Moisture resistance and inertness to the effects of cleaning agents have made tiles the most popular finishing material for the bathroom. So, it's time to talk about how to choose the right tile for the bathroom.
The layout, according to many, is an exclusively design technique that has a decorative function, but this is far from the case. A competent combination of color, texture and size of the tile allows you to solve the problems of the room, among which there is more often a low ceiling, an elongated shape or technological niches and ledges in the walls.
In addition, the lower part of the walls can be decorated using decorative panels (per square meter, they can be cheaper).
If your choice fell on the use of a contrasting bright horizontal edging, pay attention to the height of the furniture, the location of the heated towel rail and the mirror.
When choosing the same tiles for walls and floors, remember that the latter must be labeled "floor" and a high level of anti-slip.
As a panel, you can use not only mosaics, but also patchwork tiles. In this case, you are almost unlimited in choosing a plain tile for other surfaces. Where to locate? I recommend using patchwork in the bath/shower area or on the wall with a mirror.
If you are used to ordering everything and do not accept chaos in its classical sense, “collect” the interior with the help of a contrasting edge of the bathroom trim or a decorative colored frame around the mirror.
A lot has been said about which bathroom tile is better to choose, but few know how to save money when buying. I share personal secrets.
The main way to save money is to combine inexpensive tiles with designer collections. If you find a compromise, you will get an excellent result and a unique interior.
The first way to save money is to purchase inexpensive plain tiles and focus on colored grout. One point is important here - “inexpensive” does not mean poor quality. Choose a well-known manufacturer and look for a budget collection.
If you do not understand how the selected tile with colored seams will look, lay out a square meter of tiles on hardboard or drywall and fill the seams “dry”.
The square background tile is a universal "soldier". Sum the multiples of the dimensions, for example, join the 10, 15 and 20 cm squares and combine them with the 30, 40 cm floor squares.
Rectangular tiles with a chamfer (“boar”) are often laid horizontally, by changing the orientation of the installation, you can visually enlarge the bathroom. Oh yes, savings. Do not buy thick classic crosses for the "boar", they make the tile look cheap. Choose separators no larger than 0.5 mm.
If the laying will be done by the master, you can choose a "parquet" layout diagonally, for example, herringbone. I would not recommend doing this kind of work with your own hands.
If the bathroom is small, get a medium-sized tile. After cutting it, there is less waste.
A great way to save money is to choose brick-shaped tiles. In this case, it is laid without displacement so that no pieces smaller than 5 cm remain.
This layout option also has a significant drawback, when laying on walls “littered” vertically, the flaw will become more noticeable.
Having decided which tile to choose in the bathroom, you can proceed to the calculation. To do this, on a sheet of paper, draw all the walls of the bathroom to scale and “lay out” the tiles. To the resulting square meters, add a margin of 10% for a straight layout and 15% for a diagonal and herringbone.
You can create an “expensive” design with a small amount of elite tiles, which are used locally in wall decoration, for example, near a mirror.
If the selected design tile option does not fit into one canvas with an inexpensive background, for example, because of the hexagonal shape, use paint.
Fashion is a capricious and changeable lady, today she is in red, tomorrow she will prefer beige. Unfortunately, the interior of the apartment does not change at such a speed. How to choose the color, texture, size and pattern of a tile so that it remains relevant for a long time.
Imitation of natural material. Thanks to digital printing, tiles imitating stone, wood, and marble have become widespread. In addition to the complete identity of the drawing, we managed to get a similar texture and relief. If such a tile has one more advantage - the price, which is an order of magnitude lower than the cost of natural material, such as onyx or marble.
Designer Tip! Today, not only imitations of expensive natural materials are popular, but also tiles with the color and texture of shell rock, sandstone and slate.
Such "special effects" as brushing and aging make "wood look" tiles as realistic as possible. Such solutions are indispensable when arranging a bathroom in a loft style.
The "stone-like" tile has no style restrictions. Marble stains create a calm, beautiful backdrop for expensive sanitary ware in a classic form or emphasize minimalism in design.
You can choose high-quality "stone" tiles in the collections of Kerama Marazzi, Atlas Concorde and Peronda.
Maxi format. Large tiles have climbed to the very top of popularity and are not going to go down from there. Today, you can easily find a 1x3 m tile, which rather allows you to attribute it to the plates.
Single flat surfaces with stone imitation can be found in the Italian brands Graniti Fiandre and Rex.
Ten. Classic tiles 10x10 and 20x20 cm are relevant regardless of the area of the room. The visual effect is assembled from three "whales": the color of the tile, the shade of the grout and the layout.
Your Naf-Naf. "Boar", which I talked about above, also refers to the immortal trends. If you choose a "boar" with a glossy surface and beveled bevels, let it be pastel shades: beige or white. "Boar" is relevant for interiors in country style, modern.
The charm of patchwork. Patchwork is a technology of sewing from separate multi-colored shreds. The same "patches" of ceramic tiles are folded into a single canvas. More often used as an accent or in floor decoration.
Ready patchwork collections are produced by CERAMICA FIORANESE (Inside collection), Serenissima CIR (Biarritz series), ABK (Docks), Del Conca (Amarcord).
3D reality. I recommend using three-dimensional tiles in bathrooms with an area of at least 10 m².
“Well, not easily soiled and not slippery”, often the requirements for floor tiles in the bathroom end there, and in fact it is capable of more, for example, visually hide the flaws of the room.
| Problem | Liquidation instructions |
| crooked walls | The ideal option to eliminate the disadvantage is the diagonal layout. A seam pattern in a contrasting color will turn attention to itself, while distracting from problematic walls. |
| narrow room | Choose from checkered or herringbone patterns. These schemes have been transferred from the ways of laying piece parquet, therefore the shape of the tile must be appropriate. I can safely call tiles with the color and texture of wood an ideal solution. |
| elongated room | The optimal layout is scatter (deck, with a shift). Rectangular tiles are more often shifted along the long side by 1/4 or 1/3, the maximum allowable shift is 1/2. To prevent the floor from looking crooked, use tiles in similar shades and don't forget about a 10% margin. |
| Zoning | Laying according to the “carpet” scheme, which may have an additional edging or be laid out without it. |
| Reducing or increasing the area | If you have a small bathroom, choose an irregular, repetitive layout in pastel shades. The same “recipe for a hundred troubles” is also relevant for a large area, you just have to replace pastel colors with contrasting ones. |
And by tradition, I offer you a full-fledged bathroom interior, in which the main decorative role is assigned to the tile.
Initially, the bathroom was separated from the toilet, after the merging, it was possible to get 6 m², which acquired Mediterranean features and vintage notes.
The central part of the room was occupied by a bathtub, opposite it - a wall on which two antique mirrors are fixed. It is thanks to them that the area of \u200b\u200bthe room has visually increased and looks more spacious.
The finishing tile has an unusual pattern and color, which is a combination of turquoise, blue and white. The size of one tile is 20.5x20.5 cm, the combined four elements form a single composition measuring 41x41 cm, which resembles the pattern of a classic painted tile.
In the company, white brick-shaped cement tiles from Fired Earth, laid in the open shower area, were selected for her.
The toilet was moved to the opposite wall, due to this, it was possible to find a place for an open shower without a pallet.
There was a window in the niche next to the shower, we tiled it and equipped it under a shelf. Photographs by Slim Aaron taken in the 1960s and 70s are used as wall decor. They found their home next to the shower.
Bath and shower faucets are nickel-plated, which is a very good solution for an interior with vintage touches. In addition to them, gilded accessories and door handles were purchased.
Storage areas are organized in a spacious custom-made closet. Lighting - four adjustable light sources.
In the interior used:
Tile has long ceased to be exclusively a way of decorating walls, now it is a design technique that can change perception, accentuate and hide. On this, I say goodbye to you and wish you success in the difficult repair business. Before you start designing your dream bathroom, be sure to watch the video in this article.
And I have a question for you - do you consider tiles the only option for finishing a bathroom? Share your thoughts in the comments.
August 23, 2016If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, ask the author something - add a comment or say thanks!
The question of choosing tiles for the bathroom and toilet is the most problematic in the process of planning repairs in the house. Often these rooms are distinguished by a small area, and therefore facing tiles play a special role, visually improving the perception of the room. How to choose the best option?
Distinguish between types of tiles
To correctly determine which tile is better to choose in the bathroom, distinguish between the main types. The division takes place on the wall and floor. The first type plays a decorative role and is produced in a small format. The second option is produced in sizes 30x30, 50x50, 70x70. It is stronger and thicker.
Also, the types of tiles for the toilet and bathroom differ in the type of surface. It can be glossy or matte, smooth or embossed. Correctly select the product in terms of the possibilities of its further operation. For example, glossy will show water droplets, it is easier to slip on it, and matte ones are more difficult to wash off, although they mask some of the dirt under a muted color.
The choice of materials for the bathroom is not an easy decision. The interior of the bathroom directly depends on the right materials.
Since the bathroom has a high level of humidity, then this room must certainly have a tiled design both on the walls and on the floor. This article will look at which tiles are best suited for a bathroom.
The most popular products are: bicorutta, cotto, clinker, porcelain stoneware, mosaic, monocottura and others. In order to have an idea of what type of tiled products to choose for you, consider a few the most common types.
bicottura(literally "double firing") - a production technology in which clay is placed under a press, and then fired at t-1040 ° C. It turns out a tile of 5-7 mm porous structure.
She is has good moisture absorption performance. Such ceramic tiles are sometimes referred to as "cookies". The tiles are then glazed and fired again.
The porous structure of the tile most suitable for wall covering, with the exception of those types of bicottura that are specifically designed to cover the floor. Its surface can be smooth and matte.
The tile has a vitreous enamel resistant to detergents, which makes maintenance easier. Compared to other tiles, bicottura is thinner and lighter.
Outwardly bikotturu can be distinguished by the following features:
Such tiles are made from a powder mixture. Her subjected to high pressure. The material is passed through an extruder. This allows you to give the material a different geometric shape.
Clinker can have an enameled or non-enamelled surface. Enameled ones are often without a pattern. Color, shine and decorative tile gives a layer of colored glass, which is covered with clinker tiles.
She is has a wide range of colors: base colors - white, orange, red, yellow and brown shades. According to the texture, clinker tiles can be: smooth, rough and rustic (roughly hewn stone effect).
Important features of clinker tiles:
Tile type obtained by single firing the base itself and the applied enamel. White clay is the starting material of monocottura.
Material has high strength, moisture absorption. Monocottura can be used for cladding not only walls, but also floors and even facades. This tile can have a porous, colored or white densified base.
Tile can be of two types: pressed-enamelled, with hot enamelling.
Characteristics of the monocottura:
Porcelain stoneware is made from clay of predominantly light-colored rocks, has high strength and frost resistance. May have a wide range of colors.
To a greater extent, tiles with a rough surface, used for flooring. There are also types for wall coverings.
Porcelain stoneware has a low water absorption rate, high strength and wear resistance, resistant to temperature changes. Glaze can give a different color to the product, you can apply a different print on the base.
For the production of porcelain stoneware, mixtures of different types of clay are used, which contain kaolinite and illite, feldspar and coloring inclusions, and the most used substances are metal oxides. This is is the guarantor of security this type of tile for health.
In addition, porcelain stoneware has additional features:
There are not very many manufacturers of ceramic bathroom tiles on the market. But choose one for all indicators (structure, colors, strength, ease of masonry, price) pretty hard.
Various material characteristics different manufacturers differ in more or less degree.
With a huge variety of shapes, colors, types, sizes of tile products, the average consumer is often lost and spends a lot of time to decide: which tile for the bathroom to choose?
There is fundamental rules, that can help solve this problem.
The bathroom becomes not only functional, but also a beautiful, fashionable room in a modern apartment. This is a place to relax and unwind after a busy day at work. That is why the design of the bathroom should be unobtrusive, harmonious, cozy. As a rule, tiles or porcelain stoneware are used to finish a modern bathroom. And the choice of this finishing material depends on what your bathroom will end up with.
If you don’t know what style to decorate your bathroom in, what tile to choose for this, how to think about a combination of colors, then read this article. In it, we will see the latest trends in bathroom design, current color and stylistic solutions, popular finishing materials 2017-2018.
Recently, minimalist urban and stylish light Scandinavian design has been rapidly gaining popularity. These two trends in interior design have won the hearts of many owners of modern homes. The loft is gradually moving from cafe interiors to our homes, and the discreet Scandinavian style imposed by IKEA catalogs is increasingly being chosen by designers to decorate modern kitchens and bathrooms. Both directions are distinguished by their conciseness and practicality.
If you have a small bathroom, then it is better to resort to decorating it in a light Scandinavian style. To do this, you will need either a white tile or a very light one. The floor can be decorated in black and white colors. To do this, choose a mosaic, a hexagonal tile or a beautiful tile with an interesting black and white ornament. Often, in the design of a Scandinavian-style bathroom, a rectangular white tile is used that imitates brickwork, moreover, in dry areas it is not placed on the entire wall, but finished in the middle of the wall, decorating the end with a beautiful border. The rest of the wall can be painted light blue, purple, grey, turquoise or whatever color you like.
If you have a large bathroom, then you can decorate it in an urban style. As a rule, the creation of such an interior requires walls imitating “bare” concrete, but you can also finish it with textured tiles in dark shades, but it is better to use natural stone or porcelain stoneware slabs. Recently, matte tiles of a fairly large size with the texture of natural stone or wood are gaining popularity. Examples, photos of a bathroom with dark-colored tiles are presented below.
The favorite among the materials for finishing the bathroom is still tile. Only the shape, color, ornaments and texture of the tiles change. Recently, a rectangular tile measuring 60 x 30 cm has been used to decorate the bathroom. Natural stone and porcelain stoneware are also in fashion, which has a different shape, but the slab itself is quite large. Such materials are good for decorating large and spacious rooms. The latest trend in bathroom design is the use of marble slabs, see examples of such interiors in the photo.
If you have, then it is better to give preference to light or white tiles of a small size, or even use a small mosaic for decoration. Now a small tile imitating brick has become fashionable. Also in trend is glass mosaic, it is used to decorate the area near the sink or shower wall. If you are decorating in a Scandinavian style or with art deco motifs, then the floor can be laid out with stylish pixel tiles with geometric black and white ornaments. At first glance, it is somewhat reminiscent of a mosaic, but this tile design looks much more interesting. You can find pixel tiles in the catalogs of online stores selling Italian ceramics.
Now designers are experimenting not only with a combination of colors and textures, but are also in constant search for new ideas and shapes. Therefore, now, when developing, they are increasingly using tiles of non-standard shapes and colors. They are also experimenting with options for laying ceramic tiles. It is laid out with a herringbone, narrow rectangular plates, different forms of tiles and mosaics are combined in one interior. Hexagon-shaped tiles are back in fashion again.
Tile bathroom interior photo: a new look at the classic hexagonal tile
Facing wet areas with glass mosaics
In 2017-2018, designs with an application for naturalness and naturalness will remain popular. “Natural” finishing materials such as wood, stone, clay, etc. will be in fashion. Therefore, for the design of modern bathrooms, matte tiles of beige, brown, gray shades with the texture of wood or stone will be used. If funds allow, you can finish the bathroom with natural stone, while laying out the floor and walls with tiles in the same color scheme. Monochromatic designs are very popular right now.
No less stylish look bathrooms, decorated in black and white colors. For large baths, it is important to use tiles of various shapes and colors to create a visual separation between the wet and dry areas in the bathroom.
In catalogs with Italian tiles, more and more tile options with Scandinavian-style ornaments come across. By choosing a similar colored tile, you can very easily create an interesting and at the same time uncomplicated interior. Just divide the space into zones, lay out one part of the wall with colored tiles with ornaments, and the rest of the wall with classic white tiles. An example of such a tile design in the bathroom, see the photo.
As already indicated above, when choosing tiles and finishing materials in general, one should start first of all from the size of the room. It will be easier to tile walls with small tiles, and finishing a large room will be less laborious if you opt for large rectangular or square tiles.
The color of the tiles will depend on the overall concept that will be used in the design and decoration of the room. If we talk about the combination of furniture color and tile shade, then it is better to choose either very similar tones, or, on the contrary, very contrasting ones.
The most fashionable color this season, without a doubt, will be gray. But do not think that the interior with gray tiles will be boring. Using a rich variety of shades and textures of this finishing material, you can create an atmosphere of luxury and relaxation in a gray bathroom. Given the trend of using natural materials, stone tiles will be very relevant this year. Here is an example of a bathroom tile design photo showing how the nobility of stone combined with minimalism and other natural materials creates a truly stylish and modern atmosphere.
Often, to create a single harmonious atmosphere for decoration, ceramic tiles are chosen to duplicate the texture of bathroom furniture, i.e. if the furniture has glossy facades, then the tiles should also be glossy, and if you plan to buy furniture made of natural wood, then the tiles should repeat its texture.
If you decide to make repairs and design the bathroom yourself, then video tutorials that are devoted to laying tiles for the bathroom and little bathroom design tricks can help you.
Tutorial video: bathroom tiling
Tutorial video: how to make a hole in a tile
You can create a beautiful, thoughtful bathroom interior, in which everything is carefully planned, and you can do it yourself. Get inspired by a collection of photos with an interesting design of bathroom tiles and come up with your own interior solutions. After all, absolutely any bathroom can be stylishly and beautifully decorated, no matter if it is in Khrushchev, in a panel house or a cottage.
Stylish tile
Interior solutions for the bathroom
Non-standard ways of laying tiles in the bathroom
Modern bathrooms
Hexagon bathroom tile
Magnificent interiors with mosaics
Variety of bathroom cladding solutions
Restraint and minimalism are in fashion
Bathroom interior with hexagon tiles
Interior with blue tiles
Bathroom interior with trendy hexagon tiles
Orange tiles in the bathroom
Photo gallery of ceramic tiles from the collections of Russian and European manufacturers
In this section you will find interesting collections of ceramic tiles from Russian and foreign manufacturers.
Alcor bathroom tiles, interior design photo
Bathroom tiles Kerama Marazzi, interior design photo
Bathroom tiles Europa Ceramica, interior design photo
Cersanit bathroom tiles, interior design photo
Cersanit bathroom tiles, interior design photo
Cersanit bathroom tiles, interior design photo
Ceradim bathroom tiles, interior design photo
You can find prices for ceramic tiles on the official websites of manufacturers. If you want to save money, you can do it with a pattern imitating tiles.
Tile has been considered the best option for decorating bathrooms and bathrooms for many years in a row. Thanks to innovative technologies, manufacturers are able to produce high-quality materials with high performance, as well as an attractive appearance. A rich assortment makes you think about which tile to choose for the bathroom, which color and size is better to choose. To make the right choice and perform high-quality repairs, which will delight for many years, you need to know about all the requirements and characteristics. This will be discussed in this article.
Despite the fact that today hardware stores offer a huge selection of alternative options for flooring, people prefer tiles. In particular, this is due to a large number of advantages. The list of the most important advantages includes:
The composition of the tile includes clay and water, so we can safely say that it is a natural material.
If you are going to buy tiles for the bathroom, you must first familiarize yourself with its varieties. So, ceramic tiles, depending on the manufacturing method, are divided into the following types:
Despite the fact that most often consumers prefer ceramic tiles, there are other varieties:
In the presence of a thin layer of glaze, the resistance of the tile to abrasion is reduced, so this tile is recommended for wall decoration.
An important step in choosing bathroom tiles is to study the information on the label, since it is here that manufacturers record the necessary data for the consumer. The most commonly used pictograms are:
Also, carefully consider the information on the thickness of the product, which is present on the label, and the coefficient of anti-slip. The last point is very important in a house where there are small children.
When finishing a bathroom in a private house or apartment, it is recommended to buy tiles with an AA stability index.
There are many options for different design solutions, so choosing the right one is considered the most difficult stage, as it forces you to consider many different proposals. To facilitate the process, professionals recommend that you first decide on the manufacturer, and then the collection. As you know, each of them includes several models that differ in the following criteria:
It is not worth giving preference to several color solutions of tiles that are in different collections at the same time, since such tiles will not be harmoniously combined with each other. Each collection offers a variety of options for decors and inserts, which are made in the same style direction.
It is also important to follow one more piece of advice - this is the allowable number of colors when decorating a bathroom. The best option is a combination of 3 primary colors, as well as their shades, which include the color range of all surfaces and decorative elements. A large number of colors will act on the eyes too tiring. In addition, this is a bad solution for a small bathroom, as the room will look gaudy.
In the process of combining several collections or elements from different manufacturers, you should know exactly the dimensions of the tile. Since they can differ not only in size, but also in thickness, which will cause difficulties during installation.
To make the interior of the bathroom more attractive, you need to carefully consider in which color scheme it is best to perform it. It takes into account the needs and wishes of all living in the house. It is also necessary to take into account the degree of illumination, as well as the type of lamps used. Consider the most common color options:
The classic design is considered a combination of black and white, as well as their shades. Designers recommend using high-quality branded tiles in this case.
In addition to the above information, other important characteristics will help you decide which one is better to buy tiles in the bathroom.
If the selected finish has a high moisture absorption rate, then its weight will be increased several times, so the adhesive solution will not be able to keep it on the wall. Over time, it will disappear. You can determine the degree of absorbency yourself, for this it is enough to examine the wrong side for the presence of pores. Ideally, they shouldn't be there.
The reverse side of the tile has a recess. When laying, it is very important to completely fill the void with adhesive. Otherwise, a cavity will form, which will affect the adhesion of the finishing material and the wall.
Here it is worth considering several signs at the same time:
It is enough to carefully examine and feel the tile to determine the presence of these parameters. Keep in mind that manufacturers make tiles with a matte or glossy surface. Each of them has its own advantages.
To perform high-quality tile laying, it is very important to select elements with the correct geometry. In this case, all seams will be even and clear. To check this indicator, it is enough to put several tiles on the side in a pile on a flat surface. If the top edge of the tiles does not match each other, this means that there are differences.
Even minimal discrepancies of 1-2 mm transfer products into the category of defective products. It is not recommended to purchase it.
Special attention should be paid to choosing the right size bathroom tiles. Tiles are classified into 4 groups:
It is generally accepted that small format tiles are most often used for large rooms. A large tile visually enlarges the room due to a small number of seams. Therefore, if you have a small or medium-sized bathroom, then choose large-sized tiles. But remember an important condition: when laying large tiles, the walls must be even.
If the bathroom has niches, cavities or curly ledges, then it is better to purchase mosaic tiles. Also in this category can be attributed a tile of non-standard size with an ornament such as a decorative border. They can separate the functional areas of the room.
So, when choosing a tile by size, pay attention to the following points:
These are perhaps the main nuances that should be taken into account when choosing a tile by size.
Marble tiles, for example, onyx cladding, will look most effective in the bathroom.
All the time that was spent on considering and choosing a tile model is more than compensated by the incomparably long service life of a high-quality coating. I would also like to note that in order to obtain a beautiful and perfectly even surface, it is necessary to choose the right color for the grout for the joints.
It is worth saying a few words about the technology of laying tiles in the bathroom, watch videos about this:
