Large tiles on the floor: advantages and disadvantages

Floor tile is one of the most durable and durable materials. Coatings from it perfectly withstand significant loads, as well as resist moisture. One of the criteria for choosing this product is the size of an individual item. Today, the focus of attention is a large floor tile, which is versatile, has a number of advantages and stands out favorably against the background of familiar counterparts.

The floor tile is an excellent building material, which is used to decorate industrial and domestic premises. Particular attention should be paid to the overall design. According to the classification, large can be called a floor tile, the dimensions of one of the sides of which exceed 40 cm. At the same time, there is no universal standard,allowing to make material only with specific dimensions.

Today on the market there are many options with a variety of parameters:

• 40x60 cm;
• 60x60 cm;
• 59x59 cm;
• 60x90 cm;
• 90x90 cm;
• 60x120 cm

Some manufacturers produce quite large counterparts floor tiles. There are products that can reach 90x150 cm or even 150x300 cm. But they are made mainly in limited quantities and only on order. In mass production, finding them is difficult.

There is another type of large tile, which can be called ceramic parquet. Its distinctive feature is the elongated shape, which resembles a lamella. Many manufacturers put on this product decorative drawings that mimic the structure of wood. Production technologies today allow you to decorate the surface with the desired color and add a unique three-dimensional structure to it. Although outwardly this tile resembles parquet, it remains a cold material.

There are several sizes of this material:

• 15x60 cm;
• 15x90 cm;
• 15x120 cm;
• 20x80 cm

The floor tile perfectly adapts to various conditions, differs in unique design characteristics. This is due to the materials from which this product is obtained. There are several types of these products:

• Ceramic. Get it out of clay by firing and pressing. The material is well resistant to temperature changes, but does not have a large margin of safety. There is an internal and external tile.

• Porcelain tiles. The substance consists of a mixture of clay and small particles of granite. To obtain a tile, the material is pressed with the addition of various binder components. This tile is the most durable, therefore it can be used in various climatic conditions.

• A natural stone. The tile from it is quite expensive, therefore it does not occur so often. This product is distinguished by originality and high technical performance. For this product can use types of granite and marble.

Big tile today is used almost everywhere.

This situation is due to several positive aspects:

• The speed of laying material increases several times.This is due to the fact that the master does not spend time aligning several small elements that could fit in the same area.
• Perfect similarity with a monolithic surface. Often this applies to products on the surface of which there is an imitation of natural stone or decorative plaster. If the tiles are laid correctly, the minimum number of stitches will not distract the eye, the picture of the canvas will be complete.
• Unique design. On the surface of the tile you can put a more beautiful and complete picture. This eliminates the complexity of the selection of elements, if you want to combine them during installation.

Floor tile has all the advantages that are present in any such material:

• Environmental friendliness. The material is completely safe for humans: in its production using only natural ingredients.
• Durability. This parameter depends on the method of installation. If everything is correct, the material will serve for more than a dozen years.
• Fireproof. Ceramic or porcelain tiles can withstand high temperatures (although this can lead to their cracking, but this is not so critical).
• Practicality.The surface of the tile is easy to clean from dirt. It is possible to wash the material with almost any detergent, as it is difficult to damage it (especially for porcelain stoneware, which can tolerate various chemical solutions).
• The tile does not absorb any mixture, therefore it does not cause the spread of unpleasant smells and other similar phenomena. It looks quite nice and expensive, especially if you chose a muted shade to match the overall style of the interior.

The large dimensions of the tiles are not always a convenient solution for arranging the floor covering.

This is due to several drawbacks:

• The complexity of the selection under the dimensions of the room. The optimum size is considered to be a fragment of 30x30 cm. If the dimensions are large, there is a risk of a larger amount of waste.
• Installation of products is possible only on a perfectly flat base. If there are drops on the surface, it will lead to high costs of glue or quick cracking of elements.
• Tile mounting requires great physical effort. This is especially true for items with dimensions of 60x90, 90x90 and 60x120 cm.

Installation of flooring from large elements involves the implementation of the following operations:

• Glue selection. This step is one of the most important. Today, for each variety of floor tiles, there are special compositions. It is desirable to select them depending on the thickness of the product. This is important if you plan to even the floor with glue.
• Preparation of the base. This process involves careful leveling of the surface. Experts recommend forming a drop of no more than 2 mm for every 2 m. Before installation, the floor must be thoroughly cleaned from dust and small debris. For better adhesion to the surface, the surface should be treated with a deep penetration primer.

• Laying. Initially, using a special notched trowel, apply a uniform layer of glue to the floor surface. The thickness of the mixture is selected depending on the particular material.After that, carefully apply the tile to the place of fixation and align. For identical seams use plastic crosses, as well as a rubber mallet and level. It is advisable to work with this product together, as it has a great weight.

How to lay tile on the floor, see the next video.