Choosing the right tiles for your home can be an arduous task without knowing the right answers to the many questions that lay ahead of you. Which area of the home are they meant for? What conditions will be placed upon them? How will lighting impact the colour and sheen of the surface? Should you go for unglazed or glazed ceramic tiles? Well, at least we can help with the last question.
What is glazing?
Glazing is one of the final steps of tile production. A tiny liquid form of glass is applied to the top of the ceramic material and dries into a shiny, reflective finish.
Because they bounce light more than unglazed tiles, glazed tiles are commonly used in areas of the house where having lots of light is important such as the bathroom and the kitchen.
Unglazed tiles, left untreated, are open to being impacted by stains and moisture. These tiles need to be covered with a clear sealant to be used in all environments.
Unglazed advantages
There are many reasons some people prefer unglazed over glazed tiles. Among them are its appearance. Unglazed tiles tend to look more natural as the earthy tones come out stronger than with glazed tiles. Also, the colour appears more even in tone across multiple tiles than in glazed tiles, where any small variance is magnified through the glass.
The slightly rough texture on unglazed tiles provides an extra degree of grip that glazed tiles do not afford. This makes unglazed tiles more suitable to being used as outdoor tiles, but users need to ensure that the tiles are properly treated to avoid them becoming damaged from moisture.
Advantages for glazed tiles
If you’re looking for bright, bold colours with plenty of hue options, glazed tiles are the way to go. Because of the way glazed tiles are formed there can be many more colour variations made available than with unglazed tiles. They also appear brighter and are well suited to rooms where there is already plenty of light. Their smooth surface also make them easy to clean so are perfect for uses such as splashbacks in the kitchen.
Realistically though, the choice of which type to opt for is really about aesthetics. The disadvantages of each type can be easily overcome. There’s a wide variety of tiles to choose from for every occasion. The team at Stone and Tile Studio have the knowledge and experience to help you make the right decision so visit our studio soon to see what’s available for you.