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Ceramic Tile Application and Design Advice

Ceramic tiles are made from refined clay, pressed and fired at high temperatures. Some types are suitable for flooring and for cladding walls; fully vitrified tiles can be used for outdoors. Ceramic tiles score high for durability, ease of maintenance, water- and stain-resistance. Disadvantages include that they are generally cold, hard, heavy, and can be slippery underfoot, particularly when wet.

A distinct advantage of ceramic tile is the sheer variety of colors, textures, shapes and patterns, everything from solid colors to pictorial motifs, from high gloss to matt, from embossed to relief patterns. Dados, beadings and other forms of edge trim and mathching detail are also widely avalable. Modern tile designs range from crisp Op-art geometrics to hyper-realistic fruit, vegetables and other natural images taken from photographs transferred to tile.

Working with tiles entail thinking about scale. In general, smaller tiles look better in more confined surroundings; larger tiles suit bigger expanses. The same is true of tile patterns. Very intricate or complex designs often look lost in a big space, while large, open, repeat designs require plenty of room.

Ceramic Tile Flooring

Tiling suits areas of heavy traffic, such as hallways and corridors, as well as areas of the home where water- and stain-resistance is an asset, namely kitchens and bathrooms. The warm, earthy tones of terracotta-looking tile have a natural association with country settings; classic ceramic tiles have a cleaner and more contemporary appearance. Traditional tile patterns include the simple contrast of black-and-white chequeboard, the classical elegance of pale octagonals inset with small dark squares or diamond shapes, and plain tiled grounds inset with random glazed or encaustic feature tiles. In large areas, or at thresholds, more intricate designs, either geometric or pictorial, can provide a focal point or centerpiece. Borders accentuate areas of tiling and provide a neat finishing touch. In areas, that are irregularly shaped, borders look best inset from the perimeter rather than following the contours of the room.

Tiling requires a degree of skill and is probably best left to a professional, particularly if the tiles themselves represent something of an investment. Handmade tiles are usually uneven in thickness and require special care to install. Glazed tiles used as insets should be set lower than the main surface of the floor to protect the glazing from wear and abrasion. In the case of complex designs, dry-laying is recommended as a preliminary; this process can also help to minimize tile cutting and can accomodate irregular tiles by allowing for variation in the grouting joints.

Tiles are usually laid in either a mortar bed or are glued with proprietary adhesive and then grouted. The adhesive may be combined with an additive to promote flexibility; movement joints may also be advisable.

Mosaic floors represent the height of tiling art. Natural locations for mosaics include bathrooms and hallways - resticted areas where the sheer labour-intensiveness of the technique is not extremely expensive. Because each mosaic tile is so small, the grouting has much greater impact on both the appearance and the performance of the final surface. Grouting gives mosaic floor a "key" which reduces its slipperiness. Visually, the color of grouting can have an impact on the design. Matching light grouting with light-colored mosaic tiles, or dark with dark, makes the effect more seamless; contrasting grout, on the other hand, emphasizes the pieced nature of the effect and can be more graphic. A cement-based adhesive can be used either indoors or out.

The simpliest way of laying mosaic is to use sheets of mosaic that are pre-stuck to a backing and apply them in the same way as tiles. A variation of this method can be adopted to make mosaic pictures or patterns. It is done by sticking individual tiles face down on paper using water-soluble glue, grouting or slurrying the reverse of the tiles, and laying in place. Once the sections of mosaic are laid, the paper is wetted and peeled away before final grouting takes place.

Ceramic Tile Walls

Tiling an etire bathroom or shower creates a 'wet' room that does not need conventional enclosures or fittings since the water can drain directly to an outlet in the door. In theory, almost any wall surface can be tiled; in practice, where the surface is curved or contoured. only the tiniest mosaic tiles will produce a smooth finish. If you intend to part- or half-tile a room, arrange the tiling so that it aligns with an existing feature - such as the lower rdge of a window -to give coherence to the effect. Alternatively, you can finish the top edge of the tiling with a tiled moulding or border to suggest the effect of a dado.

Wall tiling can be tackled by an experienced amateur but if you are at all unconfident about your skills in this areathe job is best left to a professional decorator.

Tiling, because it relies on straight lines and edges, is particularly intolerant of any lack of precision. Uneven wall surfaces can cause complpications. Tiles will also need to be cut and shaped to fit round obstacles.

Tiling can be applied to most wall finishes, including paint, paper, plaser, plasterboard, brickwork and even existing tiles. It is important, however, to ensure surfaces are dry and even. Waterproof adhesive should be used in wet areas; heatproof adhesive where tiles will be subject to high temperatures, such as behind stoves and cookers. Combined grout and adhesive is available which allows both sticking and grouting to becarried out in a single operation, but better results are usually achieved with separate grouting applied once and tiles have set for 12 hours.

Tiling Worksurfaces

Tiles, especially if they are intesely colored, make a cheerful and attractive kitchen surface. A thicker grade of tile is required than those used for walls and the tiles ideally should be fully vitrified so that they withstand cracking and exposure to heat. But no tile is completely damage-proof and tiled worksurfaces are prone to chip.

Thick tiles are not easy to cut and a stronget adhesive may be needed, as well as an epoxy-based grout. A certain amount of planning, cutting and shaping will inevitably be required ti fit tiles around sinks, built-in hobs and other features.