Ceramic tiles are just thin pieces of clay, typically with a colour or pattern around the face, covered having a glaze and fired to produce a surface that is definitely exceptionally hard-wearing, waterproof and stain-resistant. The surface might be smooth or textured.

Tiles come in squares, normally 4-1/4in (108mm) or 6in (152mm) square, oblongs along with a small range of interlocking shapes. Some tiles are sold in metric sizes - 100mm, 150mm and 200mm, for instance.

Originally, ceramic tiles had unglazed square edges, and specific border tiles with one particular or two rounded edges had to be employed to finish off in the edges of tiled places. Now, square-edged tiles are usually glazed on all four sides, or some tiles within a box have 1 or two glazed edges. "Universal' tiles have angled edges so that there is no require for spacers - the appropriate size of gap is left for grouting.

Two sorts of plastic spacer are readily available for use with square-edged tiles which have no spacer lugs. Both are cruciform in shape and are tilted in to the junction involving four tiles (or two on a border); a single kind is removed when the adhesive has set; the other is smaller and left in location. An option is always to use match slicks positioned amongst adjacent tiles.

For finishing off the edges of places of ceramic tiling, you can get a plastic trim, part of which fits under the edge on the last tile. For internal corners (subsequent to a bath, say), matching quadrant tiles may be made use of, and there is a particular trim for sealing the gap involving tiles along with a kitchen worktop. Flexible silicon sealants also can be employed for both these jobs.

Special-purpose ceramic tiles are also obtainable heat-resistant tiles for around fireplaces and next to boilers and frost-resistant tiles for unheated outdoors WCs, as an example.

Fixing tiles is relatively quick, even though it can be time-consuming. They should be stuck towards the wall using a special ceramic tile adhesive, and the gaps involving the tiles really should be filled in with hard-setting waterproof compound referred to as grout.

A tiled surface is a cold one, and so in humid rooms it can endure from condensation.

Cork tiles are produced by slicing up pressed layers on the bark of a cork tree to make thin panels. Most are 300mm square and about 3mm thick, but oblong panels are also available.

The surface of cork tiles is warm to the touch, but unless it truly is scaled (cork floor tiles, for instance) it marks conveniently and is not quickly cleaned. Tiles is usually stuck for the wall with cork tile adhesive or contact adhesive, which makes them fairly straightforward to fix but virtually not possible to eliminate later.

Metallic tiles are produced from thin metal sheets and have hollow backs. They could be fixed towards the wall with double-sided self-adhesive pads or with an adhesive. Most metallic tiles could be cut to shape with scissors although tin snips may well be required for the tougher ones. Metallic tiles also can be bent to shape. The tiles are often coloured gold, silver or copper and might have a matt or semi-gloss finish. Furthermore, the metallic impact might be overprinted using a pattern or a person design. Sizes are 108mm, 150mm or 300mm square. The durability of metallic tiles varies from brand to brand - some are impacted by steam. Most are broken by abrasive cleaners.

Mirror tiles are little squares of silvered glass, normally 152mm or 230mm square. Most are clear glass, but there is a selection of silver, bronze or smoke-grey finish. They're ordinarily utilised for decorating the backs of alcoves and related modest places, and are fixed towards the wall with modest double-sided self-adhesive pads. Unless the surface to which they are fixed is completely flat and correct, a distorted reflection is developed in the surface of your tiles.

Brick and stone tiles are man-made simulations of true brick and stone. Some are really wafer-thin pieces of pressed stone aggregate or slivers of brick. Most varieties are stuck for the wall with special adhesive. A wide range of colours, shapes and sizes is offered.

Mosaics are tiny pieces of ceramic tile, ordinarily square, even though round and interlocking shapes are also available. The pieces are mounted in sheets, held with each other by a paper facing material that is peeled off when the mosaics have been stuck to the wall or mounted on a mesh backing. The gaps amongst the mosaic pieces can then be tilled with grout, as for ceramic tiles. The surface from the mosaics is hard-wearing and uncomplicated to clean, although the grouting could steadily become marked.

Mosaics are uncomplicated to fix in location, particularly around obstacles, since the sheets might be reduce about towards the desired profile and minor irregularities could be taken up with all the grouting, or with reduce pieces of mosaic. They're, even so, comparatively costly.