Category: All About Tiles

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.

As ASA Tiles flourishes, we also actively engage in many activities. We hope to make contribution to cultivating the talents and development of our industry.

Earlier, we were invited to give students from PolyU Design School a field study class in our showroom.

Students learnt not only the highlight and development of current tiles products, but also some of the latest trendy interior design products materials.

We used the design and equipment of our showroom to demonstrate how to select the right products for customer, which revealed a lot of details in creating the best interior design.

The cold current hits Hong Kong, and every time the temperature drops sharply, the tiles in the home will have the problem of "bursting bricks". To avoid unnecessary troubles, we must first understand the reasons.

First of all, ceramic tiles are high-density materials and also have a certain degree of toughness, which can cope with cold shrinkage and thermal expansion caused by temperature differences. The bursting and uplifting of ceramic tiles is mainly related to the physical phenomena of thermal expansion and contraction. When decorating, the laying method of tiles also affects the degree of cold shrinkage and thermal expansion.

Several reasons for "Broken Bricks":

1. Hollow brick
When ceramic tiles are installed, if there is space on the contact surface between the clay or adhesive and the ceramic tiles, a situation commonly known as "hollow drum" or "hollow brick" will appear, and moisture will easily accumulate in the space. According to American standards, when installing indoor tiles, the plane contact area should be 80% or more. Because cement and ceramic tiles have different degrees of cold shrinkage and thermal expansion, and the air trapped in the brick makes the temperature inside the brick drop more slowly than the temperature outside the brick, when there is a large temperature difference, there is a chance of "brick burst".

2. Adhesive
When the indoor temperature difference is too large, the physical phenomenon of thermal expansion and contraction has the opportunity to break the cement mortar that has the effect of bonding, making the tiles easier to fall off. In the ceramic tile installation process, since the cement mortar needs to be prepared manually, the manual will affect the adhesion of the adhesive. If the mortar with high durability and adhesion is selected, it is an extra guarantee. The Asian adhesive bonding agent has been blended with the best ratio of mortar, and the tiles can be easily bonded by following the simple instructions to avoid the impact of manual deployment. Asia's adhesive has high flexibility and aging resistance, can avoid the problem of breaking due to thermal expansion and contraction, and the waterproof function can make the adhesion more durable. In addition, Asia's adhesive has passed international tensile tests to ensure its bonding performance.

For large tiles, the adhesive strength is even more of a challenge. It is recommended to use Asiatic backing glue when laying large tiles, and apply it directly on the back of the tile to improve the bonding strength and density between the tile and the adhesive, which can solve the common problems of hollowing and insufficient adhesion.

3. The seam is too narrow
The seams between tiles can help solve size errors and construction errors, and improve construction flexibility during installation. Sometimes, for the sake of beauty or to avoid the accumulation of dirt in the gaps, seamless or close-joined paving methods are adopted. If there is not enough space reserved to cope with the cold shrinkage and thermal expansion of the tiles, "brick bursts" will occur.

Generally, a gap of 1-2 mm is sufficient for ordinary tiles to cope with the temperature difference when laying tiles. If you want to prevent "bricks from exploding" while also taking into account the beauty or ease of cleaning, when buying floor tiles, you can choose tiles with good pressure resistance. The better linear expansion coefficient of PuriTiles Plus series tiles affects the ratio of thermal expansion and contraction, allowing the gap between tiles to be less than 0.5mm, achieving the effect of close seam bonding. As a new generation of healthy tiles, PuriTiles Plus also has anion antibacterial, anti-mildew and formaldehyde removal functions.

In recent years, bathroom accidents have frequently occurred. To prevent the elderly from slipping and getting injured in the bathroom, the non-slip tiles must not be sloppy when decorating.

Ceramic tiles that meet the standard must undergo a slip resistance test by an accredited laboratory. The German standard DIN51130 is the most common on the market in Hong Kong. The ideal non-slip tile should perform its best function in wet and dry conditions.

Anti-slip level
The DIN 51130 slip resistance is achieved by putting on safety shoes, the tester stands on the lubricated test material, and then calculates at which inclination angle the tester starts to slide.

R9-R11 are sufficient for general household applications, R12-R13 are mainly used for outdoor and special space applications, applications with different slip resistance:

Anti-slip certification
There is no proof of slip resistance for ordinary ceramic tiles on the market, especially polished tiles. If you want to use polished tiles with full sense of light to make the floor of the hall, it is easy to ignore the anti-slip function while pursuing aesthetics. For safety reasons, polished tiles with qualified non-slip certificates should be selected. The Asian floor tiles are certified by the Hong Kong laboratory and have the most basic R9 anti-slip grade.

The non-slip tiles commonly used on wet floors are matte. Although they have a certain anti-slip function, they lose a bit of natural and soft light under the light, and their reflectivity is relatively low. The pursuit of non-slip will sacrifice aesthetics and ease of cleaning, especially if the bathroom is wet, there is a chance that bacteria will grow more easily.

So to strike a balance between the two, you can consider soft-gloss tiles, which not only have R10 anti-slip grade, but also retain the natural light feel of the smooth surface.55 degree soft lightIt is Asia's first technology that combines the advantages of polishing and matte, but also makes up for the shortcomings of both, and meets customers' requirements for non-slip and the pursuit of beauty.

Are you concerned about the decoration? Let us tell you to choose suitable materials to solve problems.

Choosing tiles for the right design and decoration is sometimes challenging. To place the correct tiles in certain locations depending on the design concept would increase the tiles value in terms of the decoration looks.

Now let’s talk about how to choose tiles for "living room", "kitchen" and "bathroom":

The living room is usually the most aesthetic part of the house, and the floor tiles can be slender.
ChoosingTimber Tiles, with the warm feeling of imitation wood plus the extension along the grain, add a sense of spaciousness.
You can choose a large size ofMarble tiles, to make it look luxurious.

2. The kitchen wall design could have various tiles in it. A stylist kitchen will improve your mood to spend time cooking delicious dishes.
Sometimes cleaning the kitchen is hard because smoke or oil stains are involved and dirt there would grow some bacteria.
Therefore,Antibacterial Tilesis the best choice for kitchen wall decoration. It is smooth, easy to clean and stylish.

3. Bathroom is a private space and we should pay more attention to the flooring. For bathroom decoration, using tiles with safety and slip resistance is recommended. The bathroom floor is more likely to be exposed to water, so high-slip tiles are applicable and look best with R10-R11 effects. The floor of the shower area should have anti-skid safety to ensure it is safe for everyone that uses it.

In conclusion, applying the high-density ceramic tiles on the floor and walls can prevent mold to a certain extent.Antibacterial Tilescan prevent bacteria and mildew more comprehensively and is more suitable for humid and coastal areas.