Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Sep 21, 2009 8:11 pm Ok now that we have decided to go with tiles downstairs (previously we were only having tiled bathrooms) what is all the lingo regarding tiles? I have absolutley no clue about tiles, what's good what's not. I have been doing a search and words like 'honed', 'filled & honed', 'vitrified' ect ect. I have no idea what any of them mean, what's should I be looking/asking for. Also what are the best types, I have seen some Travertine tiles that I love are they good?? I am wanting something in the beige range, also I want to be able to continue the same tile into the bathrooms and up the bathroom walls (same tile on floor & wall). Thanks for all your help ____________________________ Bec ____________________________ Building our Balinese Resort Inspired Dream Home Blog ~ http://hagarshouse.blogspot.com/ Re: Tiles, what do I need to know 2Sep 21, 2009 9:03 pm Just thought I would answer even though I am not totally up with the lingo myself we just picked what we liked and words didn't come into it honestly. I know there will be a tile expert here somewhere Re: Tiles, what do I need to know 3Sep 21, 2009 9:20 pm Ok, so you have Porcelain, Ceramic, and natural stone. Difference between Porcelain and Ceramic is the fineness of the clay and the temp they fire them at. Porcelain are better, with a smoother finish and stronger body. Within the Porcelain range, you have glazed and full bodied. Glazed is a colour added to the surface of the tile, full bodied has the colour go all the way through. You get more subtle colour variation in a full bodied, and the pattern is different on every one. Also, if it chips its not as noticeable as the body is the same colour as the surface Then you have honed (natural) or polished. Honed is the natural, rougher surface, has a better grip rating and is not a porous. Polished is polished, they cut the surface of the tile and buff it. Problem with this is that it opens up all the tiny air bubbles in the surface for dirt and stains to get into. You will need to seal them, and continue sealing them their whole life, but this is easy to do. Some come factory sealed. Then you have natural stone, which is made of natural stone Travertine is one of these. Its similar to limestone and is softer and much more porous than tiles. Look fantastic but high maintenance. You can get some porcelain tiles that look similar and are much more user friendly. Ceramics are good if you want flat solid colours, particularly your white wall tiles and things. The patterns on the floor tiles and things are always printed, you if you look closely you can actually see pixelation for the printing process. You can get cushion edge of fully rectified, cushion edges curve down, rectified have a sharp square edge. Rectified is more expensive to lay as they need to floor levels exact. There is much more to tiles but this gives you the basics. Hope it helps! Built with Bentley homes in Doreen All moved in Dec 2009 Now for the garden! Our stuff so far viewtopic.php?f=31&t=16532 Re: Tiles, what do I need to know 4Sep 21, 2009 9:46 pm Lostris that was very helpful, it's given me a great starting point ____________________________ Bec ____________________________ Building our Balinese Resort Inspired Dream Home Blog ~ http://hagarshouse.blogspot.com/ Re: Tiles, what do I need to know 5Dec 04, 2009 2:37 pm Are granite and marble tiles also very porous and high maintenance? What about the price difference between all the different types? And laying costs? How do they differ? Re: Tiles, what do I need to know 6Dec 04, 2009 7:11 pm And what about French Limestone? How does that compare to other tile types? Levelling compound Ardit is the best but buy a bag of sand and make sand dam to protect your wood floor 2 15253 I had an old shower unit that broke on me and when I took it off, there were only 2 water pipes, instead of the normal 2 water pipes and a shower head pipe. S o I… 0 36939 The most definitive answer to your question James is this taken from the James Hardie Axon Cladding Installation Guide - i just happen to have it… 5 3667 |