Flooring gains growing
importance in construction
| The flooring market today is dominated by porcelain tiles. Builders
say a majority of their clients prefer them over marble, granite or
mosaic, writes KARTHIK MADHAVAN |
File Photos
Good market: Laying tiles is easier and faster than laying marble or mosaic.
They have become fashionable.
Gone are the days when it did not matter what you walked on
inside your house.
Members of the past two generations were content with walking on cement, and
subsequently on red-oxide floors. But things have changed today. People consider
flooring to be as important as overall architecture, woodwork and paint.
Good flooring
“Flooring has come to occupy a prominent position because it is visible
unlike brick or cement, which is hidden, and is for everybody to see. So, buyers
pay a great deal of attention to have good flooring,” says R. Mohanraj of New
Premier Constructions and State secretary of the Federation of Civil
Engineers’ Associations of Tamil Nadu.
Branded tiles
Dominating today’s flooring market are porcelain tiles.
“Customers prefer tiles because, firstly, they come in a variety of designs;
secondly, branded tiles are available, assuring customers of good quality; and
thirdly, are easy to lay co mpared to mosaic, granite or marble," says M.
Jaganathan of Sree Kumaran Promoters.
Builders say a majority of their clients prefer tiles to marble, granite and
mosaic.
They attribute the surge in demand for tiles to technological development.
“Today vitrified and rectified tiles offer the kind of finish customers
demand and perhaps no other flooring material offers,” says Mr. Jaganathan.
Size
This has to do with the size of tiles as well. While average tile size today
is 2X2 feet, the popular size is 3X3. Odd sizes like 4X6 are also available,
though.
Customers, builders say, prefer bigger tiles because the number of joints is
less, grooves between tiles are not so visible, giving a complete look. And
maintenance becomes easier.
Ready within 12 hours
As regards laying time, tiles are the quickest. “Tiles-laying does not take
up much time like marble or mosaic. And, it will be ready to use within 12 hours
of laying,” Mr. Jaganathan points out.
While marble requires very careful laying to ensure even surface and absence
of air bubbles, mosaic consumes time for laying as well as polishing.
Given the shortage of labour the builders face, they say they go in for
tiles.
Rock product
“Irrespective of the truth in it, people have come to believe that granite
being a rock product, should be used only in temples and not houses,” says Mr.
Jaganathan.
As for marble, Mr. Mohanraj says, “The fear of leg pain has gripped people
and holds them back from buying marble.”
Well-built house
He, however, recommends marble to those who wish to have a well-built house.
The builders see a good market for tiles in the years to come, though wooden
flooring has entered the market.
“People, especially those from the affluent sections of society, use wooden
flooring, but not for the entire house. They use it only in home theatre rooms
to have good acoustics and perhaps in the room of the chairman or managing
director of a company. This limited use has to do with the cost," says Mr.
Mohanraj.
Mostly imported, wooden floor tiles, which like porcelain tiles can be
removed and re-laid as they come with inter-locking facility, sell for between
Rs. 110 to Rs. 400 a sq ft.
Courtesy:
Property Plus, The Hindu
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Choosing the right tile for
your dream home
| Pay attention to performance and safety while choosing
tiles. |
Photo: Mahesh Harilal
FOR A FIRM FOOTING: Give some thought while choosing tiles.
Tiles continue to grow in popularity as a floor covering,
with good reason. Some of the reasons for using ceramic tiles are:
Tiles have a natural, handcrafted look that's durable and are
easy to take care of.
Tiles work well in areas with high foot traffic, and are
especially suited to areas where water and dirt enter the house.
Design patterns are limitless when using all of the possible
combinations of size, texture and colour.
You can further expand your creative toolbox with
hand-painted tiles and coloured grouts.
By combining various geometric layouts and numerous trim
tiles your design options are practically limitless.
First, will the ceramic tiles be glazed or unglazed? Will the
stone tiles be polished or unpolished? These questions can be answered by the
design requirements, personal taste, and the desired function of the finished
surface. Generally, glazed or polished surfaces are easier to clean than
unglazed, unpolished surfaces.
However for good performance and safety one should look at
the following aspects.
Parameters
Entryways need a hard, abrasion-resistant, moisture-proof
tile. Baths require moisture-proof non-slip material. Slip-resistant tiles are
treated with an abrasive material to "rough up" the smooth surface for safety.
Some tiles are rated for indoor or outdoor use only; others can be used either
way. Pay closer attention to the ratings test that measures the percentage of
water absorbed, or porosity. A tile's porosity is critical, especially when
choosing tiles for kitchens and baths, since these areas need moisture-proof
flooring. Porous tiles should not be used outdoors where cold weather produces
freeze/thaw cycles. The classifications for the porosity of a tile are:
impervious (least absorbent), vitreous, semi-vitreous, and non-vitreous (most
absorbent).
Hardness
All tiles feel hard, but some types of tile are actually
harder than others. A tile is rated by a series of standardised tests. The tests
evaluate a tile's relative hardness (the Moh scale), its ability to stand up to
wear.
Slip resistance and abrasion resistance is always a factor in
floor tiles. These factors are somewhat flexible in residential applications.
However, the use of a "wall tile" on a floor is not recommended. A tile with
good breaking-flexural strength should be used.
It is very interesting that some polished stone tiles have
incredibly high slip resistance when dry. Polished stone or ceramic tiles can be
very slippery when wet.
Deep
fissures
Also with stone or ceramic, deep fissures, crevices, or voids
in the tiles surface can mean more time spent in keeping the floor clean.
If the floor is exposed to food acids or other acidic
chemicals, then stone or ceramic tiles vulnerable to such attack should be
avoided. An example would be polished marble on a kitchen floor.
Slip resistance and abrasion resistance is critical in these
installations. Many other recommendations can be made, such as high impact
resistance, breaking-flexural strength, and generally a tile with the durable
requirements for the intended installation.
Falls in the workplace are the number one preventable loss
type; in public places like airports falls are the leading cause of injury.
Surface finish, or texture, can be viewed from two very
different perspectives. From the manufacturer's point of view, texture is a
result of the manufacturing process.
By altering the process, the texture can be changed. From the
designer's point of view, surface finish is a condition that affects the
functionality of the tile to which it applies.
By changing the surface finish specification, the tile's
functionality can be altered— and hopefully, improved.
Slip
resistance rating
The first step is to understand slip-resistance measurement
and the standards that govern it. Slip-resistance rating ranges from a minimum
of zero to a maximum of one. Slips, trips and falls on level ground consistently
account for a large number of injuries in workplace areas. Modern ceramic
materials and finely polished stones make the floor attractive and easy to
clean. It is our duty to make them safe.
A.R. SANTHAKUMAR
Courtesy: The Hindu - Property Plus
When you decide it is time to redo your flooring, there are many flooring
types to consider. Ceramic tile is a great choice, and is available in many
different sizes, textures, and colors. It is also an economical choice.
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Ceramic Tiles - some relevant points
This type of flooring is available in sizes anywhere from one square inch to
eighteen square inches. The very small, one square inch size is great for very
high traffic and moisture prone areas, like swimming pools. The largest tiles
aren’t the best choice for high traffic areas, but they are very popular for
creating a vast, open feel. Ceramic tile is also available in a huge variety of
designs, textures, and colors. Ceramic tile is the most waterproof of all tile
types. Ceramic tiles are thin and dense, and can be glazed, matte, embossed,
textured, and anti slip.
Why Tile?
Tile has a very nice hand crafted look, and is easy to care for. Tile is good
for high traffic areas, especially entry ways. Tile can be laid in different
patterns, allowing limitless creativity.
How is It Made?
Ceramic tile is made from clay, and/or other minerals, and material is fired
in a kiln. Then clay tiles are treated in one of two ways: glazed or unglazed.
Glazed tile has color added to it after firing, and allows for brighter colors,
and increased stain resistance. These tiles are usually used on walls and
countertops, because they have a very slick and glassy surface. Unglazed tiles
are sometimes referred to as quarry tiles. The pigment and color in these tiles
is natural, and these tiles must be sealed for stain resistance.
When you visit a local home store or flooring store or outlet, you will see
that there are endless possibilities when you choose ceramic tile. You can get
ceramic tiles in nearly any color you desire, even designs that look just like
natural stone!
Courtesy: Flooring-Online
http://flooring-online.web.com/Ceramic-Tiles.html
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Tips on selection of Bathroom Floor Tiles
(Courtesy: Ezine Articles - http://ezinearticles.com/?Bathroom-Tile-Ideas-for-Bathroom-Floor-Tile&id=139636)
Bathroom tile ideas for bathroom floor tile can help you know what options to
consider for your bathroom. Bathroom tile comes in a variety of shapes, sizes,
patterns and textures and they are the basis for any bathroom design. Bathroom
tile ideas can help you have the very best bathroom possible.
Ceramic bathroom floor tile is often used because of its durability,
resistance to dampness, its safety to walk on when wet and its ease of cleaning.
If you select ceramic tiles for your bathroom, consider using a tile that has a
slip-resistant surface for bathroom safety, which is one of the best bathroom
tile ideas. If you buy and install unglazed tiles, they will need to be washed
frequently because they absorb stains quite easily. Bathroom floor tile shapes
can be squares, rectangles, hexagons and octagons while accent pieces can be
narrow and small diamond-shaped.
Here are bathroom tile ideas for bathroom floor tile:
1 - If you use solid color ceramic bathroom floor tile in your bathroom, you
can add tile borders of a different color to the tile floor, or you can create a
border by alternating different colors. This kind of visual treatment can create
a more interesting bathroom floor.
2 - When using the same color ceramic tile for the floors and walls, choose a
different tile size for the walls or lay the wall tiles diagonally to create a
more interesting visual effect.
3 - Another of the bathroom tile ideas is to choose a grout color that
contrasts with the ceramic tile color. For example, if you are using white
tiles, you could use blue, red or yellow grout for contrast. Be sure and apply
sealers to grout lines in areas of heavy wear since sealers will protect and
preserve grout colors.
4 - If your favorite color for a bathroom is pink, for example, add a few
pink decorative tiles for the walls or use shapes, textures and borders to give
it some visual interest. Select some rows of the walls where you can also use
some of the pink tiles placed diagonally.
5 - To give your bathroom a contemporary style and look, consider using
bright and bold colors with shapes or graphics against plain backgrounds.
Contemporary style accessories and fixtures will further provide a
modern-looking bathroom.
6 - If you are trying to have a romantic or Victorian look in your bathroom,
use floral tiles in soft colors like pink, light green or light blue plus
handpainted ceramic sinks and perhaps a wooden floor.
7 - For a Mediterranean bathroom look, mix terra-cotta tiles with Mexican or
other hand-painted tiles for the floors. For the countertop perhaps mix the
hand-painted tiles with another plain color tile.
Bathroom tile ideas and tile color are important since color can greatly
affect your mood -- making you feel calm or energizing you. Warm colors like
peach and yellow are fun, they make the bathroom feel cozier and they go well
with a more country looking bathroom decor. If you use neutral colors like
beiges or whites, they will make the room look larger, they will reflect light
and they are always in style. Colors like blue, green and violet are viewed as
serene or cool colors. Brighter colors like black or red add drama to the decor,
absorb light and will make the room appear smaller. In rooms with plenty of
windows and natural lighting, consider using darker tiles to offset the ambient
lighting. You can also work in colors you want through the use of accent tiles
and accessories.
Have fun as you select the styles, colors, patterns and sizes of bathroom
floor tile and related details for your bathroom. You'll want your bathroom to
be a fun, cozy room to spend time in and the bathroom floor tile used can help
create that kind of atmosphere. Use bathroom tile ideas to help you have that
special bathroom that you can enjoy every day.
