Saturday, November 15, 2008

Transform Your Boring Old Bathroom With Tiles

By William Scott

Bathroom tiles can transform an ordinary bathroom into a tranquil escape from the everyday hassles of life. Warm colored tiles soothe the soul, bringing a relaxing end to the day. Vibrant colored tiles wake up the mind and body as it prepares to face another day. Mix the two settings together and create a vibrant diamond shaped pattern in the middle of a cool colored tile wall.

First Select The Type

Your choice of bathroom tiles should reflect your personality, but they must also be suitable for their purpose; that is, they must be practical. Ceramic tiles are always a safe choice. They are slip-resistant and easy to clean as they are non-porous.

Another great tile choice for the bathroom is travertine tiles. Finishing surfaces maintain a consistent look that presents a clean design for bathroom walls and floors. Granite tiles have a high wear and tear threshold. Bathroom floors would be well equipped in a slate tile setting due to its anti-slip finishing surface. For a touch of elegance to a bathroom, consider using marble tiles in a floor or wall design. Glass tiles are a great way to create stunning accent pieces around a tiled wall or in a unique mosaic design.

Then Determine The Look

It is important that the color, shape, and size of your tiles are decided upon before the tiling job commences. Small or medium tiles are usually used in smaller bathrooms or for intricate designs around the bath tub, sink, or toilet. Larger tiles can be used to great effect in creating a dramatic look for your bathroom, but should only be used if there are not many cuts that will have to be made.

Tiles can be bought in many different shapes and sizes to suit any bathroom design. Common shapes include squares, hexagons, rectangles, octagons, and triangles. Your choice of color can make a huge difference to the ambiance of your bathroom. White or beige tiles create the feeling of spaciousness. Warm colors promote a welcoming, comfortable feel; while cooler colors promote a more serene, tranquil feel.

Deciding The Layout

Spend some time visualizing the desired end result and draw inspiration from that vision. A simple creation would be to utilize a contrasting grout color with the dominate tile color. Go another direction and use the same color tile and grout color. Only select different size tiles to create a stunning visual effect.

A combination of small hexagon tiles and large square tiles is quite popular. As is the practice of accentuating the main tiles using smaller accent tiles as border pieces. Scattering different colored individual tiles randomly amongst the main tiles is also a very attractive and popular design.

With so many colors, sizes, and types of tile available, it can be overwhelming to pick the perfect pieces for that desired bathroom creation. Bathroom tiles are readily available in virtually any size, shape, and color possible. The only limitations are what the mind can create. - 15359

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