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How to choose the perfect tiles for your perfect kitchen

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On the way towards the absolute perfection one is obliged to start with the elementary basis. The perfect love starts with an attraction, the perfect friendship starts with understanding, the ideal job starts with a dream, with a vocation. And the perfect kitchen starts with the perfect tiles. Regardless of how comical it might seem, it is the main pillar of the house decoration, and it is almost a commandment for interior designers.

There are two spaces of the house which require tiles to be identified correctly. Moreover – they require perfect tiles. One of these spaces is the space of the bathroom, but now we are talking about a much more significant spot - kitchen. The kitchen is the center of every sort of energy in the house, it is the center of it, its heart. It is the place where the family hearth is lit, this is where all the most important events in the family history happen, here are taken guests, here are spend heartwarming family dinners. Here are experienced the pacifying and seclusion minutes, which bring peace and harmony to every inhabitant of the house. So what if the kitchen has even the most minor drawback?

Perfect kitchen

What if the color range is wrong or the light is slightly insufficient? It is a catastrophe. The kitchen ceases to be perfect, and therefore incapable of performing its role responsively. It might happen that in a year or two the kitchen may bore or even disgust the inhabitants. In that case, the kitchen will completely lose its value, transforming into a plain spot of eating.

In order to avoid this disaster and to save the heart of one’s house, we propose a list of advices and rules which one should follow in the chase for the perfect kitchen.

Choosing tiles: baby steps

There is a vital decision which has to be made and a final question to be answered: are you or are you not competent enough to choose the tiles for the dream kitchen. If not, it is better to leave this enterprise to the professionals and enjoy the result. But if you consider yourself courageous enough, cheer up and gather your attention.

First you should be capable of dividing the concepts of the "technical data" and the "quality" of the kitchen tiles. It is pointless to pay more money for cold hardiness tile of the fifth grade resistance. This tile place is on the street or in industrial freezers. The kitchen tiles will be more sufficient with the third grade resistance. And now the first step is made towards the compliance of the perfect balance of the tiles in one’s kitchen and the money in one’s pocket. 

While it is highly unlikely that the frost will suddenly strike the kitchen, nevertheless it may become a subject to other, no less severe assessments. Therefore, you should carefully study the inscription on the packing, pay attention to the icons, etc. As a general rule, the tile issue should be given the most meticulous and passionate attention.

Perfect kitchen

To make the right choice, you should clearly picture to yourself the results of the work. You should a clear image of a yet inexistent kitchen. The tiles should match the color on the walls and, obviously, the shade of the furniture. It may not be a match or similar in color, but it certainly should be a perfect combination. It is all the matter of taste. After all, the tiles can become the major focus in the interior of the kitchen if it is contrasted with the furniture or the walls. The second thing to consider is the style of your kitchen. Further in the article we name a few of the most popular interior decisions, but you are always free to follow your heart.

Carefully and competently one should approach the choice of colors and textures of the kitchen tiles. The color of the tiles on the floor and the tiles on the wall may be similar, but the texture is impossible to be the same, and there could emerge a mistake in matching.

Different lighting conditions of the room may change the chosen color. This is why the blue glaze when hit by the yellow light appears green. Such tricks should be considered when planning the kitchen lightning and the corresponding color.  

For the kitchen walls are often used the glazed tile of the standardized size 15x15. Gloss visually expands the space, while the matte tiles, on the contrary, narrows it. An interesting effect is given by the rectangular tiles. If it is put horizontally, the wall becomes visually longer, and if it is put vertically, the stacked tiles visually raise the ceiling.

Since the floor in the kitchen during the day is often contaminated, the reflection coefficient of the glazed surface should be considered while selecting tiles. This information can be obtained from the seller in shop:

•If the reflection and glare are undesirable, you should give your preference to the matte tile;

•Dirt will be less noticeable on dark tile with a grainy surface;

•On black glossy surface chips and scratches are strikingly visible.

Therefore, the choice of the tile to the kitchen should be guided not only by the tastes and color preferences, but also by the laws of physics and natural combination of colors and textures.

Technical characteristics: tiles for dummies

The first question about the technical characteristics of the tile should regard its moisture resistance. The kitchen is a type of room which has constant humidity swings. It is not just plain water, but also the vapors which are released during the process of cooking. The vapors penetrate the tiles, and then go further into the depth of the walls. Therefore, the kitchen tiles should have a percentage of water absorption of not more than 5%. Also would never hurt to find out whether the tile is resistant to abrasion, thermal impact and mechanical impact. All these data are in the certificate of the manufacturer or importer of the tiles.  

One should rather not play with fire and try to find out how quickly and often the kitchen tiles become contaminated. This leads to frequent use of household chemicals. Therefore, you should take care about the susceptibility of the tiles to the various kinds of chemicals. This classification has a letter designation: D, C, B, A, AA. The most suitable for the kitchen is the A category (minimal impact), but it would be even better to buy the AA category tile. Such material is completely impervious to chemical reactions and therefore the waterproof quality is not violated and the decorative layer will last for a long time.

Perfect kitchen

Drawing attention to the package can get you some useful information: a marking with a hand on a black background means that the tile is designed for walls. Leg on the same background indicates that the tiles are designed for the floor covering.

Kitchen tiles have a porous structure basis and a thick layer of glaze. Because of these qualities the tiles obtain increased fire resistance and resistance to temperature extremes. It is especially vital for the kitchen area where the gas or electric stove is located.

An important specification for kitchen tile is the abrasion resistance. It mostly concerns the floor tiles. In the compliance with UNI EN 154, depending on the purpose of the premises and the density of terrain, you should choose the appropriate class of tile stability. There are five classes of tiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The most suitable for kitchen is the tile of the third class. You can certainly buy 4 or 5 class, but this will mean the overpayment.

After defining the technical characteristics it could be useful to check the tile with your eyes and hands: 

•The surface should be smooth, flat, free of cracks and chips, alien inclusions, any bulges and cavities 

•The edges should also be perfectly equable. You can check it by applying two tiles to one another 

•The slippery of the tiles can be checked quite easily by dropping a little water and rubbing your finger on it.

The tile for the kitchen floor should be selected with an increased resistance to sliding. The most desirable one could be the matte tile with small roughness.

The kitchen apron

Firstly you should decide on the size of the tiles for the apron. The big ones are easier to place, and the process will certainly take less time. The smaller tiles will cost more and will surely do more trouble with placing, but it is believed to be much more elegant.

When buying the kitchen tiles, do not forget to pay attention to its weight and density. The lighter is the tile, the easier it is to be laid on the wall. As for the pattern of the tile, there are numerous options which will meet the most exquisite taste. Designers’ advice is not to get too carried away with bright colors, trendy patterns and textures. Perhaps these patterns will be out of fashion in a few months, and there are few enthusiasts who will agree to go through the process of tiling several times a year.

In the style of the dream

The modern style: a glance into the future

For the interior in modern style the smooth, glossy tiles are the ones best suited. The preference should be given to the solid colors and simple lines. Designers do not recommend taking the tile with a "ragged" pattern, to make frequent joints, to use small tiles or stone tiles. Although the modern design is quite democratic, so if you consider the mosaic madness or matte impeccability is the one perfect style for your perfect art nouveau kitchen – well then, maybe it is. The main thing is for the tile to be pleasant for the eye and to fit naturally into the interior of the kitchen.

The country style: home, sweet home 

If you decide to decorate your kitchen in a rustic style, you should give more attention to the tile that mimics stone, boulders and old marble. In this style looks great the hand-painted tiles with rough edges or harmonious mosaic pattern. Artificially aged tile creates a feeling of warmth and comfort and will blend perfectly with the apron of marble or granite. It is better to stick to the natural colors, calm and warm - brown, beige, gold.

The Mediterranean style: fiesta, ciao, humus

The perfect solution would be rather mosaic or bright painted tiles with splashes of bright colors - cobalt blue and green-yellow. These colors will take you to the sunlit kitchens of Spain, Italy or Greece. By the way, if you are a creative person, if you love to be original and you can boast of your exceptional perseverance, try to make your own mosaic. Defective, chipped tiles can be inexpensively purchased at any hardware store. Break it into pieces and place the pattern on paper first, and then transfer it to the wall. 

How to choose the perfect tiles for your perfect kitchen