Quartz tiles for the floor: the pros and cons

Quartzvinyl flooring is an innovation in the world of building materials used in flooring. A new type of finish quickly became popular because of its ease of installation and durability.

Quartz tiles - a special type of flooring, which is endowed with the qualities of ceramic tiles and linoleum at the same time. Durability and plasticity - this is its main features. Also of particular interest is the structure of the tile, which consists of several layers, connected into a single whole by thermal pressing.

Each building material has its own characteristics of sticking, painting or laying.

Then follows the process of leveling the floor, if necessary.This can be done using an acrylic putty. The main requirement for the surface is perfect smoothness, otherwise all works will be in vain. The humidity of the floor on which the tile is placed should not exceed 5%.

If we talk about the benefits of innovative flooring, then Among them are the following points:

• Increased strength of the material and a high degree of resistance to wear. The big term of operation, the guarantee from the producer makes 15 years.
• The tile is very pleasant to the touch, gives a feeling of warmth and comfort when walking.
• At high temperatures (from 40 to 60 degrees) does not emit substances harmful to the body. That is why it is often used in the process of arranging underfloor heating in the apartment.
• Non-slip and non-absorbent surface, moisture resistant. An ideal floor covering for kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet, the pool.

• Frost resistance allows the use of tiles on the street, for example, on a balcony, veranda or garden path.
• When walking, there are no extraneous sounds that can be heard in the process of walking on the floor, covered with ceramic tiles.
• High chemical inertness and low probability of ignition allow using quartz vinyl coating in garages.
• Resistant to mechanical damage that can be repaired.
• A wide range of texture and material. You can easily pick up a picture that imitates stone, wood, grass, and more.

Each building material has its drawbacks. In quartz vinyl tile they are as follows:

• The coating is laid only on ideally smooth surfaces, otherwise the “wave” effect may occur.
• Increased softness of the material. Because of this, dents or marks from heavy objects can remain on the tile.
• Among the manufacturers of this finishing material are many lesser-known brands. Often there is a low-quality coating that quickly splits and fades in places where the sun's rays fall.

• High price.
• Despite the lack of emission of harmful substances, the tile consists entirely of artificial materials.
• Often there is a mismatch of the pattern.
• The severity of the finishing material: 1m2 weighs about seven kilograms.

If we start from the texture and color palette of the finishing material, it is divided into two groups:

• Flooring in the form of tiles. The square tile is found in different sizes: you can meet 30x30, 60x60 cm, and if it is a rectangular shape, then it is 60x30 cm. The thickness can also be different: from 1.5 mm to 5.5 mm.
• Flooring in the form of dieswhich is similar to laminate. As for the shape of the dies, most often the manufacturers have one size variant - 122x18 cm with a thickness from 2.5 to 5.5 mm.

If we consider the method of installation, the quartz vinyl coating is divided into the following types:

• Finishing material, which is fixed with glue. Glue mounting is a method suitable for square tile.
• Tile with locking joints.
• Quartzvinyl coating with self-adhesive base. From the seamy side, a protective film is carefully removed, under which there is a layer of glue. It is enough just to press the glue side to the floor, and the tile will securely lock in the right place.

If we take into account the erasability of the flooring, it is also divided into classes. For use in the apartment is usually chosen material 31-33 class.

For public places where there is a big cross, you need a tile with a higher wear resistance class - 34-43. In the house, for example, for a hallway, an ideal choice would be a floor, the wear resistance class of which is 34. The same floor covering is also suitable for a water-heated floor in the house.

Quartzvinyl coating consists of five layers:

• The base layer (lowest) is based on PVC (polyvinyl chloride). It ensures reliable adhesion of the tile to the base of the surface.
• Glass fiber (fiberglass) - a layer that performs the reinforcing function.
• The formation, which contains vinyl and quartz (quartz sand). They provide strength and heat insulation to the material.
• The decorative layer, creating texture. As a rule, this is a drawing made using photo printing.
• The last (topmost) polyurethane layer containing aluminum oxide. This oxide prevents various mechanical damage to the tile and eliminates slipping.

In addition to the main components included in all five layers of quartz vinyl tile, several additional components are allowed:

• coloring matter;
• plasticizers;
• stabilizers;
• lubricating components.

Despite its multi-layer, the coating is quite thin - its thickness is about four millimeters.

The production technology of the tile itself belongs to the Japanese, and the leader in production at the moment is Korea. If we talk about the scope of application, then quartzvinyl coating can be used in almost all areas where the air temperature is not lower than -30 and not higher than 60 degrees. If we take into account that quartzvinyl does not contain melamine or phenolic resins that are harmful to the human body, it is recommended to lay tiles on its basis on the floor in children's rooms.

Choosing quartzvinyl coating, it is necessary, first of all, to determine the class of wear resistance of the material. For some rooms, 33-34 will be a sufficient degree, while for other rooms a material will be required, whose wear resistance class is 43.

If you have to choose the tile yourself, then you need to pay attention to brands that are well-established in the building materials market.

These include the following manufacturers:

• Finefloor;
• Vinilam;

• StepClick;
• Aquafloor;

• Armstrong;
• Rikett Flooring;

• Art tile

Among the Chinese manufacturers, Wonderfull Vinul Floor has a good reputation.

Also, when choosing, it is worth paying attention to the method of installation of the coating, to the color gamut and texture of the material, which helps to translate into reality the various non-standard solutions of designers.

Before installing the flooring should be prepared a set of tools, which includes the following accessories:

• pencil;
• roulette;
• marking cord;

• sharp knife;
• metal square;
• putty knife;

• roller;
• sponge;
• construction level.

Stages laying square quartz vinyl tile:

• Before the installation process it is necessary to let the material lie for several days in the room where it will be used.
• Marking. This is done using a conventional coated cord: the surface is divided into four even parts.
• Then you should apply glue and give it half an hour to dry. Glue is applied with a special notched trowel.Laying correctly start from the entrance to the room and move towards the center.
• Control over the styling process should be carried out using previously defined clear lines.

• Laying the tile and fixing it with a pressure roller. At the same time it is necessary to remove excess glue and air bubbles.
• For a tile with a pattern, there are pointers from the manufacturer on the back side in order to understand the sequence of laying.
• Tile must be placed tightly, square to square.
• When the work is fully completed, you need to use a sponge soaked in ethyl alcohol to remove residual glue.

After a small analysis of customer reviews, craftsmen working with quartz vinyl coating, we can conclude that it attracts the consumer, despite the high price segment. This is due to the fact that the tile does not crack, does not fight, even when heavy objects fall on it. Also, customers like the fact that, thanks to a wide range of imitations of textures of various materials, many interesting and unusual options can be found, for example, for marbled, granite,slate or natural wood.

Some people have difficulty laying tiles, but it pays off with many other positive qualities of the flooring. The most sought-after tile shapes are square and rectangle.

A made floor of vinyl and quartz sand based finishing material will give the owner of a house or apartment a reliable flooring for many years that can withstand temperature fluctuations and is not afraid of high humidity. It is enough to care for him.

Tile with a variety of different decors fits perfectly into any designer fantasies, where mixing of different styles and trends is allowed.

Most often used quartz vinyl coating in bathrooms. The style is usually chosen according to the finish of the walls. The tile imitating marble beautifully looks.

Large rooms and living rooms are rooms where tile looks good with imitation of natural wood.

For the kitchen, especially if it is spacious and light, a tile that imitates some kind of stone is suitable. If the interior is dominated by classic style or modern, then the texture of the wood on the floor will look beautiful.Modern style suggests the floor, laid out in two colors of tiles, for example, black and white.

For the children's room, you can pick up the juicy colors of the tiles, laying out some pattern that will lift the mood of the child.

Indoors can create a tile of deep brown tones, and to visually increase the space in the room beige or dairy tiles would look perfect.

Today the combination of the following shades in floor covering is very important:

• yellow;
• pink;
• orange;
• red.

To create a non-standard and individual style in the interior, designers propose the division of the floor into color zones. This is especially beautiful in studio apartments.

For a cozy home environment suitable cover with the texture of wood or other wood in a more soothing colors. For hallways and corridors suitable floors, decorated with ornaments.

If we talk about specific styles in the interior, then:

• The loft style is a floor in the form of a solid solid fabric imitating a stone.
• The hi-tech style is a solid floor with tiles reflecting the light of the lamps. The combination of a matte tile and glossy is allowed.

• Scandinavian style is a complete dominance of white.
• Non-standard solutions or mixing of styles is black gloss or 4-5 colors at the same time.

How to lay quartz tiles, you will learn from the following video.