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Glass
Tile:
See What’s New for Your Floors and Walls
By Sheri Koones
Glass tiles are a wonderful new material
for the home. They come in a large variety of sizes,
shapes, colors, textures and designs, offering a terrific
opportunity to individualize the design of a room. Although
glass tiles are most often used on walls and countertops,
they can be a distinctive flooring alternative in the right
application. Most commonly used in the bathroom, they can
be used in the kitchen or other parts of the house as well.
Glass tiles can be used on their own
as field tile (tile used over most of the area) or combined
with ceramic, porcelain or stone as an accent tile.
They are beautiful as a total look or an excellent accent
– perhaps framing a bathroom mirror or interspersed
with other tiles.
Photo courtesy of www.AccentGlassTile.com
The main advantage of using glass tiles is their beautiful
appearance and the variety of choices. Most are also
impervious to stain and easy to clean. There is no need for
a bull nose (rounded edge) with glass tile because there are
no raw exposed edges. Disadvantages of glass tiles include
the fact that they require careful, professional installation
and the installation and certain tiles may be expensive. Some
tiles scratch easily and dropping hard objects on the tile
may break them.
Glass tiles come in a large variety
of colors and some companies will create custom colors with
a minimum quantity. Novelty tiles are available in
an assortment of designs including fish, flowers, stripes,
etc., which can be mixed as accents for borders or interspersed
with solid tiles.
Tiles come in a large range of sizes
(from 1” by 1” to 24” squares) and different
shapes (squares, rectangles, octagons, etc.), depending on
the manufacturer.
Glossy tiles with a clear finish and
a see-through or translucent surface can only be used on walls.
These tiles are generally ¼” thick, to be consistent
with the depth of other wall tiles. Tiles with a sanded or
opaque finish are available in ¼” and ½”
thicknesses. The thicker tiles are required for flooring applications,
but they may be used on the wall as well. Thicker glass tiles
can be used for pools and other outside applications, but
they should be limited to areas that will not encounter large
changes in temperature or excessive abrasion. They generally
cost twice as much as the thinner tiles.
Some opaque tiles that have been sandblasted
are very porous and must be sealed with an impregnating sealer.
Textured tiles are safer in flooring applications, where smooth
tiles can be slippery.
Glass tiles are considered to be durable
if they are installed properly (instructions are usually provided
at the time of purchase). Professional installation
of glass tiles is essential. It is best if the installer is
experienced with glass tiles. If he is not, he must be extra
careful to follow the manufacturer’s instructions precisely.
Photo courtesy of www.AccentGlassTile.com
Because glass can expand and contract,
the adhesive used to install the tiles must be flexible.
If the tiles are too close together, there will be no room
for expansion and they may crack. Most manufacturers recommend
a “crack suppression membrane” be installed above
the substrate to prevent cracking.
Transparent tiles require extra measures
during installation. White adhesive must be used
because the tiles are see-through. (Other adhesives may be
used with tiles that are painted on the back because the adhesive
will not show through.) A smooth trowel should be used; if
a notched trowel is used to apply the adhesive to the wall,
the lines of adhesive will show through the tile.
The substrate of wall behind the tiles
must always be clean, smooth and even. An uneven
substrate could cause the tile to crack.
Glass tiles are still relatively new,
but definitely worth exploring.
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Sheri Koones' Bio:
Sheri Koones is the author of From Sand Castles to
Dream Houses, House About It and soon to
be released Modular Mansions (due out in August). |
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