How to choose a bathroom tile

Ceramic tile - a recognized leader among facing materials for bathrooms. The advantages of the tiled decoration are obvious - it differs from their "competitors" with high ecology and fire safety, resistance to moisture and significant temperature differences, practicality and durability. In addition, a wide price range and a huge range of ceramics allow you to implement both traditional budget and designer costly repair.

Depending on the production method, ceramic products are divided into such types:

the glazed tile of double firing is characterized by low strength qualities and high porosity, so suitable exclusively for wall decoration;
tile of one-time firing is characterized by high wear resistance, so it is most often used as an outdoor coating;
clinker (high-strength facing material with low porosity) is suitable for finishing various horizontal and vertical surfaces;
porcelain stoneware (type of ceramic tile) due to its superproof structure is usually used to decorate the walls and finishes.

Choosing a tile for the bathroom, carefully examine the information on the packaging sticker. To designate operational characteristics, manufacturers of facing materials use special pictograms. As a rule, all the characters intuitively understand:

outdoor tile is denoted by the silhouette of the foot, and the wall - palm;
the icon of the flask with a margin AA indicates a high degree of ceramics stability to the effects of chemicals (and to alkaline detergents including);
the pictogram with Roman numbers is used to designate such an indicator as abrasion resistance (for the bathroom, choose a tile of the I-III class of strength);
the anti-slip indicator (the level of roughness of the tile) is conventionally indicated by the boot icon and the accompanying numbers.

Special attention deserves the color of pictograms on the packaging label. According to international standards, the entire tile is classified by varieties. So, the first grade of ceramics is indicated by the labeling of red, the second - blue, the third is green. The highest quality is the most qualitative products - in each batch of facing material, the share of defective tile does not exceed 5%.

Usually, the tile is made in the form of rectangles or squares of various sizes and thickness. The size of the material is important both with aesthetic and from the practical side - even after processing with special grouts and protective means, intercutric seams begin to absorb moisture and change color. That is why, of several suitable samples, it is advisable to choose a larger tile so that the facing canvas has a smaller amount of tuting seams. At select tile For the bathroom, consider that the optimal thickness of the wall products is at least 6-10 mm, and the outdoor is about 10-12 mm.

Before buying, visually inspect several tiles of a closed sample. High-quality tile should not have divorce, spots, convexities and other visible defects on the front surface. The side faces of the tile must be smooth, smooth, without cracks, chips and jar. The rear surface of good ceramics is distinguished not only by integrity, but also relief - it is necessary for a solid and long-term adhesion of facing material with a working base. Fold the two tiles to face - between them there should be no clearance and gaps.

When choosing a color ceramic tile Focus on the bathroom dimensions, as well as the colors of furniture and plumbing. A light tile or mosaic of pastel shades is ideal for facing the walls of a small room, the tiles of bright and saturated tones is better to use as decor or for floor laying. In a spacious bathroom, you can safely combine ceramics 2-3 different colors. Consider that dark tiles require careful and frequent cleaning - the dust, dried droplets and soap divorces are very noticeable on such a surface.