Tiles

Mosaic tiles are very small tiles, typically less than 100mm square and are most commonly known as splashback tiles due to their popularity as a finish for kitchen and bathroom splashbacks. They are available in many different materials including porcelain, ceramic, glass, natural stone and others. They also come in various finishes.

Commonly sold pre-mounted on mesh or paper sheets around 300x300mm in size, these sheets can be cut down to generate a pattern when mixed with other tiles. For example a 300x300mm sheet of 50x50mm mosaics could but cut down into narrower strips and joined together end to end to create a feature in a shower wall.

Key benefits of mosaic tiles include:

• Mosaics are used generally as feature tiles to enhance a room.
• They can be used as splashback tiles in kitchens and bathrooms.
• They are bright and can add character without being over-powering.
• They can be a bold and dynamic statement reflecting the home owner’s personality.

It’s advisable to add 10% to the total number of tiles when planning for straight tiling. For diamond pattern, 600mm x 600mm or larger tiles, it’s recommended to add 15%. We also recommend purchasing an extra box or two before the project starts. It can be difficult to match the same tile or batch if you’re going to request it years after the job is complete. This will make the process of replacing tiles a lot easier in the future.

For a basic square or rectangular room, you need to measure the length and the width in metres. Then, get the total square meters by multiplying the length by the width. To subtract areas that you don`t want to tile, use the same method to calculate the area and then subtract it from the total area.

When a tile is “rectified” its edges are cut at the factory after it is baked. The natural, pressed and somewhat rounded edges of the tile are cut and machined to produce a fairly sharp, precise edge with a micro-bevel and a flat surface at the perimeter. This procedure is common for porcelain floor tile but is also sometimes performed on large format ceramic wall tiles. With this precision the tiles can be set with a 2 mm to 3 mm grout joint and due to the flatness at the edges the joints are less visible.

No. Wall tiles have a weaker glaze and body and will wear prematurely. It is also not as resistant to impact and stress when used as a floor finish and may scratch, chip and crack. However, a floor tile can definitely be used on walls.

Today, most floor tiles on the market are porcelain. A porcelain tile is essentially a ceramic tile in the architectural world, that is, there are two classifications of ceramic tiles, porcelain and non-porcelain. The latest styles and designs are only manufactured as porcelain products. Porcelain floor tiles have a more dense body and, typically, harder glazes than ceramic floor tiles. In its manufacture, higher temperatures and finer clays are used and an extra mineral component is added to make it a porcelain tile.

A polished porcelain tile, usually rectified, is produced by applying a thick glaze, machining it smooth and polishing it. Glazes are necessary for printing broad digital inkjet designs onto the tile. Unglazed porcelain, which can also be highly polished, is not suitable for most digital inkjet designs.

The finish on different semi-polished tiles can vary from a very slight polish on the high spots of a textured glaze to an almost fully polished surface that reveals some pits or dull areas. Often it is done to more authentically duplicate stone tile which have some natural fissures. It is also less slippery and less susceptible to visible scratches than fully polished tiles.

Unglazed porcelain tiles are highly polished and have rectified edges. They are usually through-body porcelain and suitable for commercial traffic. Some of them are treated with an impregnating sealer at the factory whereas others may have a label on the carton that states that a solvent-based impregnator needs to be applied during installation.

The tile type often dictates what size joint space to use. It is desirable to have small joints in most cases. If a tile is rectified a 2 mm or 3 mm space is possible. For many floor tiles a 3 mm, 4 mm or 5 mm joint is good. It often depends on the calibration of the tiles. Unless a tile has been rectified, most tiles are not 100% perfectly sized from one to the next, therefore a bigger joint than 2 mm is required to enable a proper installation. They can sometimes vary in size from tile to tile by a half millimeter or so due to baking and drying factors during production, which is normal.

The rule used to be to use non-sanded grout for joints 3mm or less and to use sanded grout for joints bigger than 3mm. However, today there are universal grouts available that are produced with finer sand particles and will work for most joints. These “New Generation” grouts are so fine that they can be used with glass mosaics, wall tiles and many polished stone tiles without scratching the surfaces.

Almost all ceramic and porcelain tiles can be straight cut very precisely and quickly with a manual tile cutter that scores the surface and then splits it. A wet-saw or handheld grinder can be used to do L-shaped cuts and such. Many glass tiles and mosaics can also be cut with a manual score-and-snap tile cutter. Stone tiles need to be cut with a wet-saw or high speed grinder. Ceramic wall tiles are the easiest to cut and drill into. Today’s dense porcelain tiles require more expensive blades and bits to efficiently cut and drill them. Visible cuts in an installation benefit from being sanded with a wet diamond hand pad to soften and smooth the edge.