Imagine a bathroom or kitchen without wall tiles. The paint or wall paper will be peeling of, more so in the bathroom where moisture is often present floor to ceiling in the form of steam from a hot bath tub or shower. This condenses into water on the walls where it can soak through the paint or paper only to then be absorbed by the plaster. This will soon lead to damp problems and could have a serious effect on the value of your home. It is for this reason alone that tiling the walls of the bathroom and kitchen is of great importance.

Tiles found in the kitchen or bathroom are usually ceramic as they’re relatively cheap and can be manufactured in and endless variety of styles and finishes. However natural stone tiles are becoming increasingly popular due to their natural beauty and their natural hardiness. Both stone and ceramic tiles can be used as both floor and wall tiles, but this does not suggest that all tiles are interchangeable between the floor and the wall. Many tiles designed for the wall are often glazed to give them a smooth and glossy finish. Using such tiles on the floor could be hazardous as their glossy finish could become slippery when wet or when food or grease has been spilt.

There has never been a greater choice of tiles than there is today. Bearing in mind that tiles have been in use since ancient Egypt, it’s amazing that the designers of tiles are still finding new ideas to feed our seemingly insatiable appetite for functional and fresh looking wall coverings. Since their initial creation back in ancient Egypt, tiles have primarily been a decorative feature adorning walls and floors. Their first use as a purely functional building material came with the need for an alternative to thatched roofing when the ceramic roof tile was born in ancient Greece. Glazing was soon discovered and with it, ceramic tiles became an essential feature of Roman bath houses, where the beneficial moisture repelling properties of glazed tiles was immediately apparent.

From that day until this the water repelling properties of glazed ceramic tiles has been constantly in use, and the manufacturing principles have changed little either. The furnaces may have flashing lights and digital displays these days, but the process is almost exactly the same as it was when the Egyptians began decorating their tombs, temples and palaces with their colourful ceramic wall tiles.

Carl Liver

If you interested into looking for some new Wall Tiles then make sure you visit us” We have a great selection including Quartz Tiles.