Paying tribute to fashion, people use the latest materials for building houses, not thinking about their durability and wear resistance, and if for a number of works you can not be particularly picky, choosing building materials and tools, what and how floor floors are torn off is, if not the most important , then one of the primary values.
Tiles made of natural or artificial stone have been used for this purpose from time immemorial, of course, that marble floors are healthy and beautiful, but the high cost and impressive weight of natural stone does not allow taking it everywhere. As for modern ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware (and this is far from the same thing), their use is justified one hundred percent. However, a lot of questions regarding what size floor tiles you need to choose, what shape and whose production to buy this finishing material, haunt all those who started the repair.
Standard
In today's article, we will talk about what significant differences exist between ordinary decorative and floor ceramics, which means the thickness of the tile and its size, whether this parameter has informative value or is only an aesthetic component that meets design needs. So, what sizes of floor tiles are most common?
For the floor, manufacturers mainly offer square tiles with side sizes from 10 cm to 60 cm. For ease of manufacture and subsequent implementation, the size step in standard products consists of about 5 cm, that is, each element in the collection will be equal to such parameters:
- 10 * 10 cm;
- 15 * 15 cm;
- 20 * 20 cm, etc.
Nevertheless, it is worth considering that the production of ceramic tiles is a rather complex and unpredictable process, and the material in different batches may have some discrepancy in color, shade, and thickness. The sizes of floor tiles also sometimes differ, so experienced craftsmen recommend taking them in reserve to avoid problems with subsequent installation.
The average parameter of the width and length of the floor ceramic cladding, which is most often found in goods from the middle price category, which is most in demand among customers, is 33 * 33 cm. These are optimal sizes, since such a tile is not affected by too high pressure during operation, which helps to avoid its cracking and breaks.
Maxi size
Recently, stores offer spoiled consumers unique and very original collections of ceramic tiles. The most spectacular patterns are those that are huge. Large floor tiles can be:
- 50 * 50, 50 * 60, 50 * 100 cm;
- 60 * 60, 60 * 100, 60 * 120 cm;
- 75 * 100, 75 * 150 cm;
- 100 * 100, 100 * 200 cm;
- 120 * 120 cm;
- 150 * 150, 150 * 300 cm.
Of course, such dimensions require ideal space for styling. In addition to the fact that the room itself must be large and spacious, floors should be prepared for laying with tiles of this size with special care. Any unevenness will interfere with beautifully joining the seams of the elements of the floor covering.
The dimensions of the floor tiles can be very small, for example, the mosaic also behaves perfectly as a material for finishing floors, in addition, it looks simply luxurious. But contrary to popular belief, it is not sold in tiny squares of 2 * 2 cm, but in impressive layers, most often 30 * 30 cm, each element is fixed to the mounting grid, which allows you to easily cut the sheet, adjusting it to the original size of the room.
Natural beauty
Dreaming of wood or natural stone floors? The noble and rich wood texture attracts many, but if this option is acceptable for a bedroom or a hall, then the bathroom, kitchen and hallway will not tolerate such tenderness. Changes in temperature, increased importance and exposure to frequent washing provoke rapid wear of parquet and laminate. Stone coating is too expensive and heavy, which also severely limits its use by property owners.
In this case, you can go for a trick - use a new type of tile called porcelain tile . This is a tile created by a special technology, which involves very high temperatures and compression of the ceramic mass, from which individual elements are formed.
This material has increased strength, which allows you to make the dimensions of floor tiles (porcelain tiles) larger than conventional samples. In addition, manufacturers offer not only standard square or slightly oblong tiles, but also thin strips that imitate wooden boards, marble, granite.
A variety of tones, magnificent drawings and a very realistic design allow you to create amazing interiors on the verge of fantasy. Pleasing and an abundance of sizes:
- 11 * 45, 11 * 90 cm;
- 15 * 45, 15 * 60, 15 * 90 cm;
- 19 * 60, 19 * 120 cm;
- 25 * 100, 25 * 150 cm.
These are indicators of oblong tiles; square tiles are most often the same sizes as ordinary ceramic tiles.
Sometimes it happens
The fact that it seems to some as old-fashioned junk is, for others, the trend of the season. So, many factories have a tile that looks like an aged board, each manufacturer brings its own zest to its brainchild to stand out from the competition.
Some of them offer rhombus or hexagon tiles. Such options allow you to fantasize with styling as much as you like, creating completely different interiors from the same source material.
The dimensions of the floor tiles in this case are small 14.5 * 14.5 cm, 14.3 * 24.7 cm, which gives the lined surface an incredibly noble appearance.
Know how
One of the most extravagant examples of ceramic tiles on the domestic market is the Venus Chevron collection made in Spain. They created and patented tiles of a unique angular shape. Its dimensions are 44.5 * 66.5 cm, but despite such massive dimensions, its use is possible in any premises.
Beautiful appearance, a unique jointing system, a small percentage of waste after installation are the main advantages, however, like everything unique, this type of finish has a rather high cost.
Simple ceramics on the floor?
In addition to the width and length, when choosing a tile, it is important to consider its thickness. For floors, this option is especially important. Simple ceramic cladding, which is used to decorate the walls, usually has no more than 1 cm of thickness, more often it is 5 mm at all. This is not enough for the flooring: the tile will be constantly subjected to mechanical stress, pressure is exerted by human walking, furniture, and the fall of various objects. If you select too thin material, there is a high probability of breaks and cracks.
The thickness of the floor tiles should be in the range of 6.5-11 mm. As for porcelain stoneware, which has increased strength, it can be thin, simple and thickened. The first and second options are used in residential premises, shops, offices, their strength can successfully cope with a high level of traffic. Thick slabs of porcelain, which can exceed 15 mm, can often be found in supermarkets, airports, warehouses, sidewalks and garden paths are laid out with some types, the large weight and strength make it possible not to use mortar or tile glue as a fixative.
Bathroom
The dimensions of the floor tiles for the bathroom do not matter. However, when choosing, it is important to consider the area of the room. Often it does not differ in scale and it’s not possible to place a meter in a beautiful place for a meter.
It is always necessary to take into account the thickness of the tile, and as a result, its ability to resist pressure, if the situation involves the placement of a heavy cast-iron or stone bath, a large sink or household appliances, you need to arrange these items so that their weight is as even as possible.
Too small tiles can be inconvenient for cleaning: increased humidity in the room provokes the appearance of fungi and mold in the tile joints, and the more there are, the more time-consuming and painstaking task will be to clean them.
Kitchen flooring requirements
The dimensions of kitchen floor tiles require a more critical approach. It is important to consider all its parameters: length, width, thickness. Porcelain tile will be a more durable and practical material for kitchen rooms due to its strength and resistance to various damages, because it was created just for the purpose to replace more fragile ceramic tiles.