Requires no introduction as every home uses this material as finishing to clad their walls or floors because these are not hard to find.
Application
Basically its general application that is common to most of us are the "floors", "walls" and sometimes an alternative to kitchen/laundry countertop and is readily available in the market.
Can also be applied in pools, garage and other outdoor areas not only for indoors, making it a versatile material.
Sizes
Tiles comes with different sizes from a 20x20, 30x30, 40x40 and so on, and keeps on adding up sizes as new innovations are done not only on size, but includes tile composition which makes it more less porous and would absorb less water improving its durability that makes it more easier to maintain.
for Safety
Regardless of age (young or old) you should always consider "safety" not only for home users but for incoming guest as well, choose tiles that have textures and less slippery as possible for your flooring and let those glazed and slippery tiles placed on walls.
Though, tiles can still be slippery when wet somehow added textures would still help to lessen slippage.
Economical
Best to use bigger tiles because it require low maintenance due to less tile grouts in between joints which are more prone to accumulation of dirt or stains, plus it can cover more area which saves you from cost of labor vs smaller sized tiles.
Product Specification:
To be able to get the right tiles that you need whether porcelain, ceramic or natural stone tiles always check from specs provided from suppliers.
Make sure if it is the right size and check the floor area it can cover per box so you can easily estimate the number of boxes to be ordered.
Sample specification:
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| image from wilcon.com.ph |
Sample above contains 4pcs per box with a tile size of 23cm x 120cm (0.23m x 1.20m) which has an area of 0.276sqm per piece, that is why you can see from specs that 4pcs can cover up to 1.104sqm (4pcs x 0.276sqm).
Any floor area that needs to be tiled, just simply divide the floor area with the given specs of 1.104sqm to get the number of box, just add 1-2boxes as excess or extra if needed.
Say you have a floor area of 12sqm, then you'll need at least 11boxes of 23cm x 120cm plus your extra box for contingency purposes.
Different sizes comes with different floor areas, and number of pcs per box, the bigger the size the lesser quantity of pcs in a box and the smaller the size the more pcs in a box.
Type of Tiles
a. Ceramic Tiles made of clay with glazing on top as coating which is less cheaper compared to porcelain, but with technology new improvements were done to make ceramic more durable than previous ceramic a decade ago.
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| image from floorcenter.com |
b. Porcelain Tiles made of special clay and cooked at higher temperature than ceramic, makes it more less porous hence less water absorption, suitable for areas exposed to extreme weather or damp environment.
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| image from eurotiles.ph |
c. Vinyl Tiles unlike from ceramic/porcelain tiles, it is made out of pvc with polymers plus protective layers, though even it may be water resistant, it is a flexible material and softer than other tiles which may be prone to damage when placed under areas with heavy furniture.
Best to check from supplier and ask them if the upgraded vinyl flooring can be alternative on areas with heavy traffic or have higher impact resistance than the ordinary vinyl tiles.
With this new innovation of vinyl with its floating installation method thanks to its interlocking system which makes installation more easier without the need for glue.
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| image from langeflooringcenter.com |
d. Natural Stone Tiles if you wish for a more high end or premium finish for your walls and floors then these tiles are best choice for you but comes with extra cost compared to synthetic or engineered tiles.
Natural stones to mention a few:
- Marble
- Slate
- Travertine
- Quartzite
- Granite
- Limestone
- Sandstone
Natural Stone tiles (granite)
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| image from msisurfaces.com |
Overall, these tiles won't be much problem when you accidentally spilled some water as you can clean it up right away and won't warp, unlike flooring made of solid wood that includes those so called laminated or engineered wood which can swell or warp if water gets into its core.
Adhesive
Just note of the adhesive to be used for specific tiles depending on what is best recommended per tile manufacturer or supplier, as tile adhesive for ceramic will differ if you use vinyl tiles.
Check out adhesives for vinyl such as APO Powerbond, ABC Multibond, Stikwel Vinyl, Dunlop Vinyl adhesive etc.
Disclaimer: This is not a paid promotion of any brands mentioned in this post but for sample reference only to get some idea.
