How to select a ceramic tile?

The first thing you need to do when it comes to choosing between ceramic tiles, is to ask many questions; among them, the most important is “What kind of ceramic tile meets our requirements?” In order to answer this question, one should consider the following details:

• In which room do we want to install the tiles?
• Do we need tiles for the walls, the floor, or for both?
• What kind of feelings do we want the visual side of tiles to produce?

As for now, we will provide you with information on the characteristics which needs to be taken into account to achieve best results when installing ceramic tiles:

Area of the room

You will come across ceramic tiles in different sizes - from small, to medium, and large. Light-coloured tiles in a small room will make the space appear larger. If you have a large room, then you have greater choice; in such case, you can choose from light-, as well as dark-coloured tiles.

When making a choice, ensure that you incur minimal expenditures (unused or cut tiles) from installing the tiles. It is recommended that you use large-sized tiles for reception, dining, or bedrooms. Large tiles generate fewer joining lines and this creates a sense of spaciousness.

Floor and wall tiles

Floor tiles are produced with a harder enamel and with other more solid materials so as to make the product durable against movement and unexpected drops of objects on it. Using floor tiles on the wall makes the space appear tighter. It should also be noted that wall tiles cannot be used on the floor; this is because, compared to wall tiles, floor tiles are made from more solid materials for the purposes outlined above. There are universal ceramic tiles as well, which can be used on walls, as well as on the floor.

Colour

When choosing the colour of ceramic tiles, you need to consider the feelings and impressions you want the room to impart. Do you want to create a more peaceful and calmer atmosphere, or more distinctive and X? It may be better to introduce calmer tones of colour in the bathroom, so you can select colours which suit each other well. On the other hand, you can generate a livelier environment in the kitchen by using contrasting colours.

Gloss or matte finish

• Glossy tiles are characterised with mirror-like shine, which reflects light particularly well. This gives the house a greater brilliance and spacious appearance. In contrast to gloss finish, matte surface is very durable against slips, and thus reduces the risk of falling in humid areas. For highest protection, it is recommended that you choose tiles with COF (Coefficient Of Friction) of more than 0.42-0.60.
• There are half-matte and half-glossy ceramic tiles for those individuals who are not attracted to tiles with completely matte or gloss finish. They are not slippery and it can be said that they create a golden mean between matte and glossy ones.

The grout

After selecting a ceramic tile, it is time to think about the grout. Grout is a mixture used in construction, the purpose of which is to fill in the voids between individual tiles. In terms of interior design, good news is that, you are presented with a wide range of grout colours. Coloured grout can add variety to white tiles, create a unified appearance, and imitate the exact shade of a coloured tile. For generating a contrast, it is a good idea to use white grout on dark tiles. It is important to know that there is a single-component and a two-component grout. Although both can be of high-quality, the advantage of the two-component one is that it can retain initial colour for longer and it is very unlikely to fall out if the construction works had been done appropriately.