Adelaide tiles bring beauty and functionality into any room of the home – from metallic sheen in your kitchen to herringbone patterns in your hallway – providing beauty as well as functionality. No matter if this is your first bathroom renovation project or fifth remodelling effort – there is always more to learn about tile!
Vitrified porcelain absorbs moisture at an extremely low rate, while semivitreous and standard glazed wall tiles absorb more.
Tile Types
Adelaide tiles are a versatile building material, available in an assortment of materials, colours, shapes and sizes that are both versatile and decorative for walls and floors. Tile provides a perfect moisture-resistant alternative to common wall and floor materials like wood.
Tile flooring available to homeowners typically comprises ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tiles. As opposed to other popular flooring materials like hardwood or carpet, tiles are known for being more moisture resistant as well as being better at resisting stains, scratches and dirt than their counterparts.
Porcelain tiles are composed of a clay mixture baked at high temperatures and covered with a glaze that renders it impervious to liquids, making this type of tile popular in bathrooms and kitchen countertops alike. Their highly durable surfaces also protect them from wear and tear in high-traffic areas of the home.
Tile Finishes
Glossy finishes feature shiny surfaces that reflect light easily and can be cleaned easily, while matte finishes produce a softer, muted effect. Natural and honed finishes tend to have less reflective surfaces and provide more organic, rustic looks; grip surfaces increase slip resistance due to their sandpaper-like texture.
Porcelain tiles come with a full body finish that displays their colours and patterns uniformly throughout, making them suitable for high-traffic areas or countertops with heavy use. Furthermore, porcelain can be glazed or unglazed, featuring textures such as anti-slip surfaces for optimal usage.
Tile Installation
An effective tile installation requires careful subfloor preparation and selecting the most appropriate mortar for the task. Adelaide tiles facilities employ thin-set mortar containing Portland cement, finely ground sand, and water-retaining agents such as cellulose. Some premixed thin sets may save time but impose restrictions on where they may be applied.
Installers use several tools to prepare surfaces for tiling, including measuring tools such as a straightedge and carpenter’s square and cutting tools like tile cutters or wet saws. Once tiles have been laid down, a dry environment must be maintained so they may cure. Caulking can help keep moisture damage at bay as well as provide sanitation. After installation, grout sealant is applied afterwards for added protection.
Tile Maintenance
Tiled surfaces are elementary to maintain as they naturally resist staining, requiring only regular sweeping and damp mopping for maintenance; additionally, applying sealant every five years should also be part of an appropriate maintenance schedule.
Textured surfaces typically require light scrubbing with a brush to loosen dirt particles from within their texture, and specialist acidic and alkaline cleaners should only be employed to tackle more severe staining issues, which should rarely occur within private dwellings.
A typical tiled floor problem is efflorescence – the transmission of water salts onto its surface as white powder (efflorescence). In addressing this, it is advised that grout be saturated with neutral cleaning solution and scrubbed using two brushes at once using neutral detergent before being rinsed off with clear water to eliminate any residual cleaning agents and set for several hours after draining dry. Alternatively, professional tile cleaners may help address this problem.
Tile is a popular flooring option that can offer durability, longevity, easy cleaning and beautiful design. However, there are a few things homeowners should know before they get started with tile installation.
There are a lot of tile options on the market, from ceramic that can be painted and offers a wide array of colours and patterns to more expensive porcelain and natural stone tiles. The material you choose will impact price and durability, and some may not work well in certain spaces, like high-humidity environments.