How to select the perfect bathroom tile

October 25, 12:24 AMHome and Living ExaminerAndrea Campbell

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Glass mosaic tile is easy-to-install and popular for its glassy good looks.
Clipart.com

The language of tile is varied and confusing. Basically tile is made from clay or a clay composite and is fired for hardness and to obtain certain characteristics. The “bisque” is the body of the tile and its face is usually glazed and fired in a kiln for density and the aesthetics of color. These are known as ceramic or porcelain tiles. There are other types of tile: natural stone, marble and slate tiles, manmade laminate or vinyl floor tile, glass tile, and concrete tiles.

Things You’ll Need

• Familiarize yourself with the actual products themselves whether you visit a flooring studio, a home improvement store, or order online samples.
• Build what interior designers use to coordinate projects: a sample board, which is a collection of window coverings, fixture materials, and paint colors or wallpaper samples. Take it with you when you shop.
• Correct room size measurements and computations will help in ordering tile or seek out professional installation.

Considerations When Choosing Tile

Durability
Learn about the durability of the type of tile you are interested in. For example, ask about the water absorption properties, the strength in terms of breaking, chemical resistance, and resistance to cracking and impact. Find out how difficult it is to clean, and its resistance to marking. There are typically three tests: tile’s permeability to water set by The American National Standards Institute (ANSI); tile’s wear-and-tear rating and its suitability for traffic—called the PEI Scale; and the Mohs scale, which is a test to determine how easily the tile scratches.

Material Composite and Appearance
See examples to determine material differences. For example, glass tile will typically have a translucent appearance, while marble will be opaque with veins running through it. Pay attention to the surface prep as tiles can be glazed for a glassy finish, sealed, tumbled, polished, and be decorative, among other choices. There are also tiles now with metallic properties and are engineered copper, steel or bronze. Stone or natural tiles may be soft and need to be sealed to keep them clean such as soapstone, limestone or granite.

Style Preference
Figure out your style preference. Traditional bathrooms do well with traditional materials such as marble and ceramic tiles. If you have a particular period in mind, say, the 40s and 50s, that is referred to as “retro” and tile choices would have typically been pink or green—or black linoleum—and the size would be a standard 4 by 4-inch, subway tile, or hexagon mosaic tiles. They even had plastic tile.

Modern or contemporary tiles are natural materials and the stone tiles are popular; also glass subway-size tile or glass mosaics on a sheet are featured in mod settings. Look also at the extremely modern metallic tiles or mirror tiles with their stunning reflective qualities.

Colorways and Size
Choose tile and tile accessories by color and size after you have the durability, type, and style down. Ceramic and porcelain tiles come in any color you can imagine because of the fired finish and coatings. Natural stone tiles however, mimic the color of the block of stone they were mined from. So if you like green, then limestone is not your pick. Your chosen color will also influence what color linens you will buy.

Look at various sizes of tiles and you will see a very different look. Lots of small tiles such as in a mosaic can look busy and cozy, whereas large 12 by 12-inch tiles look modern and sleek. If you like plain tile but still want some definition, combine it with decorative edging tiles. They can look like rope, Greek key designs, flowers or simply smaller linear shapes and many others.

                          "Full-bodied tiles have the color and qualities all the way through it."

Cost Analysis
Consider the costs. Line up your choices and talk about installation costs, any decorative design costs, types of grout, and the final square footage pricing. Obviously a vinyl tile or a laminate tile—which has no grout and is installed tongue and groove style, will be much less expensive than a mined stone tile. Perhaps you can find a reasonably priced ceramic or porcelain tile that mimics a more expensive stone tile.

Tips
Full-bodied tiles have the color and qualities all the way through it.

Using the same color tile can be updated simply by having the tiles laid in a diagonal pattern.

Additional References
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-702-Home-and-Living-Examiner~y2009m9d30-Kate-Flaherty-talks-about-Luxe-Home-kitchen-and-bath-open-house

http://www.examiner.com/x-702-Home-and-Living-Examiner~y2009m3d20-Mandala-at-Oceanside-glass-tile

http://www.bathroomfloortile.org/marble_floor_tile.html

http://www.susanjablonmosaics.com/glass-tile/amazing-bathroom-tile-gallery.html
 
http://www.tileandstonetips.com/porcelain.html Good explanation on the difference between ceramic and porcelain tile

http://8rd.org/decoration/home-decoration/bathroom-tile-pictures-gallery.html