Tile Designs For Your Bathroom Planning Pattern And Installation
Date Added: December 10, 2007 05:54:42 PM
The first step when taking on this project is to properly plan out the tasks. Doing this up front in a step-by-step fashion will make for a smooth, problem free installation project.
This is not a project that you should rush. Do not skip the planning phase as proper planning is a crucial element to saving time, money and not to mention headaches during installation.
While planning your bathroom tiling project you should start with choosing your tile design and the tile pattern that you want to achieve. When you have that you need to make sure that you have the proper amount of materials and tools for the job.
The patterns in the tile that you can create are limitless. There are numerous amounts of colors and designs to choose from so the patterns are only limited by your imagination. If you can’t find the specific tile you are looking for, there are many manufacturers that will make your special custom design for you.
To get some ideas for tile designs in your bathroom go to Google pictures and do a query for tile designs. There are over a million images to browse which should get your creative juices flowing.
Other than the design, there are two kinds of tiles, porous and non-porous types. If the tile is going into a bathroom design you should choose the non-porous ceramic style.
If you are thinking of tiles that have designs on them and have a smaller bathroom, you should consider going with a smaller sized tile. The designs on the tile will then also be smaller. In a small bath large tiles with designs on them may not suit the size of the space.
When you are using tiles that have plain colors on them the size of the tile is not as important, but you should still try to follow the same basic principal of smaller space = smaller tile or larger space = larger tile.
Here are a couple tile design ideas. You can try tiles of contrasting colors on the floor and walls with a line skirting the wall with the same color as the floor. You can also consider changing the color of the tile on the wall at about chest level to give the bathroom a whole new look. Whatever designs you choose try to use complementary bathroom accessories.
Once you decide on the design you will need to figure out how much materials you need. Take precise measurements of the space that you’re going to tile. At this point you can either calculate out the number of tiles you are going to need on your own or have the representative where you are purchasing the tile assist you.
If you choose to do this yourself make sure to take the size of the tile, space between the tiles and waste factors into consideration. When making the calculations you should consider anything over a half tile as a full tile and anything under a half tile as a half-tile.
For multicolored tile designs, you should calculate each color separately and note them separately.
When you order the tiles do so on the basis of the measurements you have. The tiles come in pre-packed boxes and your supplier will probably not be willing to sell individual tiles. Make sure to take waste into account as some tiles will break during installation and others will need to be cut to fit smaller spaces.
You should have some tiles left over at the end in case you need to make repairs in the future. You can’t always get that same color tile in the future if you need to and you want to make sure that you will have a match when needed.
Always choose the right tools for the job. Unless you have tiled before, the basic tools in your toolbox will probably not be adequate. Tiling takes some special tools that are designed for the tasks that you will need to accomplish.
A few of those tiling tools can be expensive so unless you feel you will get your money’s worth out of them in the future, you should rent those items. That will give you the best tools that you need for the job at a reasonable fee. If you plan it out right you may only need to rent any given tool for a few hours or a day.
Proper planning upfront is how you save costs and make the process smooth and hassle free. Happy tiling!
