It is no secret that due to its resistance to cleaning agents and moisture resistance, tile has become one of the most popular finishing materials. Despite the emergence of new rather interesting coatings for walls and floors, tile for the bathroom firmly holds its leading position.
Today we’ll talk about how to choose the right material, how to combine it, which tile is more suitable for spacious and very small rooms.
Style design
At the stage of repair planning, it is necessary to determine the style and design of tiles for the bathroom. Photos of original solutions we will present to you in this article. Today, the bathroom is most often decorated in accordance with the following styles:
It never loses its chic, and includes three main areas - English, French and Venetian. This tile has a glossy surface, which is aged in white, blue or cream. Spectacular finishes are golden and bronze shades.
Tile in the bathroom looks exquisitely in this style (you can see the photo below) due to the use of natural colors (sky blue, sand, terracotta, emerald). Interior features in this case are emphasized by decorative elements - mosaics and panels.
This style is aimed at the maximum convenience of homeowners. Vertical and horizontal surfaces are decorated with silver and white tiles. A great addition will be a tile with decorative inserts.
To create a luxurious design in this style, tiles are used for the bathroom in pastel colors (background) and murals are used for decoration of mirrors. You can emphasize using rich shades.
Layout
Many believe that the layout is a special design technique that carries an exclusively decorative function. This is not entirely true. A competent combination of texture, color, tile size will allow you to beat the existing problems of the room: low ceiling, narrow and elongated shape, technological protrusions and niches in the walls. Let's consider such situations in more detail.
Low ceiling
In this case, vertical accents come into play, which help visually increase the height of the room, make it more holistic and harmonious. This layout is used to accentuate a single wall. Most often, several thin strips are combined with one wide.
High ceiling
For such a room, tile for horizontal laying is suitable. This can be a single wide line, which will occupy at least 1/6 of the total height of the room or several thin horizontal stripes. If the problem of a very high ceiling is exacerbated by the narrow shape of the bathroom, the tiles are laid on the principle of “dark bottom, light top”. An alternative to this option, which allows you to save a little, you can consider the combination of tiles in the upper part and dark wall panels - in the lower.
Narrow elongated room
Tiles in a small bathroom are sometimes selected in such a way as to move the wall, of course, visually. To do this, use dark tiles on the wall, which must be brought closer. This technique is relevant when the room is disproportionately extended.
Basic principles for choosing tiles: color palette
As a rule, apartments do not have a small bathroom. The tile for such a room should not be dark: it will visually reduce the room, create a rather oppressive atmosphere. To give it lightness, use a combination of the colors of the sea wave and pink or purple. Freshness and coolness will bring white and aquamarine colors. The design of the bathroom is tiled with warm tones.
Modern designers often use a combination of tiles of different colors and sizes. Very stylish combinations are green with scarlet, sand with purple, orange with blue.
Tile size
When tiling the bathroom, you will not be able to make the seams completely invisible. In order for the coating to be better perceived visually, it is necessary to think through the parameters of the used tile in advance.
Tile dimensions of 20x30 cm are considered standard. Such a coating fits perfectly into medium and large rooms: the frequent location of the seams in this case will not be too intrusive.
Tile (for the bathroom) larger than 25x40 cm is considered large. Such tiles are used to decorate floors, and when wall covering it is used in combination with a small one, like a decorating element.
When you study bathroom design photos in a home décor, a small tile will surely catch your eye. Mosaic has an indisputable advantage - even very uneven walls can be corrected with this material. The disadvantage of a small tile is the visual reduction of the room. This can be avoided by combining mosaics with medium-sized tiles.
Purpose of coverage
It can be easily identified by the pictograms printed on the back of the coating. The image of the “foot” indicates that you have a floor tile with increased strength, not slipping when wet. A “hand” on a dark background means that it is a fragile material that should be used for facing vertical surfaces. “Snowflake” speaks of the frost resistance of the cladding.
To choose a floor tile for a bathroom, choose the material having I-III class of durability. More wear resistant tiles (IV-V classes) are more suitable for hallways, corridors and kitchens.
Material thickness
For walls and other vertical surfaces, tiles with a thickness of 6 to 9 mm are required. For the floor, a coating from 9 to 12 mm thick is suitable. This indicator is indicated on the tile in the form of a pictogram with a number.
Moisture resistant
This is one of the indicators that you should pay attention to when choosing a tile for the bathroom. Experts distinguish 8 groups depending on the susceptibility of the material to water. For lining the floor and walls for the bathroom, use a tile having a finely porous structure, assigned by manufacturers to group 1-3.
Resistance to aggressive environment
High-quality tile is not afraid of fungus and mold. However, maintaining the cleanliness of the room is very difficult without using detergents. For a bathroom, choose a tile labeled “AA”, indicating the possibility of using household chemicals.
Texture, tile pattern, which are always relevant
Thanks to digital printing technology today, tiles imitating natural materials are widespread: wood, stone, marble. In addition to the perfect identity of the picture, the specialists managed to create a very close texture. Such a tile for the bathroom, in addition to external attractiveness, has another advantage - the cost, which is much lower than the price of natural materials, for example, marble or onyx.
The tile "under a stone" practically has no style restrictions. In the classic interior, marble stains will create a beautiful and calm background for expensive plumbing or emphasize minimalism in design.
High-quality stone-like tiles can be purchased in the collections of Atlas Concorde, Peronda, Kerama Marazzi.
Nowadays, not only imitations of expensive materials are popular, but also tiles with the texture and color of sandstone, slate, shell rock. Effects such as aging and brushing make wood imitation tiles realistic. Such material is appropriate when arranging a bathroom in the loft style.
Patchwork - a special technology for sewing from multi-colored shreds. "Shreds" of ceramic tiles create a magnificent single canvas. Such tiles are used in the decoration of the floor or as an accent. Ready-made “patchwork” collections are produced by Serenissima CIR (Biarritz series), Cerama Floranese (Inside collection), Del Conca (Amarcord), ABK (Docks).
Does the type of house matter?
Yes, and essential. The thing is that in different types of houses apartments differ not only in area, but also in layout. When choosing a tile design in the bathroom (we posted a photo in this article), it is important to consider the type of bathroom - separate or combined, the area of the room and the height of the ceilings.
Khrushchev
In these houses the bathroom is combined (the bathroom is combined with the toilet). Moreover, its area often does not exceed 3 m². Such characteristics limit the design of horizontal and vertical surfaces only in light colors. Choose a tile of medium size. To increase the height of the ceilings, designers recommend using the following technique: the colors of the lower and upper parts of the wall are combined. Vertical surfaces should be divided into two zones. At the bottom, the tile should be darker.
Panel house
In the apartments of panel houses, bathrooms are separate. This allows the use of tiles in the bathroom of any size and color combination. In panel houses, the walls are faced with tiles of the same size, but with a different design.
A private house
The plan of a private house most often involves an original and spacious layout of the bathroom. In such a room, without fear, you can use a large tile: it will not change the visual perception of the room.
Aesthetic features
From an aesthetic point of view, the main dilemma when choosing a tile in the bathroom is a balanced finish of the walls and floor. Designers advise using two options:
- design in a single color scheme;
- Use the decoration of walls and floors in contrasting shades.
The first option is considered traditional. In this case, the interior is very harmonious, creates the feeling of a complete composition. When using the second method, it should be borne in mind that contrasting notes should be traced throughout the interior, including furniture.
How to reduce costs when choosing a tile?
This question undoubtedly worries buyers. This can be done by combining inexpensive tile for the bathroom with designer collections.
When purchasing an inexpensive monophonic tile, you need to focus on color grouting. One important point should be clarified - inexpensive does not at all mean poor quality. The assortment of many well-known manufacturers has budget collections.
The rectangular tile, which has a chamfer ("boar"), is usually laid horizontally, changing the laying, you can visually enlarge the room. Do not get classic thick crosses for the “wild boar”, they reduce the cost of the appearance of the tile. Separators should be no more than 0.5 mm. For a small bathroom, it is better to purchase a tile of medium-sized tiles. After cutting, less waste will remain.
Another way to save money is in the form of tiles in the form of bricks. It is stacked without displacement so that there are no scraps less than 5 cm.
You can create an “expensive” design using very little elite tiles, which are locally used in wall decoration, for example, in a mirror. If the design tile that you have chosen does not combine with an inexpensive background due to a different shape (hexagonal, for example), use paint.
How to choose a grout for tiles?
Unfortunately, a well-chosen and well-laid tile does not guarantee a successful interior design if the filler is not selected correctly. Before choosing a grout for tiles in the bathroom, you need to decide which basis they have. Today in specialized stores there are three types of grouts:
These are dry cement mixes. They are used to fill the joints with a thickness of not more than 20 mm.
Such compositions are made on the basis of furan resin. They are used only in industrial premises.
Resin-based grouts (two-component). They cost an order of magnitude more expensive, but at the same time they are characterized by durability and strength.
To finish the bathroom, you should choose grouts, which include additives that inhibit mold growth and the formation of fungus. Designers advise choosing grout in the most approximate tone to the color of the tile. This will give integrity to the enclosed space. At the same time, contrasting combinations look very original. But this option can be used only if the tile is laid perfectly, otherwise it will only emphasize the existing flaws.
We told you about the rules for choosing a tile for the bathroom. Photos that are posted in the article will certainly help you make the choice. And finally, one more advice from experts - do not buy the remains of collections. As a rule, they are sold at a big discount, but it is likely that some elements will not be enough in the collection. It will be a shame if there are not enough 1-2 tiles that cannot be bought.