Bathroom floor tiles: characteristics, choice, installation

Finishing the floor in the bathroom can be quite diverse, but the best solution would be tiles on the floor in the bathroom. If such a solution suits you, we recommend that you read our next material, which will tell you about all the features and nuances.

Tile on the bathroom floor is a classic and most practical solution, which is chosen by a good half of people doing bathroom renovations. But in order to make the choice correct and fully justified, we decided to talk about almost everything related to tile on the bathroom floor, and we will start with its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages and disadvantages of bathroom floor tiles

This finishing material has a huge number of positive aspects, which we hasten to remind you of:

Incredible material strength. Ceramic tiles are made from a special grade of clay that is fired in high temperature kilns. Thanks to this processing, ceramic tiles are not inferior in strength to cement and concrete. But, this quality can be lost quite quickly if the tile is laid incorrectly, on a substrate with voids, on low-quality glue, and so on. Otherwise, ceramic tiles on the floor in the bathroom create a homogeneous and sufficiently durable layer with it;
Resistance to mechanical damage. This is a pretty strong argument that can be safely attributed to the benefits of tiles. It really practically does not scratch and does not wear out, has a high resistance to increased loads, does not burn, does not crumble, and does not even pass electric current;
High environmental friendliness. Tiles in the bathroom will not become a favorable environment for the spread of bacteria, like some other finishing materials, but on the contrary, they will quickly cope with the problem. In addition, the material itself has an increased level of environmental friendliness, since the tile is made from natural materials;
Easy Care. In addition to the fact that the tile is absolutely neutral to any humidity and even temperature changes, it also has the following advantage - ease of maintenance, which is very important for the bathroom. An ordinary cloth or sponge, warm water and a cleaning agent are enough to cope with the pollution of ceramic tiles in the bathroom;
Self-assembly. Apparently, this is the most significant advantage for us, since for laying many materials it is necessary to call in specialists, while ceramic tiles can be laid on the bathroom floor on their own.

Each time, having discussed the positive aspects and characteristics of any material, we return to its shortcomings, which, unfortunately, tiles also have:

Reduced heat resistance. Indeed, ceramics is not a heat-resistant material and touching the tiles with your feet, especially in the cold season, may not be very pleasant. But, this problem is solved quite simply - with the help of an ordinary bath rug or by pre-installing a warm floor under the bathroom tiles. Fortunately, there are plenty of such systems now, and therefore it will not take a lot of time and money to choose, purchase and install;
Possibility of defective goods. Naturally, any product and finishing material has such an opportunity, but with improper handling of ceramic tiles, it is quite high. The edges of the tiles can be cracked due to incorrect installation during transportation, and the corners of each tile are simply broken off, for example, due to the carelessness of the movers. In this case, we recommend that you conduct an independent inspection of the tiles during the purchase, or, in extreme cases, negotiate with the seller about the possibility of exchanging low-quality products for a new one if you find a marriage after the tiles are delivered home;
High price. Yes, this is true, and the better the bathroom floor tiles are, the more expensive they are. But, you can always find positive moments, for this money it will serve you for several decades, or until you just want to change the renovation in the bathroom.

As you can see, ceramic tiles have much less minuses than pluses, especially since almost all of them are fixable.

How to choose tiles for the floor in the bathroom?

If you choose the right bathroom floor tiles, they will serve you for a long time., but remember that the process should be taken very seriously. What to pay special attention to, we will tell right now. So, a short list of recommendations for choosing bathroom floor tiles:

From the very beginning, attention should be paid to the safety of tiles that you are going to put on the bathroom floor. It should not be slippery, as it is very dangerous for injury, especially if the tile is wet. To avoid unpleasant moments and their consequences, choose rough tiles, with a relief, or even porcelain stoneware, the surface of which is matte. If you pay attention to glazed tiles with gloss, we recommend using it for wall decoration;
Next, tile manufacturer. It may be expensive material from Italy or Poland, but it may also be domestic, but also of sufficient quality. Starting, in this case, follows from the status of the manufacturer in the market and customer reviews of its products;
Now, decide on the external data of the tile, choose the bathroom floor tile size, color, shape, texture and so on. Try to combine these parameters with the overall decoration of the room, so as not to go far from the style and the chosen color palette;
Don't skimp on floor tiles. Of course, you do not need to immediately buy the most expensive tile and not consider other options, but if there is an alternative between expensive and cheap, then try to get the one that is of better quality. Having overpaid once for finishing material for the bathroom floor, you will forget about the next repair for a long time;
Purchase should be made closer to home, it doesn’t matter if it’s a hardware store or a large ceramics supermarket, the main thing is to refuse to order tiles on the Web, since you won’t be able to evaluate it before buying.

Bathroom floor tiles are different from standard ceramic wall tiles, they are thicker and stronger, and therefore able to withstand heavy loads. You should not finish the floor with standard wall tiles, try to choose a special floor tile.

Choosing a tile according to its characteristics

When buying bathroom floor tiles, you should also pay attention to the characteristics that are indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. They will fully tell you about the tile, its purpose, slip, wear resistance and other parameters. So, in order about the characteristics of bathroom floor tiles:

Friction coefficient. Choose tiles with a coefficient of friction of at least 0.75. This tile is perfect for the bathroom;
Water resistance. Since the bathroom is a room with high humidity, try to choose tiles with a water resistance of more than 3% for the bathroom floor;
Chemical resistance. In a modern bathroom, there are quite a lot of household chemicals and chemicals that can have a negative effect on the surface of the tile and even on the material itself as a whole, but if you have chosen tiles or durable porcelain stoneware with high chemical resistance (AA), then these problems will not be for you. scary;
wear resistance. According to this parameter, the tile is divided into five groups, each of which relates to abrasion in a different way. The bathroom requires tiles marked PEL-l.

This process requires certain skills, but if there are none, then we will be happy to share our knowledge. So, the algorithm for laying tiles on the bathroom floor:

Floor preparation. First of all, using a standard tool, we remove the old tiles from the floor or simply dismantle the finish that was previously. The floor must remain clean, free of nicks and cracks, old plaster and cement, bubbles and other interfering defects;
floor leveling. After you have achieved a clean surface, it must be leveled. To do this, you can use an ordinary screed or special solutions;
Floor waterproofing. Do not forget that the floor in the bathroom must be waterproofed, this can be done in several ways, which we described earlier in our publications;
Preparation of mortar for laying tiles. Having bought an adhesive solution for tiles, it should be prepared in advance, based on the manufacturer's instructions;
Laying tiles on the floor in the bathroom. Experts recommend starting laying from the most noticeable angle, then, sequentially, using the level and limiters, carry out laying. In this process, you will need to use a spatula, a notched trowel, tile cutting tools, rags, crosses for even seams between tiles;
Quality of work. Constantly monitor the quality of laying tiles on the floor in the bathroom. It should be laid evenly, without bulges or bevels. It is also necessary to monitor the uniformity of applying the solution to the floor so that there are no voids under the tiles;
Seam sealing. After the tile is laid, and you have withstood the necessary time for the glue to dry, about two days, it remains only to seal the seams and bring the floor surface in order.