E76 - All about tiles - Bathroom Design Essentials

Mar 11, 2021

Choosing tiles is a main consideration in your bathrooms. It’s the main material that will be used and impacts functionality as well as aesthetics. Not all tiles are the same, so it’s important to know the buying criteria so you can choose the right tile for the right application. 

In this episode of the podcast, Frances is joined by Tiling expert, Richard Earp from Earp Bros.  Richard shares his amazing knowledge on tiles to discuss the different types of tiles and differences between poor and good quality tiles.  

 

Shownotes: 

Different Types of Tiles 

• Ceramic- the material has a moisture absorption of more than 3%, ideal for walls 

• Gres Tiles- the material has a moisture absorption of between 3% and 0.5% 
• Porcelain- are low absorption product (0.5% or less).  Can be used on the inside, outside, wall and floor  
  • Technical Porcelain- has a 0.1% moisture absorption and are generally used in high-performance areas such as airports, shopping centers, and Melbourne Exhibition Centre. 

• • Other types of porcelain: 
    • Glaze Porcelain 
    • Full Body Porcelain 
    • Double Charge Porcelain 
    • Triple Charge Porcelain 
    • Polished Porcelain 

 

 

• • Things to consider when choosing porcelain material: 

• • • Porcelain varies in quality mainly with accuracy and surface flatness which effect how its laid and the overall finish 
    • Design and the surface 
    • Colour separation rooms for glazes to create a depth of colour not seen cheaper version tiles. The more colour separations used, the better the quality. 

• • Cheaper Porcelain tiles generally cut corners in the manufacturing process. Reduced processing of raw materials, the use of more glass as a fluxing agent to incorporate with ball clays and porcelain clays. On the other hand, high-quality tiles have lesser fluxing agents, longer firing times using higher technology to press, and the raw materials are extracted.  

• Terracotta-can be formed in different ways-extruded, molded and etc. It has a very high absorption material and generally requires sealing.  

• Cement tiles- like terracotta, cement tiles also require sealing 

Placing a tile that has a higher (10%) moisture absorption on the floor is not ideal as they are not dense. If you drop something on the floor, it can easily crack, break, or chip. The moist absorption gives an indication of what type of materials the factories are manufacturing 

Sealers  

There are sealers that are designed to breathe in stone, terracottas and cement.  

• Topical Sealer- sit on top of the material 
• Penetrating Sealer- shields against moisture penetration and chemicals. Usually, they provide invisible protection without changing the surface appearance, and most products are breathable, allowing moisture vapor to escape. 

Tile Sizes 

How the size of tile impacts your selection 

• Spatial Awareness - larger format tiles can look great in some spaces, but a small space with large format tiles in many instances won’t work. Instead of a 800x800mm tile, 600x60mm may be better. Cost – will cost more to use larger format tiles – product and labout. Porcelain sheets (2.7, 3.2 meters sheets, 1.2 meters wide.)- needs a specialist to install which costs more than 20-30% of premium. Why it costs more? 

• • Delivery of the material  
  • Kitchen benchtop- must be fabricated off site and it get done by machine in specialist factories 
  • Intricacies of installing them 

Tile Types 

 

• Rectified- the tile is perfectly straight 

When buying tiles manufacturers should be able to provide you with the following: 

• Installation Procedures 
• Sealing guide 
• Cleaning guide 

Sustainability  

Earp Bros joined the green building council in 2004 and was the first company that went through product certification. They use two certification systems: 

• Global Green Tags  
• Product Declare 

Sustainable Criteria 

• Green Tag Accreditation 
• Life cycle assessment of materials  

Tips when deciding on your tiles and getting a good result at the end 

• Understand what you need- I.e High-maintenance vs low maintenance materials 
• Visualise what you want before you start your journey- Create a pinterest board 
• Be fully accurate on what your budget is 
• Surround yourself with professionals. Find trustworthy companies and people 

 

Tile trends 

• Large format tiles 
• Natural materials- Zellige tiles are popular now       
• Patterns and sheets of design, like big florals  

 

 

Links Mentioned in the Podcast: 

Join the '5 Costly Bathroom Design Mistakes and How to Avoid Them' Webinar

If you like this and want to learn more, I've got a webinar coming up on 24th November from 7PM-8PM AEDT. Click here to find out more and register.

Earps Bros 

Whether you are looking for decorative splash-back tiles for your rental property, high performing commercial quantity slip resistant tiles or handcrafted artisan mosaics from Morocco, their range will add value to your project now and into the future. Visit their website here: https://earp.com.au/ 

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