Out on The Tiles

Hey there darlings, and welcome to episode fabulous 40! TODAY we are celebrating by learning about a material that can either make or break your renovation. This is a material that everyone loves to talk about, fall in love with, and search Pinterest for, but it might catch you by surprise by how difficult it is  when you’re actually trying to select it and apply it in a space. It’s so much more than just a backsplash - its tile!!! Ceramic, Porcelain, glass, mosaic & beyond!

 If you know the tricks to using this stuff it will make your home look like a million dollars, and I’m going to spill all the secrets to keep it from actually costing a million dollars. By the time you are done with this episode you will be tile- savvy and able to select the perfect tile for your home.

Having tile in a space can be like wearing a sequined outfit for a night out on the town - it really adds glimmer and shimmer to some otherwise utilitarian surfaces.

But tile also has a deeply practical history to it, in fact in many rooms it’s arguably essential for things like water protection and mold prevention, cleanability, and preventing slips and falls.

In fact - the use of ancient glazed bricks dates all the way back the 13th century BC in Mesopotamian temples, so to say the use of tile is tried and true is a bite of an understatement- its so important to know the origins of the materials we

use in our homes - we are often participating in traditions crafted hundreds and in this case thousands of years ago. it is so meaningful to bring this understanding into our design thinking because it allows appreciation for the elements we select to be incorporated into everything we do and that in turn creates more joy in the design process. So thank you to our ancestors and ancient cultures for creating this incredibly versatile and beautiful building medium, without which of spaces would look very different.

Whether its your kitchen, bathroom, mudroom, indoor pool area, or even the flooring of an entire home in warmer places like Florida and more tropical climates - Any room that has a high moisture content in the air or direct access to a water source can benefit from using tile. We are going to go through the different sizes, applications, and materials of the most common tiles to help you get oriented in tole basics.

The most common place I hear clients ask about tile is for a kitchen backslash. All a backsplash really is, is tile that’s applied to the wall, and this should be done anywhere you have a sink to literally make the splashing from the faucet use easier to wipe away. I have lived in plenty of rental units that try to dance around having a true tile backsplash by simply having the counter top wrap up the wall like a skate board half pipe, usually somewhere between 2-4”, and then just having painted drywall above. If you’re familiar with this installation you may also be familiar with the heartache of trying to scrub dishwater rescue off of a painted wall, which is MUCH easier to do when there is a glossy tile to deflect dirt of all kinds with its armor-like finish. 

When used as flooring, because most tiles are finished with a non porous glaze or seal they can easily be cleaned with a mop and dried within minutes - preventing mold and mildew, as opposed to other porous flooring choices like wood, which will slowing absorb moisture overtime with prolonged exposure. It can also be instrumental in providing slip resistivity. No body wants to slip and fall in their own shower or bathroom and they tile we chose plays a role. The best slip resistance is created with very small or mosaic tiles. While mosaic tiles are often thought of for their use as an artistic medium, sheets of single color square mosaic tiles often line the floors of pools and showers - giving feet and shoes soles lots of texture to grip on to and minimizing large sections of smooth, slippery surface. To qualify as a mosaic, you’ll be looking for a tile around 1” x1” or or in my mind, the size of a Cheezit cracker. In public spaces, there are often requirements for the use of mosaic tiles in certain wet areas to prevent falls, slips, and trips. And I say that just to really emphasize how this type of tile section can play a major role in public safety and this can translate into your home as well. If you are planning to renovate your bathroom and you’re choosing a tile for the floor, it may be tempting to use a beautiful, high end, modern looking floor tile, but this will create conditions that that you may regret later, like the first tile you step out of your show and realize you cant let go of the wall.

And mosaics can easily be installed on walls and even ceilings if you’re feeling really glamorous. The look of a bathroom or powder room thats coated on every surface with mosaic tiles is breath taking and really had that high end hotel vibe. Of course It wouldn’t be fair to talk about how freaking fantastic mosaics are without making you aware of some of their challenges too. 

Firstly, mosaic tiles tend to be the most expensive size tile and this is due mostly to the process required to install them. Mosaics typically come glued to a net backing which allows the tile installer to place them in larger sections rather than one by one, but this still requires an incredible amount of skill and time, and we know time = money. Out of all the tiles you might attempt to Do yourself, mosaics would be the most advanced, and its something I would recommend leaving to a trained professional.

Secondly, all those tiny tiles require lots of grout lines, and while this is great for slip resistance- it can be a pain to keep all that grout clean. As I mentioned before the tile itself is super wipeable and easy to clean, but grout, the cementitious  compound used to seal and reinforce the gaps between tiles, is typically porous and is a sneaky place for discoloration and gross stuff like dirt and mildew to collect. The more grout a tile requires, the more labor involved in its cleaning.

There antidote for grout haters who still want the benefit of tile is to use a medium to large sized tile - more tile = less grout. larger tiles also tend to be less money from an installation stand point as well, because there are just fewer of them to install when you consider the surface area they cover. I single square foot could have one single medium tile or 100 mosaic tiles and all the grout around them. The caviate to this is any oversized tile that requires multiple people to lift and place them. Tiles this big can are still super laborious to install.

Conversely, larger tiles often reduce the slip resistivity benefits, especially if you want them to have a smooth shiny finish. so the happy medium often ends up being some between a tile that is in the 6”-3’-0”range - any dimension in there can work. so 12x24 or 12x12 are super common. In fact The next time your out and about in a public restroom, take a look at the tile sizes used through out the space - and note which ones you like and dislike. 

But the largest size porcelain tiles i mentioned before can get really huge, we’re talking closer to a 4x8 giant sheet. you see these less on floors and more on walls and even used as counter tops sometimes - at least in non wet areas, they don’t make good counter surfaces around sink for construction purposes - it can be challenging to cut a sink shape out of a giant tile.

So to review, when you’re thinking about tile, size matters. You have to consider the sliding scale of slip resistance to cleanability - the less cleaning detail you want, the larger the tile. the more slip resistance you want- the smaller the tile.

When considering the installation of your tiles - this is really where you see the cost go up, as I mentioned before this is largely dependent on size BUT also how the tile is installed. You may have multiple tile colors or sizes that you want installed in a special custom pattern, and this can look absolutely stunning. For a more straight forward ahem affordable approach- there are set standard pattern types that all tile installers know how to do - monolithic - a straight grid, brick or running bond where each tile aligns with the middle of the one below it,  herringbone that is where the tiles are installed on an angled offset V pattern - and of course theres the choice to run any of these patterns either horizontal or vertical. A great way to get what looks like a custom installation without the custom price tag is to find a tile that has a unique or special pattern within the tile itself. This can be as simple as a two toned tile thats divided with a diagonal or a ceramic tile with a unique geometric stamped into it. 

However you chose to install the tile, even with the most skilled of tradespeople, there will be slight variations in the wall texture behind the tile, and how you chose to light the tile can either hide or highlight this. When installing a backsplash its common for there to be a linear light either along the underside of the upper cabinets or in the ceiling above the tile if you forgo uppers which is my preferred route - but this typical light, when installed too close to the tile, will actually reveal every slight imperfection in the tile work -  I’ve seen this happen a few times and it reminds me of when someone is telling a scary story around a campfire and they put a flashlight under their chin to make their face look super creepy - thats the look you can end up with. To prevent this - install the linear light away from the wall by at least 10”, ideally a foot, to give a more gentle glow to your gorgeous tiles.

Okay here’s another pit fall to steer clear of - most tiles are fabricated overseas. It can be difficult to find tile that is actually made here in the USA. There are of course plenty of distributors that are local and national but most of the tiles being sold are manufactured in Italy or Spain SO. when your shopping for a tile, you want to ask whoever you are getting the tile from if that quantity you need is IN STOCK. if it is great - if it isn’t - you’ll want to ask about lead time - this is how long it can take to make and ship additional tile once a distributors stock is depleted, and this can likely be around two months if they factory is out of stock as well. Again its certainly possible your distributor will have the tile available and ready to go, but you want to track this item to prevent unforeseen delays.

You will also want to make sure you or your contractor order around 10% more than you actually need. This is refer to as attic stock and it serves a few purposes - one, is that if a few tiles arrive to you cracked, broken or damaged, you won’t have order more after the fact, two if you ever need to patch a section of wall in the future if the tile gets damaged after you install it, you’ll have back ups ready to go and made from the same batch so color variations will be minimal.

Okay, let’s talk about all the FUN stuff now. Tile can be made of a lot of different materials starting with what you’ve probably heard the most about - ceramic. Ceramic tiles are affordable, soft bodied clay tile that are kiln fired and usually glazed. One of the elements that makes ceramic tiles affordable is their ability to be easily cut on site due to their relatively soft texture - they are a lot less durable then their cousin Porcelain tile, which is a specific type of ceramic using denser clay. Porcelain tiles are exceptionally durable, but have a higher cost because of their density and require special tools to be cut on site. Both porcelain and ceramic can take on a variety of appearances - from bright colors with glossy or matte finishes, beveled edges, elaborate decorative glazes and patterns, to mimicking concrete or wood planks. 

Porcelain is the go-to tile for commercial projects and is particularly good for high traffic flooring, while ceramics are often best used for more decorative and lighter use applications. A classic example of a ceramic tile is the subway tile. This white, glossy rectangular wall tile got its start protecting the walls of subway stations, but is a staple in both kitchen and bathroom design todah. Another example world be the iconic penny round tile, which you’ll see used for its slip resistance on the restroom floors of only the hippest new york city restaurants.

Then there’s one of my favorites - glass tiles. The world of glass tiles is like shopping for jewelry - gorgeous, sparkly, and comes with a more substantial price tag. Some of the sleekest looking tiles are back-painted sheet glass - this has an exceptionally glossy look that can match any color of paint and comes in a ton shapes and sizes. You can also get the surface of the tile frosted or honed to give it a softer, beach glass look. These glass tiles can also comes with a foil metallic or mirror backing which gives them a little bit of a disco ball vibe, but depending on the level of reflectivity, it can be very subtle. Then there are cast glass tiles which create a swirled, almost stained glass look, and is a common material for mosaic tiles. You’ll see them in pools and spas galore. You’ll even see variations with shimmering metallics swirled in which can be completely mesmerizing.

And one thing thats easy to overlook, the most upper echelon  of tile is made of real 100% natural stone . There’s nothing chicer then a bathroom floor made of black marble mosaic tiles with matching black marble subway tiles on the wall. If you have a stone slab counter top, using a matching stone tile on the backsplash can bring a subtle modern twist that looks very elegant.

Okay, let’s talk about some of the more oddball materials that can in fact technically retail. I have seen tiny stainless steel mosaic tiles used as backsplash is in kitchens for a very techy/industrial look. But metal tiles in bronze or even black and blackened steel can bring an unexpected twist without loosing warmth. Metal tiles are in fact metal, so depending on how they are treated they are subject to wear and oxidation the same as metal hardware, so the wipe-ability factor goes down, but its still better than painted drywall. And then there is the super quirky wood tile. These can be great for decorative delight moments and can actually be helpful with acoustics, but should not be used for wet areas like a traditional tile.

And last but not least they say god is in the details, and for me - that definitely includes grout color selection. I mention grout earlier, remember- that stuff that holds everything together? Well- your job acting as your own interior designer includes getting to choose what color the grout is - and trust me, there are more options than you might think. When selecting grout colors you want to consider the color of the tile and the color of anything else in the room like the counters and cabinets. you may intentionally contrast the grout to the tile - jet black grout with white subway tile looks very authentically turn of the century. Or you can aim to have the grout blend in with your tile - if you’re doing a concrete look porcelain floor tile, getting the grout to be a similar shade of gray will help the floor feel more seamless.

If you’re super bold and extra quirky you might even consider letting your grout be a source of a color pop - bright yellow or cobalt blue grouts with a light gray back painted glass tile has depth and interest that is almost hypnotic, and gives a very Memphis vibe, especially when the tile had a monolithic installation.

Now, I’ve mentioned the cost of tile multiple times and that has come up that I think it’s interesting to discuss is what if you want to avoid using tile completely? Omitting tile from your renovation can be a money savings strategy but you have to dial down your expectations for the final product so rather than having a custom looking spa like bathroom you’ll have a fiberglass set in tub shower combo which is super cleanable and very affordable to have installed. If you want to avoid using tile for your backsplash you can consider using a single piece of back painted glass - this will give you all the sparkle with maybe only one or two grout seams, depending on the size

of your kitchen. You can take this approach with other materials too -  like stone, solid surface, linoleum, or quartzite. This look is defending super

modern so you’ll want to factor that into your overall aesthetic story before making the final decision.

Finally - the world of tile is big - I mean really huge, and it can be overwhelming figuring out where to look and how to get started. Tile selection is a great reason to schedule a quick and consultation session with an interior designer, they can walk you through your options and help you make a selection that meets your needs in no time.  Many interior designers offer this as an option in lieu of hiring them as a full service designer.

Well, I think that covers it for tile basics - if you have any questions about tile, send me a message on instagram @Softlandingpodcast, I can talk about tile all day so I’d love to hear your questions. and as always thank you so much for joining me today, you guys are seriously the best, I hope you have wonderful day - and I will talk to you in the next episode.