Tiles for the Bathroom
The bathroom is a particularly special part of the home. Small and fairly standardized in its offerings, the bathroom is also one of the only spaces in the homes where tiling is the mode of personalization. When it comes to tiling, there is much more to consider than color and placement.
Tiles come in several different forms, including mosaic, ceramic, porcelain, and stone. Each type of tiling comes with its own properties.
Mosaic tiling is uniform square tiles that are arranged by color to create a specific pattern or look. Mosaic tiling provides an artistic, often colorful, unique look to the bathroom space. However, artistic is the key word with mosaic tiling. This is not the type of tiling that the average homeowner can install successfully independently. By and large, a professional will be required to install mosaic tiling so that it looks beautiful in the bathroom.
Ceramic bathroom tiles are often used for bathroom flooring and are extremely durable, versatile, and fairly affordable. Ceramic tiling is also rather easy to install, and it is a top choice for homeowners. Another benefit to ceramic tiling is that it is easy to clean and does not absorb or promote any germs, which is of utmost concern to most homeowners, particularly with the bathroom.
Similar to ceramic in terms of durability and toughness is the porcelain tile, which has long been a favorite for bathroom tiling projects. Porcelain tiles are produced in a wide range of colors and styles and are therefore fairly customizable to the look and desired feel of your bathroom. A major difference between ceramic tiling and porcelain tiling, however, is that porcelain does not come with as much ease of installation. Most homeowners opt to hire a professional to install porcelain tiling.
Finally, stone tiling is another beautiful option for bathroom tiling. Stone tiling comes in a variety of types and options, making it too a highly customizable option for the bathroom. Stone tiles are very resistant to wear and tear, fading, and breaking. Therefore, stone tiling is known to last a long time. When it comes to bathroom flooring, some homeowners do not like how much stone has a tendency to absorb cold, resulting in discomfort to feet when cooler temperatures are present. Stone also tends to be rather heavy, so a strong subflooring is required for proper installation and usage of stone tiling within the home.
When considering what type of bathroom tiles are best for your space, it is important to consider where you want to use the tiles as well as what type of functionality you desire from the tiles. For example, homes with small children or elderly people may not want tiles that are easy to slip on, so something with more friction would be better.
Caring for tiling is actually fairly easy, though many homeowners make it harder for themselves than they need to. Scrubbing bathroom tiles forcefully leads to the tiles wearing out. In fact, too many cleaning supplies will have a similar effect. Most bathroom tiles can effectively be cleaned with a simple vinegar and water solution.