Dvarcioniu keramika - Before Buying

Before Buying

WHY IS IT WORTH CHOOSING CERAMIC TILES?

Before going to a tile shop, carefully measure the room to be tiled and count how many whole tiles of selected size shall fit there.
In order to make precise calculations, you need a detailed drawing of the floor and walls in the room, so as to see the number of whole and cut tiles.
In order to calculate material input, draw the surface to be tiled on graph paper. Then, mark the pattern of tiles in correspondence to their size and intended width of joints. Increase the count of tiles by 5-10% intended for strips (when tiling diagonally), and another 5 % for further corrections.
Make sure that the same code, colour and size are indicated on the boxes of tiles intended for a single room.

Reserve

Always buy 10% more tiles than you need. Usually, 5% of losses are incurred while working; and you might need the remaining 5% in future. For example, the reserve comes in useful in case a tile gets broken or you need to repair sewage pipes and take off several tiles.

Resistance to Cold

The outside may only be tiled with cold-resistant tiles. At the time of manufacture, cold-resistant tiles are compressed harder, so they absorb less humidity than regular tiles. They may be made of glazed or unglazed stone or clinker. In the past, it was common to use clinker tiles for such works. However, new tile technologies that emerged in the beginning of the last decade allow producing stone tiles of various dimensions, surfaces and colours.

In terms of resistance to cold, it is essential to apply non-freezing adhesives and to have a sloping floor, so as to avoid collection of water on the surface.

Avoid Different Shades

Shops offer samples of tiles. However, each lot of tiles is annealed individually, so several lots of tiles may differ in shade. Should you have purchased tiles from different lots, when tiling, take them out one by one from different boxes. This will help you to create a more even general view and avoid the contrast of different shades. At the time of purchase, make sure that there is a sufficient amount of tiles you have selected, as we cannot guarantee that the next tile batch shall be analogous in shade and size.

Assortment

Manufacturing techniques of ceramic tiles are as follows:

A part of manufactured tiles (up to 10 %) have surface or dimensional defects. Requirements for the quality of first-class tiles are defined by the European standard EN 14411.

Requirements for other categories of tiles are determined by the manufacturer. Requirements of Dvarčionių keramika, AB for first-class tiles are almost twice as strict as European standards.

Upon careful examination, every customer is able to tell the difference between first-class, second-class and ill-conditioned tiles. Firstly, the quality of a tile surface is different: second-class tile surfaces have minor drawing defects on the glaze that are usually noticeable at a closer look only; ill-conditioned tiles have rather distinct defects of the glaze. These defects include various surface alterations, such as apparent dots of a different colour, recesses, etc. Secondly, the dimensions of tiles in a single box are also different: first-class tiles in a single box usually are of the same calibre, whereas second-class and ill-conditioned tiles are mostly non-calibrated, i.e. dimensions of tiles may vary by a few millimetres. Second-class and ill-conditioned tiles have exclusive marking: normally, tile surface is marked with a yellow line that is cleared off when tiling. The category of tiles is usually indicated on a box by numbers l, 2 or 0, respectively.

Convexity

Convexity is another important aspect leading to various discussions among customers. Wall tiles should always be slightly convex in order to protect the glaze from cracking as the tile is swelling. Although insignificantly, tiles do swell: they expand, especially at the time of adhesion. As the convex tile is expanding, the layer of glaze (practically made of glass) remains absolutely the same, because it does not absorb humidity. Thus, tiles straighten towards the glazed surface, and stabilise on the wall in a few months' time without any negative consequences. It is easier to manufacture tiles that are level or even deformed negatively, but in time, this may cause the glaze to crack during exploitation.

Dvarčionių keramika, AB supermarkets offer tiles both of first-class and of lower categories.

Tiles serve as the best and the most practical coverings for kitchen walls and floors. Tiled area usually covers the entire floor and 2/3 of the wall, i.e. the part of the kitchen that suffers mostly from cooking.

Ceramic finishing materials best satisfy aesthetic and technical requirements of a customer.

DO THE TILING YOURSELF!