Tiles

The seemingly endless combination of colors, styles, and materials make tiles a popular choice for both floors and walls. Tiles can be used in any room or area of your home, although they are most commonly used in kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and conservatories.

Brighton from British Ceramic Tile

The amount of traffic in a room, or its use, can have an impact on the type of floor or wall tile that you select. Rooms are generally identified as having low, medium, or high traffic, but you must always consider your particular circumstances and lifestyle. One way to determine if the tile you are considering is appropriate is to find out the tile's PEI rating. The Porcelain Enamel Institute rates tiles based on how well they stand up to wear and tear, with 1 being the least durable (low traffic) and 5 being extremely durable (high Traffic).

Quattro

Which tile should I choose?

Ceramic tiles are the most popular choice in homes today. They hold up well in most areas and come in a vast range of colors, sizes, and styles.
Porcelain tiles are ceramic tiles with a water absorption rate of less than 0.5 percent and are used to cover floors and walls. They can either be unglazed or glazed.
Glass tiles have become more popular in recent years and as such are now available in a huge range of sizes, colours, finishes and designs.
Mosaic tiles are often used for shower floors. Their small size means that the floor will be broken up by more grout, which reduces the slip factor. They are also commonly used in swimming pools, changing rooms, wetrooms or as features.
Quarry tiles are made from shale, clay or earth, resulting in an unglazed tile with color throughout. Quarry tiles are used for both floors and walls and are normally used indoors, usually in utility rooms or communual areas.

Ceramic Tiles Porcelain Tiles

Quarry Tiles Mosaic Tiles

And which natural stone should I choose?

Slate is a durable, fine grained metamorphic rock split and sawn to form tiles.
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate with consolidations of shells and sealife fossilisation.
Travertine is a honeycomb structured calcerous rock deposited from natural mineral springs.
Quartz is a dense metamorphic crystaline rock.
Teracotta is a clay, baked and fired in traditional kilns.
Marble is limestone in a metamorphic crystalline state.
Granite is a hard, tough, igneous rock, medium to coarse grained and consists of a number of minerals, including feldspar.
Cobbles are small individual stones of worn reclaimed appearance usually used in courtyards and driveways.
Sandstone is a sedimentary granular rock of compressed sand which is often fossilised.

Slate Limestone Travertine

Teracotta Marble Sandstone

Wall tiles cannot be used for floors, as they are typically thinner, slipperier, and less durable but floor tiles can be used on walls. All natural stone, however, can be used in both locations. Tiles of any shape, size or material can be used on walls.

UNDERFLOOR HEATING

Heating mats are made from a self-adhesive mesh scrim with a heating cable attached. The mat design enables fast installation and an even heat distribution across the whole floor area.

Mats are 500mm wide and come complete with a 3m cold tail connection. They are available in a wide range of lengths, from 1 to 24m, and two power output densities.

Heating mats can be installed on top of either suspended timber floors, or solid concrete floors, enabling installation in all room types. Ideal floor coverings for use with this system include ceramic, stone, slate, porcelain, marble, limestone, travertine and terracotta.

All electically heated floors must be controlled by a thermostat connected to a floor temperature probe. By directly measuring the floor temperature, the thermostat ensures that the floor tempertaure remains constant and can not rise beyond the specified limit.

Underfloor Heating Cable

Underfloor heating is also available in a loose format, ideal for those smaller installations or for rooms with an irregular layout and as an in-screed system designed for a new build situation.

CLEANING, SEALING and MAINTENANCE

There are several factors that are involved in the cleaning, sealing and maintenance of tiles and stone. The type of tile and the type of deposits of soiling that you need to remove will determine the type of materials you can use for cleaning your tiles. Ceramic tiles, for instance, are unaffected by the majority of chemicals, whereas stone on the other hand can become damaged with the use of acidic cleaners.

There is no need for you to seal glazed floor and wall tiles or quality unpolished porcelain tiles. The kind of tile sealer and the amount of sealer needed will vary and will depend on the product's absorbency.

Regular cleaning with the correct product is the answer to prolonging the life or any floor or wall finish. You must choose cleaning and maintenance products that are compatible with any sealers used previously as some branded products, such as Flash, will clean the surface but will also strip the sealer over time.

BACKER AND INSULATION BOARD

The 1500mm x 900mm cement board is specifically designed for floors and countertops. Being only 6 mm thick it ensures minimal additional build-up to the floor, maintaining ceiling heights and making a smoother transition from other rooms. It features the exclusive EZ Grid® recessed fastener pattern to make installation even simpler.

At 12 mm thick, the 1200mm x 800mm cement board is the ideal choice for wet area walls. Its smooth surface may be tiled, textured or wallpapered. However, if additional height is required the 12mm cement board may also be used for floor or worktop applications.

Its unique formulation provides a strong bond to all ceramic or natural stone tiles allowing you to explore the opportunities provided by thicker materials previously considered too heavy for application onto tile backing boards. This cement board will carry applied weights of up to 45kg/m².

ADHESIVES, GROUTS AND LEVELLERS

Wall and floor tiles need a special adhesive, and at the Pentagon Design Studio in Bagot Road we stock a range of products to suit every situation.

For wall tiles you can select a ready mixed non-slip wall tile adhesive, or a waterproof version for shower cubicles, bathroom splashbacks and wet areas. For floor tiles, you are best to use a cement based powder floor tile adhesive. Where underfloor heating is present, or you are installing a natural stone, you must ensure that you use a flexible adhesive. If you need access to the area quickly then the rapid set is a must.

The type of grout used is also important and will depend on whether you are grouting a wall, floor, wetroom of flexible area. There are many colours available nowadays so think carefully about this as the colour can really determine the final look.

If you need to level the floor before tiling, the levelling products are available to go onto both concrete and timber surfaces and can also be used where underfloor heating is present.

TOOLS, TRIMS AND ACCESSORIES

Good quality tools, cutters, trowels and floats make any tiling job a hundred times easier and the finish a hundred times better. So when buying tools, consider manufacturers that you recognise and take advice from those who know.

Trims add to the finish, particularly when the tiles being used do not have glazed edges. So whilst there are still an array of standard trims available in may colours, why not consider aluminium or straight edge?

Tile Cutter Tile Trim Tile Trowel

So whether you are renovating an existing room or building a new one, pop down to the Pentagon Design Studio in Bagot Road, contact us or call us on 01534 888000.