Options for laying tiles in the bathroom

Decorating a bathroom with tiles (ceramic tiles) is an original and budget design solution. The material is made in several ways and is characterized by high strength. It received the name “tile” in Germany, where one of the first large-scale production facilities in Mettlach was established. It still exists and is famous for the high quality of products that go through the double firing procedure. In the traditional version, the tiles are square. Ceramics belong to one of the oldest finishing materials. Not only dishes were made of clay, but also approximately identical pieces that were lined with the walls of temples and palaces in mosaic technique. The tiles were slightly thinner than bricks, painted and covered with a thick layer of glaze that protected the surface from mechanical damage. For cladding simple homes material is not used because of its high cost. The most ancient find dates back to 3,000 BC. and was discovered on the ruins of a settlement between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. You can see the ancient tiled pattern on the famous Ishtar Gate of Babylon. They were built during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar in honor of the goddess of fertility. The monument is perfectly preserved: the gate is decorated with images of mystical animals (syrrushy and bulls) folded according to the mosaic principle, which serve as a vivid example of the high level of skill of ancient artisans.

After the second discovery of mass production technology, tiles were used as décor décor. In the Middle Ages, Italian masters received the "Eastern" secret of making ceramic cladding and distributed their products throughout Europe. Production was established on the island of Mallorca, which gave the name to the tile: "majolica". Variants of laying tiles in the bathroom consist of several dozens of ways that will help create a unique design of the room. According to the production method, tiles are classified into several types:

Ceramic tiles are used to finish the floor, walls, "aprons", stoves, and a special look - pavement lay out the tracks on neat city streets. In the design of houses, tiles are usually used in baths and kitchens. Both rooms are distinguished by an aggressive microclimate, which the material successfully withstands.

How to choose

Although the modern market of finishing materials offers vinyl tiles, PVC panels, and lining, treated in a special way, tile is still out of competition. Before you go shopping at the hardware store, you need to develop a program for laying tiles and choose the right option among the variety of textures, colors and sizes. The tile is produced in three forms:

• Square These "cubes" have three dimensional standards: 15x15 cm, 30x30 cm and 50x50 cm. For decoration of walls use the smallest format.
• Rectangular. Usually it has dimensions of 25x20 cm. As a rule, such a floor tile imitates a parquet or laminate floor, and a brick for walls.
• Non-standard forms. Used in modern design directions. Honeycombs, circles, pentagons, triangles look spectacular and unusual.

The composition of the tile includes clay, feldspars and quartz sand, which acts as a "frame", which retains the shape of the product during firing. The entire set of ceramic materials is classified into two groups:

• Bikottura. Tiles for wall cladding inside the housing. The enamel covering it adds stylish gloss to the surface. The material is durable, resistant to mechanical damage, temperature extremes, changes in humidity. Bikottura easy to clean and easy to relate to contacts with any type of household chemicals.
• Monokottura. More durable type, which trim the walls, the floor inside the house and the paths in the yard. For the street, special frost-resistant models are used.

It is also conditionally possible to divide the ceramic materials for finishing into three subgroups:

• Porcelain stoneware. Material with low moisture absorption. According to the characteristics of the porcelain stoneware similar to stone, and in composition - with porcelain.
• Cotto. The material obtained by burning red clay. Its surface is not glazed and has a characteristic “rough” texture. Cotto has exclusively natural shades within the red-brown color range.
• Clinker. Manufactured by extrusion. It may have a glazed surface or different textural solutions. Unary firing at ultrahigh temperatures provides low moisture permeability, which allows finishing with this material not only the bathrooms, even the pools. For them are available "tiled" sets of steps, corners, gutters.

The texture of the tile is classified as glossy, matte and "rough." The latter type includes imitation of the skin of the reptile "turtle", which, if there is a backlight, looks spectacular on the accent walls. As for the color solution, the variety of shades and patterns allows you to choose the option for your interior. The most popular are blue, green, blue tones, characteristic of the marine style of the bathroom. Also use contrasting and bright combinations: black and white, red-gray, yellow-green. In spacious rooms, each separate zone (bath, toilet, shower) is distinguished by a specific shade. In the old Khrushchev houses, where the small combined bathrooms, do not recommend experimenting with color zoning, but using tiles of light tones only, which will visually expand the boundaries of space. The texture of the tile is divided into:

• Monophonic. Used for simple and strict interiors.
• Imitating the surface of natural materials (granite, marble, wood).
• With repetitive patterns. "Patterned" surface, as a rule, decorated with floral ornaments or geometric shapes.
• Mosaic. This tile forms a complex tint composition or a large picture on the surface.

Unusual forms are embodied most often in clinker tiles, since the extrusion process allows you to realize the wildest fantasies of designers.

How to choose a tile according to the style

For those who love the classic directions, the traditional ombre tile layout will do. Color gradation can smoothly pass through the entire surface or have limitations in the form of decorative borders between shading zones. In Provence style, tiles are used with a delicate ornament and fine tie on a white background. In the country use a combination of plain plates with patterned surfaces. In colors prevail brown and gray. In the loft style, clinker in the form of bricks with a characteristic surface for the material will look appropriate and beautiful. Minimalism prefers monochromatic tile or a combination of two neutral colors in a checkerboard pattern (black and white, gray-blue). Also for this oriental style is characterized by imitation of marble and a rough texture. In the high-tech lay tile gray, black, white colors or with "silver" surfaces.

Ways of tiled layouts

Not only the aesthetic appearance of the finished finish, but also the material consumption depends on the layout method. The most popular styling options include the "golden" five of ways: straight, diagonal, horizontal, vertical and vrazbezhku. Mosaic, modular and staggered can be considered as more complex. Also there are combined options, usually they are used when combining materials of different sizes, colors and textures. If you lay the tile in accordance with all the rules of the chosen method, then the finished picture will be easily perceived visually and will emphasize the dignity of the room.

Straight

Even a novice decorator will be able to lay a “seam into the seam” tile. With a direct layout, each tile in the next row should repeat the location of its neighbor from the previous one. In this case, only the flat tab of the first level is important, on which all the rest will be based. As a rule, the lined walls have a simple, but beautiful and neat appearance. For the method is characterized by high material savings.

Scramble

With the method of scrambling, the adjacent seams between the fragments are not joined. Each subsequent row is shifted to a length equal to half the tile. This method imitates brickwork on the walls and laminate or floorboard on the floor. The color scheme is usually chosen appropriate. The material for a similar finish will take about the same as for the direct method. However, it is necessary to tinker with cutting fragments, since one row of the two will standardly start with half a tile.

The deck run means the diagonal arrangement of the brickwork.

Diagonal

The diagonal type of laying in turn is classified into three types:

• Simple with stitching. The result will be a composition of straight vertical diamonds. Every second row will end in a triangle, so you will have to cut as many pieces as in the scrambling method.
• Laying with inserts. For this option, use the tile in two sizes: large rectangles and small squares. Inside each of the four large tiles is a small fragment.
• Laying with a seam offset to the side (herringbone). Each subsequent row of tiled rectangles reverses direction. As a result, the adjacent fragments fall on the short side to half the long face of the lower tiles.

The more complex the type of diagonal styling, the longer the work will take. Laying tiles with an offset to the side is recommended in the presence of material defects: deviations from angles of 90 degrees or inconsistencies in the length and width of each fragment.

Modular

The modular method allows you to create an original suture pattern on the surface of the floor or walls in the bathroom. The essence of the method lies in the name. For decoration use fragments that are different in size and sometimes colors. You can lay tile horizontally or diagonally. Relevant compositions using two and three different modules, usually rectangular and square shapes. The more diverse fragments, the more difficult the result will be drawing. In catalogs, manufacturers usually mark tiles that allow modular installation, with the designation “modulare”.

Horizontal

The method is used for tiles of rectangular shapes. With this type of laying wide faces are located in a horizontal plane. Actively apply the practice for small rooms, which are thus visually stretched to hide the lack of space. If the tile joints are barely noticeable, and only one color is used, then there is no difference between the horizontal and vertical stacking. To make the effect more noticeable, the gaps between the fragments are decorated with a special coating.

Vertical

The way diametrically opposite to the horizontal. The wide edges of the rectangular tile are arranged vertically. Use the method for finishing rooms with low ceilings. The vertical “stripes” of the seams will extend the bathroom and visually add a couple of meters to it in height.

Mosaic layout

Mosaic effect on the entire surface of the wall or floor can add an extra burden on the visual perception of the room. Its combination with straight, diagonal or horizontal ways looks more organic. Under the mosaic there is a separate fragment on the surface, which will play the role of an accent. To depict the panels on the wall, you no longer have to painstakingly collect the picture bit by bit. Manufacturers have attended to simplify the task and began to produce special mesh basics that allow you to attach large mosaic modules in one fell swoop. The smaller the pieces of the finishing puzzle, the higher the detail of the picture.

There is a separate type of tile that simulates a mosaic. Decorative "seams" are applied on the surface of the whole piece.

Chess set

In the classic chess version, fragments of black and white are used. Tile can be laid in a straight and diagonal way depending on the preferences of the bathroom owners. Chess stacking is necessarily based on a combination of two different colors. In more complex compositions, a large number of shades are used within a single tone or on the principle of contrast. The layout of the fragments is subject to strict rules, and does not allow a chaotic combination. Otherwise, it’s not a chess arrangement, but a creative mess.

Combined method

In addition to the above methods, their combinations are also used. Usually, the combination is made in the framework of two options. Places of "joints" of different layouts emphasize the contrast seams. The actual horizontal separation of a small room in half with the actual line. To distinguish accent zones against the background of simpler layouts, complex maze, mosaic, seam offset, or modular combinations are used. Often, these areas are decorated with tiles of other colors that contrast with a neutral background solution.

Concepts of modern design

Fashion is in constant motion, static is not peculiar to it, and design, as is known, obeys this capricious lady. In the line of modern styles, ceramic tile plays the role of a luxurious element, rather than a background finish. The laying of fragments of non-standard forms (honeycombs, triangles, circles), the use of surfaces that mimic the texture of natural materials, the use of needlework techniques in the design of the composition are popular. Also in demand are original drawings made in accordance with the principles of minimalism, abstractionism, surrealism. All these options allow not only to emphasize the peculiarities of the stylistic decision of the bathroom, but also to make its interior unique.

Laying with ornament

From tiles of small sizes lay out “pixel” compositions or complex ornaments that “pull” through separate zones. A similar technique is considered a "kaleidoscope", that is, a combination of different patterns and colors on the fragments. Ornament is not advised to make out small bathrooms. It looks more impressive as a reception of zoning in the combined premises.

Laying patchwork

Patchwork - a method of sewing large things (blankets, carpets, pillowcases) of small pieces of various fabrics. In the tile layout, this technique is quite common. However, due to excessive variegation, it is not recommended to arrange the entire wall or floor in a similar way. To the interior of such a finish joined organically, it is used on a separate area of ​​the surface, which will be the accent element in the room. Combine pieces of different colors, sizes and patterns. In some embodiments, the "joints" are decorated with imitation of seams of thread.

Honeycomb styling

Honeycombs - cells that create bees from bees in hives from wax, have become unnoticeably a popular form, which is used to decorate rooms. Tile (often clinker), imitating hexagons, is used in the decoration of the bathroom and kitchen aprons. Usually used fragments of different shades, to create a composition with the effect of gradation. Original look options with the transition from wall to floor. For example, the horizontal surface is decorated with blue and white tiles, and the vertical - black, in which there are "dropped" pieces on top. Also, hundreds of compositions and drawings are created from the cells, but preference is given to the random arrangement of the hexagons.

Imitation parquet and solid wood

Laminate and floorboard in the bathroom do not use. This “gentle” flooring in tough conditions will not last long. In some cases, the interior concept requires the use of only wood. It is easy to find a way out of the situation: purchase tile in the form of tiles with a surface that imitates a woody pattern. The coating is much stronger, not afraid of moisture and aggressive detergents. The range of colors allows you to choose the imitation of any type of wood: from expensive rattan and to the usual pine.

How to draw a layout map

Many believe that creating a styling project is a matter of minutes. To assess the scale of the work, it is enough to take a pencil in hand and get lost, not knowing where to start. It is necessary to draw a floor plan on a clean sheet of paper, the higher its detail, the easier it will be to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the finishing project. Then sign the measurements, which are previously made with the help of roulette. Finish the location of plumbing. Далее стены или пол делят несколькими прямыми горизонтально, вертикально или диагонально в зависимости от будущей раскладки.Evaluate which sector division looks more organic, and erase the extra lines. Then finish the “grid” of the tile on the surfaces. The resulting squares or rectangles are filled with individual colors or draw a rough ornament.

How to count the number of tiles

To begin with, measurements are made of the width and length (height) of the wall or floor that will be lined. Values ​​are multiplied by each other to get the area. If there are “closed” zones (windows or places for finishing with other materials), they are also measured. Then, unnecessary meters are subtracted from the total area. In advance, you need to know the length and width of the tile, which will be used in the decoration. By multiplying these values, calculate its area too. Keep in mind that the accuracy of the seams in the calculations is not taken into account. Then the area of ​​the whole room is divided by the same value of one tile fragment. This results in an approximate number of tiles that will be needed to finish the surface. Do not forget to make a small margin within 5% of the resulting value. If fragments of different sizes are used, then the future composition is conventionally divided into equivalent sectors and calculate their number. For example, with modular styling, two rectangles and one square form a fragment with equal sides. Its area and use as a unit of decoration. In the presence of small inserts, their number usually corresponds to the number of the main tile and is also taken with a margin.

Conclusion

Finishing the bathroom tiles has long been turned into a creative process. “Boring” plain tiles are used less and less, and designers prefer non-standard options that highlight the strengths of the interior and themselves become part of the art composition within the room. The main objective of the material is expressed in the protection of the surface from the effects of the microclimate of the bathroom and the aesthetic appearance of the room. The strength of the tile is not inferior to brick and wood, and a rich assortment allows you to choose the option in accordance with the individual human needs.