Floor tiles under the stone: the pros and cons

Finishing work is an important stage in the construction and repair of any room, and high-quality and competent finishing on all sides makes the interior stylish and comfortable. Floor tiles under the stone - a great alternative to the coating of natural stone. Like everyone else, this material has its advantages and disadvantages, therefore, before making a choice, it is necessary to become familiar with them.

The tile imitating a natural stone - good material in many parameters. Despite the fact that it is made by human hands, it is not inferior to natural stone in quality, and somewhere even surpasses. This is a reliable material for construction and repair, which, if properly chosen, will serve the owner a long service. You need to be careful when choosing such building materials, because they have their advantages and significant drawbacks.

If we consider a tile that imitates a stone in comparison with a natural stone coating and other finishing materials, we can distinguish the following advantages.

Despite the fact that the tile under the stone due to the similarity with the natural material always looks expensive, it is quite affordable for a person with average incomes.

Also, its installation and subsequent maintenance are cheap compared to capricious natural materials.

The floor that imitates natural stone is good because the design can be matched to absolutely any interior and taste. It will fit into the Scandinavian finish, and minimalist, and even pop art. It is enough to open the catalog of any company to make sure of this.

Tile under the stone - a coating used not only for interior decoration of premises, but also on the street. To do this, there are special types with greater frost resistance, they are also additionally impregnated with water-repellent compounds.

Usually, tiles are laid in the bathroom and in the kitchen, but increasingly, architects and designers are not limited to these rooms. Due to the many positive qualities such coverage is also suitable for the hallway, corridor, balconies and even living rooms.

Even a partial decoration can be beaten so that it will be stylish, and the combination with the rest of the interior will look very interesting.

It is fashionable to arrange cottages, villas and country houses by imitation of natural stone. Finishing this material inside and outside the premises, gardens, paths, and also baths is very popular now.

Residential use of the tile is also not limited. They are widely used in public health institutions (hospitals, clinics), entertainment and entertainment facilities of various kinds (shopping centers, cafes, restaurants, bars, clubs), protected natural areas (parks, zoos, nature reserves), subways and even the most ordinary streets of the city .

Any drawings and ornaments sooner or later go out of fashion and become irrelevant, but the patterns that nature itself painted will never lose their relevance.Like a hundred years ago, a stone in the interior is associated with reliability and prosperity. This helps him and his substitutes not only not to lose popularity, but also to adhere to the first lines in the list of desires of many people. The aesthetic appearance of this tile does not leave people indifferent.

Each stone has a possible color range is limited, but the choice is still there. The surface can be made glossy or matte. A large number of shades gives an almost limitless choice.

The similarity with the natural stone is achieved primarily by drawing. On the tile you can depict not only marble, malachite and basalt, but also the most common stones, up to river or sea pebbles. When choosing a picture, they take into account the purpose and size of the premises, as well as the requirements of the project.

The interior can be made more interesting due to the size and shape of the plates. And most importantly, there are no restrictions. You can do everything that allows fantasy.

Tile - very picky in the care of the material.In case of contamination, it is enough to wipe the surface with a cloth moistened with plain or soapy water. But aggressive chemicals should not be used. The tile has a porous structure, and if it is not impregnated with a water-repellent compound, it will absorb the agent, and subsequently - release it in pairs.

There is a chance to spoil the pattern and the tile itself, if rubbed with brushes (with iron or abrasive coating).

Tile, imitating stone, does not have the ability to absorb odors, dust and dirt. Contaminants will remain on the surface until they are removed.

Modern technologies allow creating light and thin material, which is not inferior in quality to natural analogues. Due to these characteristics, the processing and installation of this material does not require special skills and efforts. Now there is no need for a specialist to lay the tile, since the process is as simple as possible.

When choosing building materials, few people think that they can be hazardous to health.

In the composition of artificial coatings for finishing works are absent, or the toxic substances present in many natural materials are minimized. This will protect you from a number of heavy metals, microscopic dust of various origin, as well as all sorts of radiation, including radioactive. You should not save on your health by buying low-quality materials from dishonest manufacturers.

Tile under the stone produced by many companies. There is a choice both in Russia and among imported products. Very popular tile, brought from abroad. For some reason, it is believed that quality is better abroad, although this is often not the case.

Local modern brands will not sell people of poor quality materials, valuing their reputation and their customers. And personally, to check the quality of materials from another country before buying is available to very few people.

The service life of tile under the stone is quite large for building materials. You do not have to do repairs every 2-4 years, because high-quality tiles can last 30 years in perfect condition.

And if you put a tile on polyurethane glue, then it is safe to say that this combination will last for more than 45 years. So the life of this glue is high.

Man-made materials are good in that they create them for specific needs and endow them with the appropriate qualities.

The surface on which it is necessary to lay a tile can be curved. It does not hurt to find the right option. Of the many plates there are those that are endowed with such properties as flexibility and elasticity.

In the process of selecting the tiles, you must look at the symbols that are applied to the package.

Legend:

• The footprint of the boot means that the tile is designed for the floor, while the palm of the hand is a tile for the walls. Floor tiles are less slippery for safety reasons, and wall tiles are more decorative.
• The image of a snowflake means resistance to low temperatures. This can be used in a room where there is no heating (balconies, loggias) and during finishing work on the porch, terrace, etc.
• Gear wheel or its like - increased wear resistance of tiles, resistance to abrasion. The greater the permeability of the place, the greater the wear resistance required for this room.
• Flames with the numbers "1" or "2" denote the number of tile firing. Twice burned tiles are stronger than once burned.
• The flask indicates resistance to chemically aggressive substances. This tile is not afraid of potent chemicals household chemicals.
• Two identical pictograms on the package indicate the increased quality of this product. A symbol printed twice means a reinforced indicated property.

There are few disadvantages, and not all of them are significant.

• Artificial material. Supporters of natural materials like this tile is unlikely to like simply because it has an artificial origin. This fact itself induces some people to abandon their artificial counterparts and use natural materials, regardless of other factors.
• Slip. This is, of course, a flexible and elastic material, but there is a minus in it. In the case when the tile is smooth and glossy, most often it has a strong slip, regardless of its origin. And this could face serious injuries.To protect yourself, you need to apply or lay additional coating.
• Fakes. Due to the high popularity of the material, a huge number of manufacturers and even more varieties of tiles, there is such a thing as fakes. Manufacturers who save on the material are found here. In addition to the fact of fakes, such firms may call themselves world-famous brands, which increases the risk of buying low-quality products without the possibility of return. In order not to fall for such tricks, buy or order materials in reliable and proven places.
• There is an opportunity to overdo it. Extremes are always bad. If you lay a whole house with tiles, then it will no longer be a cozy cottage, but some kind of medieval castle. If this is not the goal, you must comply with the measure.

The advantages and disadvantages of porcelain stoneware and natural stone, see below.