Ceramic wall tile

The bathroom was once called the wash closet. It became a standard room in homes during the end of the 19th century. They were built strictly for function and had an antiseptic quality. For the most part they used white surfaces because it was considered sterile. Around 1930 the Deco Style Era introduced a new style in interior decor. It was known for its shapes, patterns as well as vivid colors. Ceramic and glass tiles started appearing in bathrooms of newly built homes. The glazes that were used back then had a thinner consistency than the glazes of today. This created a flat surface unlike the tile in our modern bathrooms that have a slight bevel.

For today�s life style the bathroom is a place for relaxation and pleasure. We are spending longer amounts of time in this room to pamper ourselves. Every day we clean our bodies which helps to ignite our energy and enlighten our spirits for the day ahead.

The bathroom has become our personal sanctuary and should be treated with special touches. With the many options that exist you can add elements of comfort, softness, radiance and sophistication.

For most home owners the bathroom is a fun place to start a decorating project. The bathroom is usually the smallest room of the house and the easiest to make over for the novice. Even if you have zero tile experience this project can be accomplished over a weekend. If you do not have the do-it-yourself attitude there are many contractors just waiting for you to call.

Ceramic tile designs

Good bathroom tile design should create a floor surface that is attractive, water resistant and safe to walk on. Bathroom tile designs using ceramic tile, rubber flooring or vinyl and linoleum floors are all examples of bathroom tile design material choices that should be available nearly anywhere.

These types of tiles are easy to clean, water resistant and safe to walk on. If you are going to use natural stone or terra-cotta ceramic tiles on your floors to create a more sophisticated effect, make sure you buy the kind with a non-slip finish.

As you consider which bathroom tile designs to select, each type of tile will have unique properties that may or may not provide characteristics that are good for your bathroom. Here are different material types for bathroom tile design along with advantages or disadvantages of each:

1. Laminate and Vinyl Bathroom Tile Design - these types of tile in bathroom tile designs can be found in a variety of colors, patterns and textures. Some tiles even imitate wood, stone and ceramic. It is not very expensive, is water resistant, easy to install and clean and it is durable.

2. Ceramic Bathroom Tile Design - ceramic tile can range from fairly cheap to expensive and it is the classic choice. Tile is made of clay, shale or porcelain and is formed and fired at very high temperatures until it hardens. The higher the temperature and the more times the tile is fired, the harder and less porous the tile. If you are using a white or cream ceramic tile for your bathroom, using a different color grout like "blue" will give your bathroom a dramatic look. Grout is the material used to fill the spaces between the tiles. Make sure you apply sealers to grout lines in areas of heavy wear like countertops. Sealers will also preserve grout colors.

Installing ceramic tile

Installing a custom ceramic tile shower in your home is something a do it yourself homeowner can do with a little upfront knowledge. The most important aspect of a successful custom ceramic tile shower installation is properly installing a shower pan membrane liner. The shower pan membrane liner is used to ensure a leak-proof shower.

Shower pan membrane liners are used to funnel any water that seeps through the floor or wall grout to the shower drain below. The shower pan membrane liner is made up of a flexible type of plastic material that sits below a bed of mortar, and the tile, in the shower floor area.

Prior to installing the shower pan membrane liner, the floor of the shower needs to be pre-sloped to ensure that the water will flow towards the shower drain assembly. The pre-slope is accomplished by applying a layer of mortar to the floor of the shower unit area. The layer of mortar is troweled in such as way as to create a gentle slope from the shower wall edges to the center of the shower where the drain resides.

Once the pre-slope mortar has cured, the flexible shower pan membrane liner can then be installed. There are a couple of types of shower pan membrane liners on the market, with each having their own benefits.

ceramic tile installation

If laying ceramic tiles is totally new to you, "5 Steps to complete a successful ceramic tile installation" is a set of basic but important tips that you will help you avoid making costly mistakes on your next bathroom or ceramic tile installation.

" Plan which Tile
" Shop around if you want to save
" Prepare the surface for a long lasting job
" Lay the tiles
" Finishing touches

Plan which Tile

This step is often underestimated and sometimes even forgotten (can you believe it?). Planning your ceramic tile installation from A to Z is probably one of the most important steps for a smooth, easy going and problem free bathroom tile installation.

Some things to take in account are;

" Suitability of the tile
" Pattern /colour of the tile
" Size of the tile
" Size of the area to be tiled. (This is important data that will be vital to know how much tile, grout, etc, you have to buy)
" Adhesive, mortar or grout to suit your needs

Not all ceramic tile installations are the same, different tiling installations may require different mortar or grout. DO NOT feel shy about asking the suppliers for advice or help in calculating how much you need. They will gladly help you, as they are likely to make a sale.

Ceramic tile patterns

A casting pattern is basically a shaped form of either metal or wood where sand is packed around it in the mold. When this pattern is removed, the resulting cavity would be exactly the shape of the pattern object that was to be cast. The casting pattern should however be designed in order to be easily removed without any damage done to the mold. The pattern should be also be perfectly dimensioned and should be very durable for the intended use. The patterns that are used in sand casting can be made of plastic, metal, wood or any other material. The casting patterns are made to the right standards of construction this is basically because they can last for a reasonable time. The durability of the pattern would however depend according to the quality of grade in the casting pattern. If the pattern is made of right quality then they would be constantly providing dimensionally perfect casting patterns.

The process: The process of making casting patterns is actually called as pattern making which is in fact a skilled trade which is related to the trades of die and tool making and mold making. However this also sometimes incorporates the elements of fine wood making. The makers of casting patterns basically learn their pattern making skills through trade schools and apprenticeships over a number of years of experience. There is also an engineer who a few times helps in making the casting patterns but in fact it is the pattern maker who carries out the design.

Bathroom ceramic tile

Some things you need to know

Types of Ceramic Flooring Bathroom Tile Designs

Typically ceramic tile is divided into two types. One is called quarry tile and is made by extrusion from shale or clay that is found in quarries. The other is made from compressing the dust of clay. Both are fairly equal in their look and feel and each are equally represented in wall tile, mosaic tile, and floor bathroom tile designs.

- Quarry tile is a clay ceramic bathroom tile design the lets the natural clay colors stay intact. The color of these flooring tiles comes from the mixture of different clays used as well as the level of heat used to bake them. Unglazed, these tiles are porous and make a great floor because it is very slip resistant.

- Glazed tiles are available in a number of finishes. The ones you want to choose for your bathroom tile design is are the matte or non-slip rough finish. These tiles come in a very high gloss finish as well but these can become quite slippery when wet and not a great choice for floors. If you do want the high gloss appeal, it would be okay to place them around the border of the floor simply for a nice accent.

- Porcelain tile - most people don't know this but porcelain tiles are simply ceramic tile that has been baked at much higher temperatures. This effect makes this type of bathroom tile design extremely good for busy areas of your home like the bathroom. The reason is that they are much harder and more durable that regular ceramic tile making them a great choice for bathroom floors.

Modern Tiles for kitchen

When you talk about renovating or remodeling one area of or the entire house, the term glass subway tile is often mentioned. This is because the popularity of glass tiles has increased throughout the years. It has become a favorite of interior designers in creating innovative design styles for the home. If you want to find out more about them, specifically how to use them to create a fresh look for your kitchen, then this is the article for you.
Many people wonder if glass subway tiles can really be used for decorating purposes, considering they’re breakable and seemingly unsuitable to be played around with. The kitchen is one of the very few places in this world where you can be yourself. In it, you can cook up a storm, dish out secrets with friends, hang out with the family, or enjoy solitude while whipping out a meal or reading the paper bathroom should be an expression of who you really are; it should be a celebration of your tastes and preferences. 

Ceramic tile floor

While carpets, vinyl and laminates are fine, for a beautiful looking floor you should consider installing a ceramic tile floor. Learning how to install ceramic floor tile can be a fun project, especially for people who love the do it yourself jobs at home. The history of ceramic goes back over thousands of years and it is a very old craft that humans have been doing for a centuries.

Installing a ceramic tile floor does not take a very long time and if you ask a professional ceramic layer, they can tell you that the process of preparing an area is very important, which is why it is the longest part of the project. Make a plan and cut the pieces before you begin the task of installing ceramic tile floor. It can be frustrating at times but after you learn how to install ceramic floor tile, the job will be much easier and the finished results will look spectacular.

The first thing that you should do before installing ceramic tile floor is to remove every item and furniture that you possibly can. You want the room cleared completely so that you can have access to the entire floor. If you are tiling the kitchen floor, all of the standing appliances will need to go and this includes the stove, refrigerator, dishwasher and oven.

ceramic tile flooring

Well, are you planning to redo your home flooring at affordable price? If yes, then you can make the best of discontinued ceramic tile that will provide you cheap provision of flooring. Tile flooring is easy to maintain and gives a good visual appeal in comparison of plain looking floor or carpeted floor that looks messy after some period of time for quite a while.

Ceramic tiles are wonderful option for cost efficient bargain that will make sure that your home gets a good make over. However, before going for discontinued ceramic tile, check thoroughly the durability of tiles so that it is able to stay for longer duration of time with its exquisite finish. While going for discontinued ceramic tile, make your preferences clear about the kind of ceramic tiles you are looking for. This will give you a good idea and a correct cost estimate.

In order to choose such perfect ceramic tile, check nearby local hardware store. If you are not able to locate such a service provider, you can use Internet that will help you in locating the requisite service provider that can be a wholesale supplier.

Ceramic wall tiles

Ceramic tile is nothing new. It has actually been in use for centuries and is one of the more beautiful additions a person can make to their home. Ceramic tiles are available in many colors, patters and even textures if you are looking for something truly unique. Today's ceramic tiles can be made to look identical in every way to more expensive products like stone and slate. Ceramic tile is usually glazed and looks great in the kitchen or bathroom.

A ceramic tile basically starts out as two simple elements, water and clay. Different types of clay are first ground into a fine powdered and then mixed together. The powdered is then compressed until it forms the body of the tile. Moisture content is reduced through a drying process and then the glaze is applied. The tile is then fired in a kiln at around 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, which fuses the glaze to the surface. During the firing process the glaze takes on a glass like texture.

In addition to ceramic, porcelain can be used to make a very dense, moisture resistant and durable tile. Porcelain unlike many other types of tile can be used as flooring in heavy traffic areas for many years without showing signs of wear.

Ceramic kitchen tiles

Today’s woman is multi talented. She tackles all her responsibilities very efficiently. She is a caring mother, a loving wife and a successful professional. When it comes to kitchen then her skills work wonders. She handles her kitchen tasks effortlessly with the right appliances. Food processor and blender is one of the major appliances which help a lady to finish up her cooking with less time. Food processor is used by all. The chefs in the restaurants also finish their job easily using a food processor.

There are many functions a blender can handle amazingly perfect, like the blending, kneading, shredding, slicing, grating etc. even kids can handle it easily. Today’s food processors come with smart control and complete range of high quality devices which can easily finish all the jobs efficiently. Their stainless steel attachments help to finish any job easily ensuring perfect results.

Now making large quantities of fruit juice and healthy drinks from all kinds of vegetables is not far. My children love eating potato wafers. I don’t have to run now and then to the market for the wafers. I prepare fresh potato wafers for them at home whenever they want to eat. My daughter loves ice-creams.

Ceramic tiles

Ceramic tiles are extremely popular today because they are extremely easy to maintain, very cost effective over a long term and they look great. However, they are also more expensive to install although most people tend to look to the lifetime savings they will have when using them. So what exactly is the history of the ceramic tile?

Tiles are wondrous and have a very long history going back to as far as ancient Egypt nearly 6000 years ago in 4000 BC. It is said that tiles are the simplest, oldest form of ceramic art and throughout history tiles were made by many cultures including the Babylonians, The Islamic Empire and the Assyrians. Early tiles can be seen in Tunisia, Kashan Iran and many varied middle-eastern mosques display Koranic scripts using highly colored relief tiles from around the 12th century onwards.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, many of Europe's Churches were paved with decorated tiles and Holland even became an important center for the trade of tiles in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 19th century – Britain itself became added even more prestige for their methods of mass-producing tiles.

ceramic floor tiles

Ceramic tiles are special. It's not just because of the fact that they generally make better flooring than carpets or wood, it's no that they keep you cool in very hot summers. There is more to ceramic tiles than what is usually let on.

Ceramic tiles have a long and illustrious history – nearly as long as civilization itself. The first tiles used that have been found are roof tiles dating from 6000 years in 4000 BC. In the Early Helladic House the Tiles, fired terracotta roof tiles has been found at the site in Lerna, Greece. In the Mycenaean Period, roof tiles were documented for Gla and Medea. The Chinese also had ceramic artwork, but they never used tiles in the way that the Europeans or the Middle Eastern nations did.

The Dutch style, otherwise know as the Delft Style of ceramic floor tile making was started in a Dutch town called Delft in 1544. In 50 years, the craftsmanship became so popular and world renowned that the Dutch prospered immensely from it. However, with increased popularity, there was a commensurate increase in competition and the Dutch floundered – all that remained was their style, which slowly changed due to Chinese influence into the blue and white ceramic glazed tiles that we know today.

Decorative ceramic tiles

Ceramic Tile brings a texture, richness and color to a room that Linoleum has yet to truly mimic. Tile floors can be installed in any room, however they are most frequently seen in Bathrooms and Kitchens. I particularly like them in entryways, where they serve as a transition point from the outside to large carpeted or hardwood floored rooms. They make for easy clean up and are impervious to water damage.

Tile Types

Ceramic tiles come in two basic types. Glazed and Porcelain. Glazed holds up the best for heavy traffic areas and porcelain works well in bathrooms. Porcelain is typically more expensive, so consider your budget and the size of the area you want to tile. Tiles also come in many shapes and sizes. For flooring, however, I would suggest using larger tiles up to 12” x 12”.

Underlayment

For proper installation the base foundation or the underlayment is critical. Typically it consists of ¾” to 1 ¼” of plywood. Tiling over Linoleum or existing tile is also feasible, as long as it is solid. I also recommend when Tiling over Linoleum that you first apply ring nails or screws 6” on center over the entire area. Tiles can also be installed directly over Concrete. Make sure in all cases that the floor is level and free of dust and debris prior to installation. There are leveling compounds that you can apply before applying tile if necessary.

Ceramic tile

Ceramic tile is made from natural materials that with heat were turned into a home improvement supply that emanates not only with that versatile appeal but with lasting durability as well. Fired at high temperatures, clay and a combination of minerals are turned into a hard substance that may be glazed or left untreated. When thinking of what to integrate into just any remodeling project, ceramic tile can do just great and can superbly complement with the renewed functionality and beauty of your New York home. So whether you are in Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Brooklyn or Staten Island it pays to consider what this material has got to offer.

Ceramic tile makes up for a flexible choice in terms of design and function. Products come in a very wide variety of styles from stripes, geometric, floral, to delightfully complicated mosaics or just anything that could easily capture your imagination. It offers a good selection when it comes to sizes and shapes and so much more when it comes to color-coming in every color of the rainbow and almost all shades in between. Extraordinarily, it comes in various sets of qualities making it ideal to use as roofing, wall tile, countertop or decorative tilework material.

Bathroom ceramic tiles

Everyone has gotten into the craze of ceramic tiles lately. This is what they want on their floors, walls, and especially the bathroom area. When it comes to shopping for the type that you want installed, prepare yourself to be overwhelmed. The different types and manufacturers will astound you.

These tiles are available in a wide variety of sizes. From one inch to twenty-four square, the one you decide to use remains a personal preference. The one that is what most people choose is the twelve inch by eighteen. You may as well be prepared to spend a generous amount of time when it comes to choosing the style that you will finally end up with on your floors.

If you are thinking of re-doing a kitchen or living room the look that you will want to achieve will dictate what your choice of ceramic tiles will be. Do you want the room to have a warm and inviting look or are you going for the cool and sophisticated look? If the warm look is what you want, try choosing a stone tile that looks natural.