My tiles are chipping
Tiles are generally very tough but they are not invincible. Like any hard floor surface, if a hard object on the right angle is dropped onto a glazed tile (porcelain or ceramic) there is a change of the tile itself chipping or cracking. More often than not, a chip in a tile will look like a crater in the tile as it chips through the glaze and into the biscuit of the tile. The biscuit is the clay that makes up the body of the tile behind the coloured surface/glaze. What can cause a chipped tile? Tile have a good reputation for durability and strength as with the millions of tiles that are laid every year in Australia, only a few chip, crack or have manufacturing issues with them. If a tile chips, it is generally not a manufacturing fault, but is the cause of one of the following accidents against the tile itself: • Dropping a heavy or hard object onto the ceramic or porcelain tile. This may cause the surface to crack or chip. • Walking or dragging metal heels or hammering nails onto the tile • Causing furniture to be dragged along the tile that has metal tipped feet. This includes chairs and other things in the house that have steel or metal feet and no rubber protection. What can you do if your tile is chipped The only way to fix a chipped tile is to remove it and replace it with a new tile. If your tile shops has calculated your tile order right, you should have a carton of tiles spare in case of accidents such as this. This will make sure you have the same batch colour and shape to replace the tile. If you do not have a box left over, then you can bring the chipped tile to your tile store to see if your tile shop can source the same or match the existing chipped tile. To remove the chipped tile, you should: • Scrape out all the grout around the chipped tile. • Use a small chisel and chop a hole in the center of the damaged tile. • Working your way outwards, but always chipping towards the centre of the tile, gradually remove the tile. • Replace the tile and grout, like we mentioned earlier, your tiler should have a few spare tiles or you should have them stored just in case of issues such as this.
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If your renovating your bathroom, make sure you check out this video by one of our suppliers before you do. It has some handy tips and tricks to make sure you tile your bathroom wall right the first time. This will save you time and money.
How to calculate how many tiles you need to for your wall
Measuring what you need for a wall can be a headache for most, but following our small and easy steps, you will find it so easy. All you need is a measuring tape, pencil and paper and if you’re not numbers smart like us then you may need a calculator too. Step 1: Draw each wall on a piece of paper. Step 2: Measure the width in millimetres of your wall and divide this by the width of your tile you have chosen. This will tell you how many tiles wide your area of the wall is. Step 3: Decide how high on the wall you will tile (tiling up to the ceiling is most common and provides a very clean and consistent look when tiled). Measure the height of the ceiling in millimetres and divide this number by the height of the tiles you have chosen. This will tell you how many tiles high your area is. Step 4: Multiply the number of tiles calculated from Step 2 with the number of tiles in Step 3 and repeat this step for each wall. Step 5: Add all the tiles together and add 10% to allow for any wastage as well as cuts, breakages and spares. 6. Add each number of tiles together and add an extra 10% as an allowance for cuts, breakages, and spares. My tiles are the same but different sizes
All glazed ceramic tiles will generally have a small variation in size within the same tile batch and range. This is caused by the natural clay and silicas used as the foundation of the tile when it is fired at high temperatures in the kiln. When a ceramic tile is manufactured in a kiln, the tiles shrink to their finished size and are then are packed via shipment. When a tiler lays glazed ceramic tiles, they are laid with spaces (often referred to as grout/grouted joints) between each tile. This allows the tiler to factor in any variation in the size of the tiles as a result of the manufacturing process. Many new vitrified, porcelain or full-bodied tiles made these days are rectified during the manufacturing process. This means that the tiles are cut or grinded exactly to size after it has finished the tile firing process. Any tile that has been rectified will have very small variations in size. What do you do if your tiles are not the same size? Do not worry. Your tiler will provide his expert opinion on whether the tiles actually vary too much to be laid. This will then be something that your tile shop can assist you with as it is a fault in the manufacturing process caused by the factory. If your tile shop has stock of your tile, they can check the variation and also speak to the warehouse distributors to see if the variation is indicative of the rest of the stock. If the tile shop has tiles that are more dimensionally accurate then they can swap your order for a new batch of tiles. If that is not acceptable, then the tile shop will be able to assist you with reselecting your tiles. Whatever the situation, your tiler should provide his opinion on whether the tiles should be laid. Under no circumstances should a tiler lay the tiles if the variation is too great or they can see any fault in the tiles that you may not be satisfied with once the job is finished. A tile shop will not be responsible for any fault in the tiles once the tiles are laid.
If you have been thinking about giving your bathroom an overhaul but are not sure how, one way is to start with choosing your bathroom tiles by using unique floor tiles or wall tiles. There is no better way to perk up a bathroom’s appearance than with new floor tiles or wall tiles. Tiles come in many shapes, sizes, geometry and colours as a result of new tiling technologies. Here are a few of Nerang Tile’s ultimate tips to choosing the right bathroom tiles to perk up your new or existing bathroom. Niches and Shower Recess The available option for bathrooms are diverse, but the biggest constraint for homeowners face is usually space. When optimizing bathroom space, always think of functional shower recesses, storage, shelving and niches – features that can limit the clutter that makes a bathroom appear smaller and less alluring. Clever use of alcoves and recesses using different colour tiles or feature tiles can make a fantastic shower cubicle even more desirable. Feature Floors Statement making floor tiles can be stunning and provide great design opportunities when working with challenging bathrooms that have no clear walls for a feature wall. In smaller bathrooms, a feature floor tile adds style without overwhelming the space, and when used in a larger bathroom, the effect is elegant. Different shapes Square tiles have been done time and time again. Be bold and do something different by getting creative with hexagonal or geometric shape patters to add art deco suave to your bathroom. A feature wall using different shapes, patterns, layout and colours can make your bathroom unique. Keep it natural Want a bathroom that is rustic and welcomes patrons into an area that is relaxing and serene. Then draw bathroom design inspiration from nature. Nature is a great way to warm a typically very hard room of the house and infuse the space with a calming vibe. It is also one of the key bathroom trends of 2015. An easy way to introduce a calm and warm feeling to your bathroom using tiles is to introduce earth and natural materials such as stone or wood like tiles into the mix. See the Timber Tile Range. Get texture Using 3D structured tiles to add depth and movement to your bathroom can change the look and feel of the entire room. Textured tiles can allow you to play with light and shifting shadows while bold and different coloured tiles can allow you to express you character on a bathroom wall. See some Modern Feature Tiles Designers are always inventing new ways of tricking our eyes into thinking we have the real thing presented before us… leather, fur, hair extensions! It’s no different in the tile industry. For years tile retailers have been selling, at first ceramics, then digital print porcelains, to look and even feel like real marble. But we get bombarded by the greenies too, telling us to use sustainable products and to be Eco friendly. Over recent years it’s been the turn of the wooden plank. Do we use recycle or a new exotic wood, laminate, bamboo or porcelain?
There are many pros for porcelain wood effect tiles and they can benefit everyone from the eco minded to the busy home owner. A colleague has reminded me lately that apart from the ‘Eco Friendly’ message we should also be pushing more of the ‘Family Health’ benefits that ceramic and porcelain products bring to the table. They are not subjected to potential petro-chemical and carcinogen releasing agents as some of the cheaper linoleum vinyl, carpets, timber sealants are subjected to. Porcelain tile products are mixtures of predominantly clays, silica sand, and other natural occurring minerals that have been mixed with water and fired in a high temperature kiln. The tiles are odorless, stable, non-flammable, and pose no immediate hazard to health. Good for the manufacturers and end users I would say. Then there are those of us who hate just cleaning the floor with hot water and want to use some kind of antibacterial, but still eco friendly, floor wash without stripping the sealer off our nice new wooden floor boards. Well… you can have your cake and eat it too with a porcelain wood effect floor. Trust me….I’ve got four kids and a dog to clean up after and having lived in a house with real wooden floorboards for the last four years it’s not something I would choose to have in my next house. With a porcelain wood effect floor tile I can use hot water, with cleaners and not have to worry about drying off so the varnish doesn’t deteriorate or whether my soap choice will leave the floor looking dull. I want to be able to clean my floor so it’s germ free. I want floorboards that will not absorb anything my little cherubs drop on it every meal time or during their raids on the fridge. No gaps in the grout either…unlike floorboards where you can have allsorts growing and living between the planks! So there are benefits for the eco minded and the busy but what about those who just want the best looking floorboards as well? No problem I say. Thanks to all the home improvement programs on TV now we have a revival in the wooden parquetry and herringbone patterns and the beach, rustic styles that are great for the Australian coastal or hinterland home. There are some tile factories producing wood effect tiles that look so much like the real thing it’s hard to tell if it’s faux or real. In fact, at a recent trade show in Italy people were getting on their hands and knees to inspect a particular tile closer…just to make sure it was porcelain and not wood! There are various degrees of quality and price ranges available on the market and experience has shown us that the more expensive wood effect, the better the quality of finish and authenticity it gives. When choosing just think out all those eco, health and maintenance benefits and you’ll be onto a winner!
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