Understanding Where To Use Certain Tiles

By Author: Anyone carrying out a spot of DIY will often find
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Anyone carrying out a spot of DIY will often find themselves presented with a choice of materials for a particular job. When this happens it is important to know which will be the best choice for your project. Otherwise you may end up kicking yourself once it is complete and it's too late to make any alterations.

A bit of research, therefore, can save you a great deal of time, money and upset. It is always advisable to know exactly which materials are the most suitable before you start work on any job! And here is just a perfect example of this...

Tiles are available in many shapes, sizes, materials, colours and finishes; but which ones are you going to need? Are all of the different ones on offer merely there to give us a great choice? Or does each type of tile have its own specific purpose?

Well, some of it is to do with having a good selection, but ‘specific purpose' most certainly comes into the equation as well... In fact, because some have a particular type of finish, they can actually present a safety risk if they are used in the wrong place! And you would not want to cause any ...
... unnecessary hazards with your handiwork, would you?

For instance, if you were to use a glossy wall tile to cover a floor, then this would be downright dangerous! You may not think that anyone would be silly enough to use wall tiles for their flooring project, but you may just be surprised... People do the most bizarre things in the world of DIY! Obviously (for most of us) a glossy tile will be much more slippery underfoot and it will also be far more susceptible to scratching or chipping!

Likewise, fixing a matt type of tile to bathroom or kitchen walls is not a good idea... True, they will still look okay, but when it comes to wiping them down it will be another matter. A tile with a glossy finish is far easier to keep clean; a damp cloth is normally quite sufficient. And this is why 99.9% of homeowners will go for a shiny, wipe-able glaze.

However, using a matt-finished tile for your walls is not always a complete no-no. If you are trying to create an unusual and interesting effect in an area that does not require constant cleaning, then a matt finish will cause no real problems. Some artistic DIYers will even construct a pattern or mosaic by using a combination of matt and gloss finished tiles!

As you can appreciate, knowing which type of material to use for a DIY project can be very important indeed. Even if you are confident that you know what you are doing, it is always a good idea to double-check! If you are still unsure about which tile to use, then you can soon find out for sure by talking to your supplier. A quick phone call, email or visit to an expert is so much better than getting the whole job wrong!