When building a house or renovating a room, the choice of tiles is fundamental and represents a real commitment. Indeed, it will often stay in your spaces for a long time and this decision cannot be taken lightly because it requires a lot of thought. Although the aesthetic aspect is essential and greatly influences the final choice, there are also a multitude of other criteria to take into account before deciding. Only, which tiling to choose and above all how to find your way around the standards , destinations , effects or even the maintenance conditions of the tiling? To help you see more clearly, you will find below a list of advice to better guide you in your choice of tiling
1) Which tiling to choose: the destination of use
2) The standards to know to choose your tiles
3) Which dimensions to choose for its tiling?
4) Choice of tiles: effects and colors
Which tile to choose: the destination of use
The first question to address before choosing tiles is the environment in which it will be laid. Indeed, the destination of use determines the type of tiling to be used since it must be adapted to the main characteristics of the room or the outdoor space.
First of all, a first distinction can be made between floor and wall coverings . Wall tiles, by their very nature, have different characteristics than floor tiles. Thus, the tiles intended to be laid on the floor can also be used to cover the walls, but the reverse is not correct precisely because of these technical differences . In this case, you can still apply a continuous aesthetic to your space between the floor and the walls because all Novoceram floor tiles are also available in a version suitable for wall cladding.
Then, it is possible to categorize floor tiles into interior and exterior coverings . As a general rule, tiles for outdoor use must have anti- slip characteristics which vary according to the situation of use and certain conditions such as, for example, the fact of being barefoot or in shoes. Novoceram’s collections have the advantage of being suitable for both indoor and outdoor use to ensure harmonious continuity between your spaces.
Tablon exterior tile
Finally, there is a further difference with regard to the destinations of use, namely private or commercial use . Although this categorization does not necessarily represent a direct classification criterion, it may be interesting to look into the question. For use in a private building, most ceramic tiles have adequate technical properties. On the other hand, public places such as shopping centers or industrial spaces require tiles with special technical characteristics that can withstand the presence of heavy loads and frequent heavy traffic situations. For this type of destination, it is essential to know the standards to consider when choosing tiles
The standards to know when choosing your tiles
In order to better help you take into consideration all the criteria necessary for your choice of tiling, it is also essential to take an interest in the different standards of ceramic tiling in order to determine its technical properties and to what extent it is adapted to the environment. intended use.
Technical standards
First, the UPEC , which is responsible CSTB class flooring according to their use and destination. It therefore specifies whether the tiling sustainably respects the conditions of the room in which it will be laid, given that each environment will subject the covering to different degrees of mechanical, chemical and physical stresses which could deteriorate it. The following four criteria are studied to distinguish the types of premises:
- U: wear due to walking and trampling, ie abrasion. The index varies between 2 (lowest resistance) and 4.
- P: punching, such as the presence or displacement of fixed furniture but also the fall of objects, which is measured between 2 and 4s (highest resistance) .
- E: frequency and presence of water, between 1 and 3 (frequent presence).
- C: resistance to chemical agents which can range from 0 to 2, which indicates the maximum risk.
Values are assigned to products based on their ability to withstand the four criteria outlined above. However, porcelain stoneware tiles for flooring still have the maximum rating of E3 for water resistance and C2 for chemical resistance. Thus, you do not have to worry about these two criteria.
On your side, it is just necessary to choose a tile that has a UPEC classification equal to or higher than that of the room in question. Thus, you avoid choosing a tile with technical characteristics that are too high compared to those required for its use, and you have the certainty that the product you have selected will be perfectly suited to the desired destination. You can obviously obtain more information on the UPEC classification of floor coverings to help you in your choice of tiles .
