fungus are extremely necessary. But this problem is quite easily solved with the help of modern antiseptic agents for bathrooms.

The most popular type of cladding (especially in our country) is ceramic tile or tile. Possessing all the advantages of tiles, ceramics, among other things, is also very affordable. The choice of shapes, sizes and colors of ceramic tiles is incredibly large.You can be absolutely sure that the range of modern stores selling ceramic tiles is able to satisfy the needs of customers with different wallets sizes, color and stylistic preferences.

Curly tiles in bright colors are great for facing accent walls, if the rest of the bathroom surface is made in light, neutral colors, then the effect will be amazing.

A brick-colored cotto is obtained from red clay and most often does not use glaze. Natural colors, usually within the terracotta color scheme, bring a note of originality and originality to the interior of the bathroom. Especially European designers liked the cotto tile for its natural color and warmth. If you are planning a retro-style bathroom interior, then it is difficult to come up with this type of tile.

Clinker tiles are mainly used for lining pools, outdoor showers. The extrusion, due to which clinker is made, allows to obtain products of complex geometric shape. Therefore, manufacturers often offer entire sets for facing complex surfaces of corners, niches and openings for cranes and other attributes for water procedures.

By placing the tile vertically, you achieve a visual increase in the height of your room for water treatments. With a horizontal arrangement, the bathroom area visually increases.

Possessing all the positive qualities of ceramic tiles, the mosaic can, among other things, serve as a finishing material for complex surfaces. For example, you can mosaic a bathtub or a sink, finish a niche or arch, and trim a mirror or countertop.

The tile, which has all the advantages of ceramics, is reinforced in terms of wear resistance and durability. Porcelain tile is able to withstand high loads, falling heavy objects and mechanical stress. As a rule, it is available as floor tiles with a rough surface to prevent slipping, but there are models for wall cladding.

In the production of porcelain stoneware, raw materials are used, which in their composition are close to those used for the production of porcelain, but outwardly such products look more like stone. Porcelain tile has the lowest water absorption among its ceramic counterparts. It is included in the highest group in terms of resistance to abrasion and aggressive media.

The classic unglazed porcelain tile has a granular structure to the entire depth of the tile, like that of natural stone, but unlike the latter, it is deprived of unwanted inclusions and pores. The result is a structure not prone to cracking. Due to its greater density and uniformity than natural stone, porcelain stoneware surpasses it in some technological characteristics, in particular in resistance to temperature extremes.

Glazed porcelain stoneware also has a fairly high technical performance, but thanks to the glaze, with which you can get various colors of the surface, it has a wide range of color palettes and print capabilities.

Recently, “under the laminate” tile has become popular, large dies with a pattern that imitates a particular type of wood, in natural or whitened form.

The glass-tiled bathroom has an attractive and unique appearance, noble and elegant. But be prepared for the fact that the glass finish adds some chill to the bathroom. As a rule, such a finish is made in the form of colored glass, but there are also options with photo printing. In the end, manufacturers are able to carry out any of your whims for the appropriate reward.

Glass tiles can be both smooth and textured. The textured material is a little more difficult to care for, but the visual effect outweighs the minor inconveniences.

Marble or granite, less often basalt, can serve as a material for the manufacture of tiles. In view of the very high cost of natural material (especially marble), manufacturers of modern bathroom tiles offer a wide selection of artificial imitation of natural material. Outwardly, it is quite difficult to distinguish between a natural and artificial product, but the differences will be in technological properties.

Artificial stone over natural has one significant advantage (in addition to cost) - it is much easier and easier to mount.

After you have decided on the type of tile that you will be facing the surface, you will need to choose the size of the dice. Everything will depend on the area, shape and complexity of the geometry of the surfaces of the room in which the decoration will take place. If the selected material successfully fits into the dimensions and design features of the bathroom, then there will be significantly less waste, and therefore financial costs. In addition, a correctly selected tile size reduces the number of seams and small inserts.

Recently, the use of large-sized tiles has become increasingly popular, which is not surprising, because the larger the size of the dies, the fewer joints and faster installation. Very often, for facing walls or their parts, designers and homeowners began to use porcelain stoneware, which previously served only as a floor covering.

But not for any bathroom a large tile size is suitable. If the surfaces of your treatment room have bends, columns, arches or niches, then small tiles or mosaics are more suitable for cladding.

For the original interior of the bathroom and significant budget savings, you can use different types of tiles, combining them not only in accordance with the color palette, but also more suitable for each surface with the size of the dice of the finishing material.

One of the most difficult choices, due to the incredibly wide range of finishing materials in modern stores, is the selection of colors. In this case, it all depends on your personal preferences and the size of your room for water treatments. It's no secret that light colors contribute to the visual expansion of space (and for many bathrooms in standard apartments this question is more than relevant). If the tile of your choice is small, again designers recommend staying on a light palette. But there are no canons and prohibitions.

Many of our compatriots are afraid to perform the bathroom lining in white and even snow-white tones, fearing an increase in the time that will have to be spent on cleaning and cleaning surfaces. In practice, it turns out that the main obstacle to the brilliance and cleanliness of the tiled cladding is a light coating that remains from water droplets. And on a light, white tile, it is almost invisible, which can not be said about the dark shades of the finishing material.

For lovers of bright colors, manufacturers of ceramic tiles and mosaics offer a wide selection of rich, colorful colors. But deciding to take a desperate step on the bathroom lining in your favorite scarlet color, for example, stop and imagine that in this red room you will need to take a bath for many years (after all, such repairs are done, which is called for centuries). You may be limited to only one bright wall, made as an accent. Or you can use your favorite bright shade as a fringing pattern, highlighting certain significant segments of the bathroom. You can emphasize the fringing of the mirror with a colorful lining, emphasize the shape of the bath or sink or lay out a decorative panel on the wall.

Ceramic tiles with a pattern or ornament should also be approached carefully.Facing all the walls of the bathroom with the help of colorful print tiles can lead not only to a visual decrease in the area of ​​the bathroom, but also to a psychologically uncomfortable stay in it. Again, it is recommended to use a bright, colorful pattern as accents, metered and local.

Performing an oriental-style panel as an accent wall will not only bring color diversity to the interior of the bathroom, but will also make it more personalized, unique.

A touch of Mediterranean style will help your bathroom to add a border with tiles with a bright blue ornament, a panel on the wall or a picture on the floor, laid out using tiles with intricate ornaments.