Tiles: Classic Floor and Wall Coverings

For thousands of years, tiles have become a tried and tested form of surface covering, decorating floors and walls throughout homes and places of business. Tiles can be installed to provide a uniform colour, or differing colours can be utilised to provide a variety of patterns.

When referring to tiles,most people tend to think of ceramics, but tiles are now made from a number of different materials:

natural stone
glass
cork
metal
wood
carpet
vinyl
plastic
cement

Natural stone tiles have become much more popular in recent times, due to the introduction of automated production techniques, together with the availability of surface treatments that enhance the practicability of the stone.

Glass tiles can interact with light to provide visual interest and colour that has real depth. They are often used as an accent tile, as part of a border or within a mosaic pattern, enhancing the overall design. Glass tiles are totally waterproof and highly resistant to scratching.

Cork tiles are not as common as they once were, but they display many unique properties that lend themselves to use in bathrooms. They provide a reasonable degree of insulation for both heat and noise, a soft surface that is very resilient and water resilient, together with a warm underfoot feeling. Tiles made from this extraordinary natural material are likely to have some slight variation in colour.

Modern alternative wall and floor coverings have been available for some time. However, tiles still appear to be as popular as ever and are the first choice for many rooms, particularly bathrooms and kitchens. Many of the waterproofed wall panels now available are styled to simulate tile or mosaic effects and vinyl flooring will quite often be designed to give the appearance of a tiled floor.

Although carpet tiles can be an ideal choice as a warmer covering in a bathroom, they are not they are problematic in areas that get splashed as they can retain water, even when protected by a special bath mat. A major advantage of carpet tiles over regular carpet is that any tiles that get dirty or damaged can easily be removed and either cleaned or replaced with a spare tile.

Bathroom vinyl provides a continuous waterproof membrane for a bathroom floor, but vinyl tiles do not. However they are easier to lay than a large, one piece vinyl floor. Either type of vinyl will require the underlying floor to be perfectly flat and smooth, otherwise any imperfections will show through to the surface.

To order your free sample from the comprehensive range of high quality natural stone and ceramic tiles, go to UK Tiles.