How to choose ceramic tiles

The wide range of ceramic tiles offered to the consumer turns the purchase of material into a complex task. To solve the problem, you will have to sort out the main selection criteria.

1

Varieties of ceramic tile

There are several types of tiles produced by different technologies:

• The dual firing tile "Maitolika" or "Terrala" has low strength, contains pores and is suitable for wall finish. The variety of "Cottofort" is used for the inner lining of floors and walls.
• The tile "monocotture" is burned once - more dense, and therefore durable, wear-resistant and suitable for sex coatings.
• The clinker is produced on the basis of high-quality components, the material does not absorb water and resistant to temperature differences.
• Porcelain stonewares are made of heavy grade clay with mineral additives that increase the hardness of the tile and resistance to aggressive substances.
• The tile "Cotto" serves for a long time and does not grieve. This matte tile for floors occurs a varied geometric shape.

2

Choose design

The color gamut of the purchased tile depends on the taste, but certain rules for decorating the room should be adhered to:

• The space of the bathroom is lighted with light shades, and dark tones narrow.
• The volumetric drawing looks impressively at a distance, so suitable for large bathrooms.
• The vertical composition on the wall of a narrow room "will raise" the height of the ceiling and make a well from the bathroom.
• The glossy coating perfectly reflects the light, but gives tiring eyesight glare.
• If you are tired of classic wall design (dark bottom / light top), experiment - position the vertical stripes of one color against the background of another tone.

3

Get acquainted with manufacturers

Ceramic products from Belarus and Russia makes it possible to make budget repairs, but neat seams may not work because of geometric deviations from the norms. Foreign tile is much more expensive, but better. And joint production in Russian enterprises offer decent options at reasonable value. For example, Polish Cersanit Tile or Italian Kerama Marazzi.

4

We read marking

Inscriptions and pictograms on the packaging can tell a lot about products:

• Human hand - this wall tile.
• The foot speaks of the purpose for the floor, and the hatching under it is about high resistance to abrasion.
• Snowflake - can be applied on the street.
• The symbol A or AA is a very stable tile to different influences.
• Symbols in and C - medium quality products.
• Symbol D - low grade tile.

Wear resistance class indicate numbers:

• 1 - Bedroom tile and bath.
• 2 - for living rooms and cabinets.
• 3 - in the kitchen and in the hallway.
• 4 and 5 - for public places.

The tile of one collection, but released at different times, can differ significantly on the shade. Therefore, it is better to take packing with the same numbers of parties.

5

We inspect the tile

The most reliable method for determining the quality of ceramics is a visual inspection. Smooth should be both the outer side and the "exhaust". Check this by attaching two tiles to each other. Quality products there are no depressions, bulges and bubbles, and the surface is covered with a relief pattern for better clutch with a solution. The quality of the glaze is checked against the light, when small defects become noticeable - cracks or matte specks. Try to view each packaging, because the tile is a rather fragile material, often damaged during transportation.

At home, the purchased ceramic tile should be checked on the water permeability: omit for all day into water, if the smallest cracks appeared on the surface - such a cladding will not last long.