In the process of finishing a bathroom, ceramic floor tiles are most often chosen, which have an excellent appearance and high parameters. On the market, bathroom floor tiles are available in numerous colors, textures and sizes, so the best option is chosen for each room. Bathroom floor tiles are an ideal choice, as they create a hygienic, easy-to-clean, durable and long-lasting coating. Modern manufacturers offer unique textures, so you can choose wood-look floor tiles or parquet-look floor tiles. In this case, an unusual and bright style is formed in the room. Rubber floor tiles are also an interesting choice. When choosing a material, it is worth considering many factors: from type to size and color, as well as the style in which you plan to decorate the bathroom.
How to choose the right bathroom flooring
To make the right choice when buying tiles, you need to pay attention to a number of important parameters:
- Hardness. This parameter is measured on a Mohs scale of 1 to 10; the higher the number, the harder the material. The floor covering must correspond to an indicator of at least 7 points.
- Wear resistance. This parameter is measured on a five-point PEI scale. For flooring, it is better to use tiles with a III PEI index.
- Moisture absorption. Here, less is more. Optimally – no more than 4%.
- Slip level. The slip resistance index must exceed 9 points.
- Heat resistance and resistance to cleaning agents.
- Hygiene. If the material meets this characteristic, then it is not afraid of accumulations of microbes and bacteria. However, regular maintenance and cleaning is still required. Treating the seams with a high-quality mixture protects the bathtub from the appearance of fungus.
Tiles must be taken with a margin of 5–7% of the total quantity - approximately this amount of material is spent on cutting
Choice of colors and designs
The most practical solution will always be flooring in a light color scheme. On such a floor, traces of dried water drops and stains are not visible. If a dark floor needs to be thoroughly washed, then a light floor can simply be wiped and cleaned with cleaning products once a week.
For a small bathroom it is better to choose a light flooring
On dark-colored tiles, various marks, splashes and drops of water are always very visible. If you do not have the desire and ability to clean every day, then it is better not to purchase such material. Although it looks quite stylish and original.
The color and design of floor tiles are selected depending on the style of the bathroom.
The same goes for glossy black tiles, which are so popular among lovers of elegant solutions. Stains on such a coating will appear literally from every “splash”. And every time after taking a bath or shower you will need to wash the floors.
An interesting design solution would be to combine matte and glossy tiles. It is better to lay the matte one where splashes of water fall, and the glossy one - in more remote places
The bathroom floor, decorated with wood tiles, looks original
If you still really want to use dark colors in the design of the bathroom, then you can put dark tiles where water does not get in, and put light tiles in the area of the bath, shower, and washbasin. This way you can make an original and practical color scheme.
Green tiles will make your bathroom interior luxurious and cheerful.
Yellow color gives warmth and comfort, goes well with white walls
Purple tiles are suitable for a large bathroom
Shades of blue represent purity, freshness and pleasant coolness.
Red tiles look harmonious when paired with white, which reduces the negative impact of aggressive red color
Color spectrum
The color scheme of the product can serve as decoration for ceramic tiles. The times when white, beige and blue were considered the only possible colors for decorating a bathroom are irrevocably gone; now manufacturers offer a huge assortment of all kinds of shades, patterns and designs. However, you need to be careful when choosing the color scheme of the tiles:
- To decorate spacious rooms, you can use tiles of any shade, including dark and rich tones, which visually make the space cramped and gloomy. If the size of the bathroom is large enough, the designer has great opportunities for decoration, since it does not provide for any restrictions. To decorate large bathrooms, you can use panels, mosaics, textured tiles and a large amount of decor without fear of overloading it.
- To decorate small bathrooms, it is not recommended to use tiles of dark and bright colors, as they make the room visually cramped, squat and dark. If all of these have to use saturated shades, then they must be diluted with light ones, and also do not forget about bright lighting. For small bathrooms, tiles in calm, pastel shades, plain with a glossy surface, without a lot of decor, are still more suitable.
Experienced designers believe that when “playing on contrasts,” that is, combining dark and light shades in one interior, it is easy to make a mistake, making the room even narrower and cramped. The current trend in bathroom decoration is the combined use of tiles that imitate wood or stone, with light beige or other natural shades.
Sizes and shapes
The choice of bathroom floor tiles in shape is very diverse and unlimited. On sale you can find not only square or rectangular options, but also products in the form of honeycombs, puzzles, wavy elements and all kinds of polygons.
Pebble flooring is an excellent solution for a bathroom in an ethnic or marine style
There is an opinion that non-standard shaped tiles significantly complicate the installation process. However, today this is not at all the case. If you abandon such stereotypes, you can create a truly unusual and original design using non-standard forms.
The flooring in a spacious room can be laid out in the form of a carpet
A very impressive coating comes out when using the patchwork technique, when a combination of tiles with different patterns is laid on the floor.
Kaleidoscope - a colorful option with a chaotic arrangement of color spots
Checkerboard styling looks good both in the traditional black and white palette and in multi-colored variations
Texture imitation
Nowadays, not just smooth matte tiles for floors and walls are becoming very popular, but ones that imitate, for example, wood, waves, a brick wall, mosaic, and other interesting textures. Let's look at the features of this tile.
It should be noted that all natural imitations look believable and flawless on a matte surface. Basic stylizations:
- sand;
- clay gray or brown surface;
- tree;
- linen;
- natural untreated stone.
There may be other imitations, it all depends on the desires of the buyer and the style in which the bathroom is decorated. This is an ideal solution for rustic, ethnic, country interiors.
A bathroom in which the tiles are brown, gray, beige - “stone-like” - should be of decent size. A small room lined with stone will look like a dungeon or a basement.
Characteristics and types of floor tiles
There are several types of tiles:
- ceramic;
- stone;
- glass;
- metal.
Let's look at the features of each type.
Ceramic (tile) is a very popular look and is suitable for any room. It is strong and durable, resistant to moisture, temperature changes, and also does not limit the apartment owners in the choice of color and design.
Ceramic tiles have high wear resistance and attractive appearance
There are different types of such tiles:
- clinker;
- Cotto;
- Cottoforte;
- earthenware
Stone tiles are not at all picky to clean and are very durable. It also has several subspecies:
- marble;
- granite;
- sandstone;
- from slate.
Stone coating can be a good option for finishing a bathroom floor in a country house
Glass bathroom floor tiles look very elegant. It is expensive, but the quality matches the price. The tiles are very safe, since a special production technology reduces the chances of slipping on such tiles to zero. For lovers of original solutions, the Austrian manufacturer offers glass options with constantly changing patterns inside. This creates a floating effect that looks very impressive.
Glass tiles are highly resistant to moisture and are easy to clean. A significant disadvantage of glass coating is low resistance to strong mechanical stress.
Metal tiles are very durable and are perfect for use in home decoration. Can be combined with tiles.
A floor made of metal is rightly considered the most durable, but also the most expensive.
Manufacturing materials
Bathroom tiles vary in materials used:
- Ceramic . A plastic mixture of clay with the addition of binding elements is poured into molds or squeezed out under a press. After the firing process, the tile acquires the necessary strength, resistance to mechanical damage, and a beautiful appearance.
Ceramic tile
- Rubber is made from a mass of recycled car tires. The elements are joined together by grooves. The rubber version is characterized by high wear resistance, a variety of designs and colors. This is a quick way to level a rough surface.
Rubber
- Quartz vinyl is an especially durable, plastic material that combines the properties of ceramics and linoleum.
The strength of the material can only be truly appreciated if it is installed correctly.
The multilayer structure provides high strength and thermal stability of the quartz vinyl material. This coating absorbs extraneous sounds when walking.
Quartz vinyl
Marking
Floor tiles for the bathroom should be selected depending on the specifics of the room and the compliance of the characteristics of the tile with these features. The characteristics of a product can be “read” from the markings on the packaging, but not everyone knows how they are deciphered.
The symbols on the packaging will tell you about the quality of the tile, its scope of application and operating features.
- The sole on a black background indicates that this material is suitable for floors, but not for walls or ceilings.
- The snowflake indicates the frost resistance of the material.
- If the sole is shown on a shaded background, then these are products with an increased level of durability and can be used even where many people regularly pass by.
- The color of the marking indicates the type of product. Red color is a first-class product, blue or green color is a low-grade product.
Video instruction
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Quality of floor tiles
Defects can be found even among the most famous and reliable manufacturers. However, it is precisely such companies that will never pass off a defective product as good. If the batch turned out to be not as high quality as it should have been, it is also sold, but with a special mark. Such a product is marked as a second category product and sold at a low price. The second category means that the batch's products have noticeable flaws.
“Raznokaliber” – different thickness of seams when laying
“Raznotone” – different shades of tiles in one box
“Cobweb” – appears 1–2 years after installation
Whether to buy such a product or not is a personal matter for everyone. However, a manufacturer that does not hide the imperfections of its products can be trusted.
A good product should have a smooth front side, without cracks or smudges. The base of high-quality tiles will be a natural clay color.
Classification by size
Usually the tiles on the bathroom floor are larger than those on the walls. The most popular sizes are 30*30 or 35*35. The largest size is no more than 60*60 cm.
Standard sizes of floor tiles
As a rule, a square shape is chosen for bathroom flooring, and rectangular products are purchased for decoration.
Minuses
To complete the picture, it is necessary to dwell on the shortcomings of the material.
First, it will be very difficult, sometimes almost impossible, to remove strong contaminants from the surface.
Matte porcelain tiles are absolutely not suitable for some popular interior styles. So, if you are planning to decorate a bathroom in a pompous Baroque or Rococo style, then a matte shade will not work - such “palace” interiors require chic, shine, and gloss. But such a surface looks inimitable in modern interiors.
When decorating your bathroom with a matte finish, with or without a pattern, be sure to consider good additional lighting for the room. This material is not reflective, which can make the bathroom feel gloomy.
