Category: All About Tiles
Career Mentoring
ASA Tiles has always been active in nurturing new talents for the future of our community. As a member of the HKGCC, we are honored to be invited to the career mentoring session on July 8. It was a pleasure meeting these future young talents – we shared our personal aspirations with one another, through which we got to know more about the thoughts of the newest Gen-Zs. We were glad that we could make use of our past experiences and give them practical advice related to goal setting and career planning. Besides, the discussion has also provided us with a clearer direction on what we can do to cultivate the young generation and realize their potential.
Best of luck to all the students – wish them all the best in their future endeavors!
ESG One Award for SMEs 2024
As a Green member of ESG One launched by Hong Kong Productivity Council, ASA Tiles remains committed to implementing ESG policies and achieving sustainability goals. It is our honor to be a part of the ESG One Mid-Term MeetUp and to witness the campaign’s significant success.
During the ESG One MeetUp, we gained many useful insights related to SMEs’ implementation of ESG policies. We are proud to be one of the participating companies of the construction industry, which has the best performance in terms of business ethics, recycling, leadership and participation, as well as consumer protection and product liability. We hereby express our gratitude to Hong Kong Productivity Council for rewarding our participation in ESG.
Thank you HKPC for having us! ASA Tiles will continue to strive for excellence and contribute to ESG sustainability.
The Henderson
As the opening date gets closer, our eyes are all set on the highly anticipated landmark The Henderson. ASA Tiles, as one of the members of HKGCC Real Estate and Infrastructure Committee, was honored to be invited to visit the future icon of the CBD. It is truly one state-of-the-art that will elevate your perception of modern architecture.
The Henderson wowed us at first sight - the 190-meter-tall building takes the unique shape of a bauhinia bud with a 3D-curved glass façade. Its silvery surface glitters under sunlight at the heart of the CBD, attracting gazes with its sharp appearance.
The building’s construction is highly aligned with ESG policies. The greenery near the entrance freshens up the surrounding air and generates a sense of peacefulness. Air curtains prevent the inflow of external heat and keep the indoor area cool. The use of cutting-edge generative AI technology within the building greatly reduces energy consumption and meets the goals of sustainability.
The Henderson’s interior design adopts a simple yet artistic approach, which further reflects the excellent craftsmanship of Zaha Hadid Architects.
The floor-to-ceiling windows borrow natural daylight to brighten the interior environment, through which the soft and cozy lighting creates a calming atmosphere for visitors and office workers.
The toilets’ walls and floors are laid with light-colored tiles to match the building’s overall color tone, while cool grey marble is skillfully used to construct the wall behind the mirrors to add a tint of fanciness to the toilets’ designs.
The Glass Rooftop Banquet Hall is covered by large windows with automatic sunshade, anti-UV and anti-reflective coating to create a roomy space. Also, it offers a panoramic view of the spectacular skyline – users get to enjoy the refreshing sunshine and immerse themselves in the magnificent city lights, making it an ideal venue for weekend activities and grand events. Given its spaciousness and gorgeous scenery, the banquet hall is truly a masterpiece which highlights the thoughtfulness of designers and architects.
It was a pleasure visiting the iconic contemporary landmark of Hong Kong, through which we were greatly inspired by its excellent designs and leading technologies. Thank you for giving ASA Tiles such a wonderful opportunity. Looking forward to The Henderson’s opening!
MARBLE MOSAICS
Marble Mosaic: The Harmonious Fusion of Nature and Art
Marble mosaic, a decorative material that blends the natural beauty of marble with the creativity of mosaic, offers unique and multifunctional choices for your space. Its rich colors and unique textures, combined with various arrangements, create designs that are both noble and elegant.
Diverse Applications
Suitable for various spaces, marble mosaic enhances any area, whether decorating living room walls or adding style to bathrooms and kitchens. It showcases exceptional visual effects. From traditional rectangular layouts to complex geometrical patterns, each design highlights its unique aesthetic.
Custom Artistic Design
We offer highly customized services, making various shapes and color combinations according to designers' specifications, perfectly integrating into personal or commercial spaces. Each piece of marble mosaic is an artwork, accurately reflecting the designer's creative vision and aesthetic philosophy.
Unique Beauty
Each piece of marble features unique textures and color variations, making every project involving marble mosaic a unique piece of art, showcasing the incomparable beauty of natural materials.
Marble mosaic isn't just a decorative material; it's an artistic expression that combines the beauty of nature with human creativity, adding limitless possibilities to your living spaces.
Know more about Marble Mosaic:
Getting your favorite tiles is only half of the job done. To let your tiles truly shine, you need to install them in proper and correct way. Let us answer your questions about tile installation in the following article.
There are different methods for laying tiles, which one is the most standard?
Adhering tiles with the hard bedding is the most standard way. It also make tiles more durable. To create the bedding, use cement mortar to make the uneven ground level and smooth. You should measure the flatness with horizontal laser to ensure the tiles will be paved on flat surface. Note that the bottom dry and hardened before laying the tiles, otherwise it will affect the quality of the outcome.
Is the bedding material important?
Bedding material is very important and improper material could compromise the safety and durability of your floor. Using suitable bedding material and the correct installation method could ensure the quality of the finished floor. We recommend using tiles glue. The cement adhesive which was commonly used by workers 20-30 years ago, is now out of date. Back in the days, ceramic tile had low density and high water absorption rate, which made cement adhesion a suitable option. With technology advancement, tile products now have low water absorption rate and special adhesive should be used for paving, otherwise there will be a problem of insufficient adhesion.
What is the difference between the origin of tiles?
Many people fancy Italian tiles. Indeed, Italy brands have some uniquely designed tiles. However, the styles used by the general public, such as marble and timber, the design of Chinese-made tiles are mostly similar to those in Italy. Both are also visually excellent. As for the functionality and quality of tiles, it is not directly related to the place of origin, but related to the brand and craftsmanship. Sometimes, you may see some shops selling cheap Italian tiles, but these so-called "Italian" tiles may come from Italian factories with poor production line, or might even be counterfeit. Basically, high-quality Italian tiles from well-known brands tend to be more expensive. Similarly, when purchasing Chinese-made tiles, you should also pay attention to whether the product comes from a well-established brand. No matter what the origin is, you should choose tiles from brands to ensure the quality.
How to predict loss?
We generally recommend including 10% loss when you order your tiles. If you need to do cutting to tiles on-site, for purposes like applying herringbone laying or other patterns, then 15-20% loss is recommended. Consider that if you did not order enough tiles, it may affect the workers to continue the project and increase the labor cost. In addition, replenishment products may come from different batches, and there is a chance of colour deviation. So it is best to buy a sufficient quantity from the beginning. When estimating the amount of loss, the amount calculated from the floor plan can only be used as a reference. Because the actual construction environment will affect the amount of loss, it is best to estimate the loss according to the figure calculated by the works on-site according to the actual conditions of the site.
My unit is relatively small, how to choose the right tile size?
Some might think that if the space is limited, then smaller size tiles should be used. Bear in mind that the size of the tiles will also affect the sense of space. Appropriate use of large-sized tiles can guide the vision and enhance the spaciousness. In the past, when customers considered the size of tiles, they were worried that it would be difficult to ensure the flatness of floor when laying large tiles. With improvement of craftsmanship and rising demand, the current mainstream tiles usually have length of 0.6m and it can reach all the way to 3.6m. It is worth noting that the smaller the tile size, the more seams there will be. On the contrary, the larger the size of the tile, the fewer seams, and the floor would look more better and it would be easier to maintain.
For grouting, what is difference between white cement and grout? What should I pay attention to when using it?
For white cement, after a period of time, the gaps would be relatively more likely to turn black or yellow. As for grout, it is relatively more waterproof and has higher stain resistance due to its high density and low water absorption rate. Tile grout also has more colour options, which can better match different tiles.
Before grouting, you need to clean the tiles to ensure that the surface of the tiles is clean. Otherwise, if the grout is stained with the glue or cement on the surface of the tiles, it cannot be removed after drying. You can only remove all the tiles and do the floor again. Also, after grouting, it is necessary to use a clean water to clean the surface of the tile as soon as possible. This way you could avoid troublesome cleaning of the tile surface after the grout has dried.
An unexpected epidemic has disrupted everyone's life. Yet, there are so much more invisible foes surrounding us and you need a silent guard for your home. ASA Tiles’ PuriTiles® Antibacterial Series exists for this very purpose.
Empowered by Oxy Tech® Antibacterial technology, PuriTiles® products features antibacterial performance, healthy negative ions and minimal jointing.
Tests under laboratory conditions have confirmed that PuriTiles Series products have antibacterial properties against the following common bacteria including P. aeruginosa, S. aureus for over 90% effectiveness.
Meanwhile, the tile body would release healthy negative ions with its whole body, It absorbs harmful substances, accumulates pollutants and sediment, then decomposes viruses and bacteria into carbon dioxide and water.
Also, with minimal jointing, joint between tiles can be reduced to only 0.5mm, significantly reduce the gap by 75%. It not only makes the tile paving more beautiful visually, but also helps to reduce the accumulation of bacteria, making the tiles easier to maintain and clean.
We know aesthetic is as important as functionality. With PuriTiles®, your house will be guard by its many functions, while the timeless marble pattern decorate your space with elegance.
We all know how important it is to pick the ideal tiles. But have you ever thought that choosing the right laying pattern can change the overall spatial perception of your house?
If you want to make a room in your house look more spacious, you need to choose the pattern of tiles that could create your desired visual effect. This is where the art of tiles plays the bigger role in terms of house design. It is particularly decisive in Hong Kong since our living space is generally limited and we certainly want to get the most out of our decoration.
Vertical
When using rectangular tiles, laying them vertically can draw our eyes further into the room, creating the illusion of higher walls and ceilings, or just because you desire a daring new look. Room with a low ceiling but a wider floor space is suit this option to open up more space vertically. Use large format tiles instead of many small tiles, as having many grout joints can make the space feel more cramped. It’s also better to lay them without offsetting the grout joints of surrounding tiles for the same purpose.
Horizontal
Horizontal tiles laying will give a wider look. If you have a limited floor space but a tall bathroom, you might like to choose this option. It will visually open up the space, giving you the illusion that the space is wider and longer than it actually is. But the effect may not be as noticeable if you use large format tiles with narrow grout joints. If you want the effect to be more exaggerated try putting horizontal feature lines with mosaics. Other options include contrasting colour tiles.
One more tip, when using lengthy tiles, we suggest applying offset pattern, instead of brick bond pattern, in order to avoid any tile lippage.
Diagonal
Diagonal tile will give a distinct look and enhance the visual space of the room altogether. A diagonal tile layout is not just acceptable but can be preferable in a bathroom or another small room. They make room imperfections less noticeable to the naked eye, thus enhancing the aesthetics of any small room. While it’s true that a diagonal tile layout requires a bit more effort to install, it does make the extra labour feel that much more rewarding.
There are other type of tiles which the cutting process is more complex but has an elegant design.
Herringbone
The herringbone pattern is an arrangement of rectangles and mostly used for floor, walls and road pavement. When laying the herringbone pattern we need certain angle to cut at a 45° so that the corner is right against the edge. Using this as a starting point and using tile spacers to ensure consistent grout joints, the herringbone pattern should fall nicely into place.
Pinwheel
Pinwheel Pattern is a pattern that requires four rectangles to meet, creating a spinning pinwheel motif. One large square tile will be placed diagonally, then four smaller square tiles will be placed near the corners, repeating the pattern throughout. This can cause for an extremely loud floor, therefore is commonly used in showers or on borders of spaces.
Chevron
The chevron pattern is another trendy look that will add movement and focus to the space. While the diagonal, zigzagging lines hearken back to the more traditional herringbone pattern, more lively interpretation offered up by the chevron pattern makes an old space look younger and more modern without sacrificing any of the practical benefits provided by more traditional tile patterns.