What is better to choose a tile in an apartment. He was a "boar" or how to choose tiles for the bathroom. Manufacturers and collections

Ceramic tile (tile)- these are just plates made of baked clay or carved from some types of stone, it is often used for wall and floor cladding, it has gained its popularity mainly for its practicality and aesthetic appearance. In Russia, it is often used for the bathroom or kitchen, as the tile has good water resistance.

Choosing a tile by type

To date, there are many types of this coating, but the most commonly used:

Tile
Porcelain stoneware
cotto

We will analyze each of them in more detail and try to understand which one is more suitable for you.

Tile

This is the most common type of tile and is made up of a mixture of clay, sand and various minerals. It is made by firing, and then applied to it upper layer (glaze), which serves as a pattern.

It is important to know. A good tile should have a good pattern. It should be very clear and in no case should it be blurry.

The most common method for its manufacture is pressing - this is the cheapest method, but oddly enough, when using it, the tile turns out to be quite strong and neat, which cannot be said about manufacturing by casting.

Porcelain stoneware

It is a cheap replacement for natural granite, has maximum water resistance and tolerates temperature changes very well. In appearance, this tile is very similar to granite, which is not surprising, because it is produced in much the same way as natural stone appears, only many times faster.

Thanks to the latest developments and the high quality of the raw materials, manufacturers have the opportunity to almost completely imitate a natural stone. This is achieved by fast, dry pressing at an incredibly high temperature. (1200 - 1300 degrees).

It is worth noting that this tile has a very good resistance to chemicals and tolerates temperature fluctuations.

This type of tile is one of the most ancient and very popular in Europe, where they loved it for its naturalness and pleasant, natural color. (shades of red, yellow or brown).

Of course, one cannot talk about its high practicality, but it looks really very beautiful. If you want to use it in the bathroom, you will have to apply a special protective coating, otherwise it will not last long.

How to choose the right tile by manufacturer

Nowadays, there are a huge number of tile manufacturers, so it’s simply impossible to say which one is better, there are the largest industries that use the best technologies, and there are very small ones that have not even heard about these technologies, but they produce tiles very high quality and almost by hand. Therefore, we will understand this issue more globally - at the level of countries.

Italian tiles. She is probably well-known to everyone, absolutely everyone once heard about her as an element of luxury, but recently this is not entirely true, Italian tiles are certainly not the cheapest, but there is definitely nothing elite about them. Italian tiles, as always, are of fairly high quality and popularity. Most popular productions:
- Valverde
- Saloni
- Tilegres
Spanish tiles. It is no less popular and is not inferior in quality to the Italian one. In one of the Spanish cities there are about three hundred factories that produce tiles and the most popular are:
- Novogres
- pamesa
- Ceramica
Turkish tiles. Türkiye produces a huge amount of tiles (about half of the world volume) The most popular factory in this country is: Kalebodur- they produce relatively high quality and very affordable tiles.

Video about choosing a tile

In this video you will see a lot of useful things to do right choice tiles.

Conclusion

You have learned the basic secrets of choosing, about some of the ways to produce tiles, and about their types. If you still cannot decide which ceramic bathroom tile to choose, you can look through the catalogs of the companies listed above - of course, without forgetting our advice.

I decided to write an article to help you with the question of how to choose floor tiles, so as not to go crazy. There are a lot of articles on the Internet in which it is unrealistic to understand something, I tried it myself - it did not work out. I do not want to load you with different terms, but I will tell you in a simple way.

Floor tiles are practical and beautiful. And I put practicality in the first place for good reason. Never sacrifice practicality to beauty, but vice versa.

Believe me, no matter how beautiful the tile is, over time the eye will “blur” and you will no longer notice its beauty. But if spots, scratches or other jambs are clearly visible on the surface, this infuriates and infuriates more and more every day.

do not take the cheapest tile - you will regret it later;
do not buy tiles from a collection that is being taken out of production (from leftovers) - if you ruin a couple of tiles during installation or delivery, then there will be nowhere to buy more;
it is better to give preference to dark tones;
I do not recommend using embossed tiles or tiles with high porosity for the kitchen - it gets very dirty and absorbs dirt;
do not take glossy tiles in the bathroom - they are slippery. In general, there are many problems with glossy. Scratches are visible on it, the gloss wears off over time, and bald spots appear;
large tiles are only suitable for large rooms. At the same time, too small should not be used either, because. there will be many seams;
a catchy pattern on the tile looks bad, the floor should not ripple;
you need to be more careful with the drawing, sometimes such jambs pop up that cannot be determined by eye (mismatch, incorrect geometry);
use decors only in open areas, otherwise all efforts are down the drain.

Types of floor tiles

It is conditionally possible to divide floor tiles into two camps:

ceramic;
stone.

What is seamless tile?

Both camps have seamless tiles. Its ends are made in such a way that it forms a monolithic surface. During installation, the tiles are laid end-to-end, without gaps (seams).

The choice of material is a purely personal matter. For myself, in the kitchen and in the bathroom, I would take porcelain stoneware - the best value for money. I would put clinker in the corridor. But at the same time I would dream of marble or granite seamless tile- but it's not just expensive, it's very expensive.

ceramic

Somehow it is customary to call only the cheapest tiles ceramic. And porcelain stoneware is already a different category of floor tiles. But if we proceed from the material used for production, then ceramic tiles are all that we see on the shelves of stores “for people”. Therefore, I classify all tiles that are made from minerals as ceramic.

It is so diverse that if you tell everything, you get a whole catalog - now we do not need it. The shape can be square, rectangular (and the aspect ratio also varies greatly), irregular shape, rounded, designer (here, in general, you won’t find anything).

Among the common ones I can distinguish:

Porcelain stoneware

It is made by pressing and single firing. Difference from simple-cheap ceramic tiles the fact that the firing temperature is higher, respectively, the tile is stronger. Also, color is added to the powder from which the tiles are pressed. The cut shows that the main color seems to penetrate deep into the structure. Thanks to this, chips on the front surface are not so noticeable.

Porcelain stoneware can be unglazed (polished, semi-polished, unpolished) and glazed. Polishing gives shine, makes the surface smoother. Glazing allows you to create a variety of patterns on the surface and makes it more resistant to abrasion.

Clinker

It is made by one of two methods: pressing or extrusion. Has a hardened base. Fired once, but at very high temperature. Covered with glaze, although not required. Very high degree of wear resistance.

cotto

Made from red clay by extrusion. It is not enameled and often not glazed. The color is close to the color of natural clay - shades of yellow, red and brown. After laying, you need to cover with moisture-repellent compounds. It can be wax mastic or some kind of hydrophobic agent.

Stone

Stone tiles are much more expensive than ceramic tiles, thicker (up to 3 cm) and more reliable. Not everyone can afford this. This flooring clearly indicates the high status of the homeowner. The tile looks very cool, it serves perfectly, there are no problems in operation at all. In total, there are four types (see below with a photo).

Marble

Granite

sandstone

From slate

Manufacturers and collections

Which manufacturer to choose?

I will tell you this: "Do not bother with any particular company - it is enough to decide on the country of origin."
In Russia, they don’t know how to make tiles, so I don’t recommend Russian tiles.

I prefer the following producing countries:

Spain;
Italy;
Germany;
Portugal.

The price of a good tile will be $25-50/sq.m. For this money, you will get high-quality, beautiful tiles with the correct geometry, but do not start overpaying for brands and show-offs yet.

Each country of the manufacturer has brands that produce their own collections, where the tiles are combined in shape, size and color. When you see a stand with tiles in a store, this is the collection presented on one canvas.

The collection consists of five main elements:

light backgrounds;
dark backgrounds;
decors;
borders;
floor tiles.

At the same time, floor tiles are usually matte, and wall tiles are glossy. For one room, one light and dark background in combination with one type of decor is more than enough. I almost never use borders - they are out of place in small bathrooms, and large ones (really) are infrequent.

Important technical specifications

intensity of exploitation;
temperature and humidity of operating conditions;
presence/absence of exposure to chemicals.

Based on these requirements, choose a tile. Of all the parameters, I pay attention only to:

porosity;
wear resistance;
hardness - not less than seven points on a ten-point Mohs scale;
slip resistance.

Porosity is one of the main indicators, because it affects other characteristics as well. Porosity indicates the amount of water a tile can absorb. Expressed as a percentage, indicating the increase in weight of the tile after two hours of immersion in water.

The porosity depends on the firing temperature. The higher the temperature, the lower the porosity and the less tile absorbs moisture. With a decrease in porosity, frost resistance and bending strength increase. And unglazed tiles are more resistant to wear and stains.

Wear resistance is evaluated on a five-point scale:

1-2 degrees - for walls;
3 degree - for a floor with low traffic;
4-5 for any premises.

Slip resistance is measured by the coefficient of friction, the higher it is, the better. To increase the coefficient of friction, corundum coating is applied to tiles for dry rooms. For wet rooms, tiles with a ribbed structure are used.

Packaging marking

It is very important that the production date on the boxes of tiles match. This will ensure that all tiles are from the same batch. In different batches, tiles differ in size (2-3 mm), thickness (fractions of a millimeter, but still) and shade. Also on the box, all the technical information is indicated with icons (see photo below).

How to choose grout

for floor tiles, select grout “in color”, plus / minus a couple of tones;
for wall tiles - “in color” or lighter.

If several tones are used for one surface, then the grout should be selected to the lightest one.

floor tile layouts

You need to try so that the seams on the floor and wall do not match. Therefore, do not ask the master to combine the seams of the floor and wall tiles. You need to choose a tile based on the basic principles of its distribution over the floor. Below I have painted the main schemes for laying out floor tiles.

Basic

The layout of the tiles must be done so that there are no cores in the corners. Here I distinguish three types.

wretched

The master starts from the corner, laying the whole tile there. Then he continues to lay whole tiles, and cuts the last one (in the opposite corner) to size. This scheme is valid if the length of the undercut is more than half of the whole tile. But practice has shown that it is better not to use it at all.

Village

The master counts the number of whole tiles in a row, and divides the cooled space into two trimmings, which he inserts in both corners. It is allowed when you need to beautifully beat the revision hatch on the wall, it is not applicable for the floor.

classical

The master calculates how many whole tiles will fit in one row. Then he presses one tile and places everything that is left in the middle (so that the corners remain the same distance). The result is two trimmings at the corners, the width of which is more than half of the whole tile.

IMPORTANT!!! Floor tiles are distributed according to the classical pattern on the visible part of the floor.

Diagonal

The diagonal can be not only 45 degrees, but any other angle.

checkerboard

The use of two colors in the basic or diagonal layout.

Razbezhku or bricks

It looks better if not square, but rectangular tiles are used. Laying according to the basic or diagonal pattern with a seam offset - the offset does not have to be half the tile. I do not recommend using two colors, because. visually the floor will appear uneven (optical illusion).

Parquet

Suitable for clinker tiles similar to parquet. Looks great when two colors are used.

herringbone

double herringbone

Checkered

Carpet

Focusing on some part of the floor. That is, in addition to the background tiles, tiles of a different color, size, or stacked differently are used. It looks like a carpet on the floor.

From multi-format tiles

When a square of one tile is replaced by a set of tiles of a different size. The alternation of solid and stacked squares looks best in a basic or diagonal layout.

Modular

A module is assembled from different tiles - a square of a certain size. Then the entire floor is laid out from such modules. Conditionally imagine that one huge tile (module) consists of many smaller tiles, and the layout is carried out according to the basic layout. The main condition is that the dimensions of the tiles used in the module are multiples. You also need to use a contrast grout, because. if you use grout to match, then the modules will be “lost”.

Combining tiles with other floor coverings

A threshold must be installed at the border of the tile and other material. Where there are no curved lines, I use regular butt profiles. They are convenient in that you can connect the floor of different levels and the difference will look neat. But most often the connection line is curved, and in these places I recommend using a flexible metal connection profile.

The principle of arrangement of shades of floor and wall tiles

A good arrangement of elements has already been invented. It remains only to choose the colors. Therefore, you do not need to invent a bicycle, but simply follow the existing rules. Then everything will turn out beautifully and harmoniously.

Preference for horizontal coloring

For example, a dark floor and the top of the wall, and a light trail in the middle. As a rule, vertical lines look beautiful only in the project. When we force a room with furniture and appliances, the integrity of the verticals is broken, and this beautiful effect is no longer there. Therefore, it is better to give preference to horizontal lines.

The floor must always be dark

The light floor quickly gets dirty and even the smallest stains or chips are visible on it. During operation, dirt is rubbed into the tile. Because of this, the light tile loses its appearance in the first few years, and the dark tile keeps invigorating for 10-15 years. In addition, you need to select a light grout for a light tile, which remains so for a very short time.

The bottom of the wall should be dark

A dark wall tile should adjoin a dark floor tile. It looks beautiful and harmonious, because. they are from the same collection and are designed to "work" in tandem. There will be less visible splash marks on the wall, which will undoubtedly appear when mopping. The section of the dark wall above the bathroom should be at least 7 cm.

In the toilet, the dark row should be combined with the light row between the toilet bowl and the water drain button built into the wall. In rare cases, it is allowed to raise a section of dark tiles above the level of the drain button.

The row of tiles under the ceiling should be dark

It is laid out from the same tile as the bottom row adjacent to the floor. In this case, the width of the top row should be 1-1.5 tiles, but not less. Maximum 2 rows - if the ceilings are high. This dark edging will be beautifully reflected in the white glossy stretch ceiling, complementing the reflection of the dark floor.

Best for bathrooms stretch ceiling white with glossy finish. The ceiling should be as glossy as the wall tiles.

The central part of the wall is filled with light (not white) tiles

In open spaces with uncut tiles, decor can be inserted - but only restrained, without fanaticism. In some collections, decors are not very beautiful, but there is a way out - to use backgrounds instead of decors.

If you use decor, then the wall with doorway not decorated. If a background tile is used as a decor, then it is quite acceptable to use it on a wall with a doorway.

These techniques can be combined.

On this, perhaps, we will end. I briefly told you the basics so that you have an understanding of the types of tiles, their characteristics, laying methods and can correctly compose the shades in the bathroom interior. I repeat: "Do not chase cheapness - this does not bode well."

It's just full of options. You can find both simple inexpensive tiles and exclusive designer tiles, but the assortment various options is so extensive that even experienced builders and designers sometimes find it difficult to navigate it and choose the most suitable option for specific conditions. So, what rules should be followed when choosing tiles for the bathroom to be beautiful, practical and durable.

No. 1. Decide on the design

Since the choice of tiles is quite extensive, you can create almost any design in the bathroom. The first thing every buyer pays attention to is color material. So, White color - This a win-win which can be easily matched with bright colored items. To some, white seems too boring, but it is with its help that you can significantly expand the space of a small bathroom. But still, pure white walls are an unacceptable option, so it is better to choose a warm white shade or dilute the walls with some other color.

Great for the bathroom blue and, which give a feeling of coolness, as well as warm beige and coffee shades that create a cozy and relaxing atmosphere in the room. bright shades better used as accents, and black color tiles make the room gloomy, and is contraindicated if the room does not have a window.

Experienced designers when working with tiles advise take into account several aspects:

artificial lighting may change the color of the coating, and this should be taken into account already at the selection stage;
glossy tiles can tire eyesight, as it creates glare in the light of lamps;
vertical drawings on the tile can visually make room above;
tiles with a large pattern it is better not to use if the bathroom is not very large, otherwise it will seem even smaller;
For, of course, it is better to use light-colored tiles to visually push the boundaries of space.

No. 2. Choose a style

There are a lot of different styles for decorating a bathroom, and each requires a certain approach to choosing a tile.

Classic style

So, classic style provides for dividing the walls into two parts: the upper one is tiled light tone, the lower one along with the floor is a darker shade. also provides for a combination of tiles with an ornament and a plain one, and the color scheme should be the same.

East style

Great for bathrooms East style which is conducive to relaxation. But in this way, only sufficiently spacious rooms can be organized so as not to end up with an overly cramped space that has not a calming, but an annoying effect. If you decide to create in the bathroom oriental interior then pay attention to the tiles rich colors: , green, red, gold, turquoise, as well as variants with a characteristic pattern. On the walls or on the floor, you can lay out some kind of pattern.

Country style

No. 3. Type of tile surface: glossy, matte or mirror

Today, you can find glossy and matte tiles on sale: both have a number of undeniable advantages, but when choosing, you need to weigh all their main properties so that the bathroom space is comfortable and cozy.

Glossy tiles

Glossy tiles- more common option. It attracts buyers with its ability to reflect light and ease of care. But here you should be extremely careful. If the glossy tile of light shades gives almost imperceptible glare, then the dark one glares strongly, which can irritate the eyesight. By the way, glossy tiles with a completely identical color will always seem brighter than matte.

matte tiles

Matte coating- more calm, does not reflect light, but traces of splashes on it are more clearly visible. The material is great for the floor, as it has a slightly rough surface. Often, matte tiles imitate some kind of material and have an interesting texture: you can find material that looks like wood, pebbles, stone, metal, leather, etc. Such material will look great both on the floor and on the walls.

Mirror tiles

Also on sale today you can find mirror surface tiles, with which you can achieve a visual increase in space. Such tiles can be laid out on one of the walls in the bathroom, you can use it only as inserts between ordinary tiles. By the way, such inserts can completely replace you. Can be laid diagonally on the floor or on the walls to achieve more depth of space. In addition, such tiles are used today to decorate the ceiling in order to visually make the room taller.

No. 4. Choosing a tile size

If the bathroom has decent area, then for walls and floors you can choose tiles of any size. If the room is small, which occurs in most cases, then the choice of tile size should be approached with the utmost care. Small mosaic tiles can play a cruel joke and make the bathroom even more miniature. If you choose a large tile, then the space will be divided into several large geometric shapes, which will make the room even smaller. Small repeating patterns, like a large bright ornament, will not work.

Best option for small space– use of the middle tile. So, you can choose a square one with parameters of 20 * 20 cm or a rectangular one with dimensions of 20 * 30 cm. A rectangular one can correct the perception of the room: if it is laid out horizontally, it will make the room longer, and if vertically - higher. On the floor, tiles can be laid out diagonally: this is how the illusion of additional space is created.

No. 5. Tile type

When choosing a tile, it is important to pay attention not only to its design, color and size, but also to performance characteristics so that the material is suitable for use in a bathroom, does not slip, withstands all loads, is durable and strong. On the packaging, the manufacturer must indicate about the type, category of tile, its weather and chemical resistance, the possibility of using it as a floor or wall finish.

First you need to deal with types of tiles. There are three of them in total, according to the European marking, and they are easy to recognize by their characteristic colors:

first grade - red marking,
the second one is blue
the third is green.

First grade has the highest quality, no more than 5% of defective tiles are allowed, and testing is carried out from a distance of one meter to the samples.

Second grade also provides for the presence of defective samples up to 5%, but in this case, testing is carried out from a distance of 2 meters.

Tiles of the third class is not of high quality, and more than 5% of defective products may occur in the batch.

domestic producers such markings are rarely used, so you should look for information about the possible percentage of marriage on the packaging.

No. 6. Physical properties

The signs on the packaging will help you understand the basic properties of the tile. So, floor tiles are marked symbol of the foot, such material is more reliable, strong and durable. Wall tiles are marked palm icon.

It is also important to pay attention to material resistance to chemicals. This property is marked with a bulb sign indicating the degree of stability: AA, B, C, D. When it comes to choosing tiles for the bathroom, it is better to take the most stable material (AA), since there is always high humidity in this room, detergents are used and cosmetic substances of various kinds. Otherwise, you risk getting stains and stains on the material after a while.

Wear resistance of the material is indicated on the packaging in Roman numerals and can be of five classes. For residential premises, it makes no sense to buy material whose class is higher than the third, since the load on the tile will be minimal. If a small number of people live in the apartment, then you can choose first-class tiles, saving a little.

No. 7. Manufacturer's name

Of course, the leaders in quality can be safely recognized Italian companies Valverde, Saloni, Tilegres. Their products combine beautiful appearance and excellent performance, but such samples are not cheap. Also performed well Spanish manufacturers, incl. Aparisi, Pamesa, Novogres, Ceramica.

Lithuanian and Slovak the tile also showed itself well due to the price / quality ratio. Also common Chinese products under the brands Cimic, Omica, Hitom, and the prices for this tile are quite reasonable high quality products. domestic producers, which use modern equipment, also produce excellent products that compete with world leaders in the field. These are Shakhty tiles, Kerama - Marazzi, Kerabud, Sokol Plant.

No. 8. Assessing the appearance

Before buying, it would be nice to look at the tile and evaluate how well it is made. You should be guided by the following parameters:

enamel must be intact without cracks, chips or other defects. It should not have foreign inclusions, and the presence of red or yellow stripes on it should immediately alert, because this is how defective tiles are marked in production;
increased demands are placed on floor tiles. Doesn't interfere conduct such an experiment: put the tile face on a rough surface and rub it, if there are no traces left, then the material is of high quality;
regular geometric shape tiles and compliance with the parameters indicated on the package;
moisture resistance: water should collect on the surface in drops;
anti-slip surface especially when it comes to floor tiles. This is easy to check: just wet the surface and run your finger over it. If this can be done easily, and the finger slides well over the surface, then the material is not suitable for the bathroom, as it can be dangerous.

No. 9. We calculate the quantity

Correctly calculating the number of tiles is very important. If there is not enough of it, then it will no longer be possible to find the same one in the store, which will cause problems, and if there is too much, then it is uneconomical, and the surplus will litter the free space. To correctly calculate the amount of material, you need to know parameters of the room and the selected tile, and to simplify the task, you can use the construction calculator. Experts advise adding 7-15% to the result obtained.

In conclusion

The choice of tiles for the bathroom is a responsible task, which must be approached with special attention. It is necessary to take into account a lot of factors from appearance and size to performance characteristics and the name of the manufacturer, and then the material will delight you with its ideal appearance long years. We hope the tips above will help you make the right choice.

During the renovation of the bathroom, many are faced with the question: "How to choose a tile?". Choosing a quality tile is not easy.

It is necessary to combine two tasks:

purchase a tile of beautiful colors that all family members will like;
choose a tile that can be laid with minimal loss of quality and nerves.

Features of tiles

The choice of tiles according to the manufacturing method

There are three types of tiles according to the manufacturing method:

cast - clay mass is poured into special forms;
pressed - production under high pressure from a mixture of powder structure with additives;

tiles made by extrusion - punching through a certain shape.

Choice of tile sizes

Before choosing a tile, you need to decide on the size of the tile that is suitable for.

Ceramic tile- these are rectangular or square plates.
The most common are the following sizes in centimeters:

15x15;
20x20;
20x30.

Thickness tiles can vary from 8 to 20 millimeters.

Tip: with large tiles (larger than 25x40), the cladding can be completed much faster, although it will have to be cut, for this you need to purchase spare tiles.

What kind of tile coating

How to choose the right tile, what is the coating of ceramic tiles?

The tile happens:

glazed (enamelled);
without enamel.

The top layer of enameled tiles is of two types:

glossy;
matt.

The colors of glazed tiles are quite diverse, they also come with decorative patterns or simply one-color.

Ways of heat treatment of tiles

How to choose a tile for a floor, walls and? What you need to know about heat treatment of tiles?

There are two categories:

single firing;
double firing.

Single firing (monocoturra)- glaze is applied to wet clay, then the tile is placed in the oven, as a result, the base and glaze are fired at the same time. When firing occurs, these two components are very tightly soldered to each other and the tile is quite strong.

Tip: single-fired tiles are best laid on, as they are very durable and less likely to crack and split.

Double firing (bicoturra)- first, the base is placed in the oven, then the glaze is applied. The tile is then fired again at a lower temperature, resulting in a smooth and shiny glaze with bright, saturated colors.

Tip: Double-fired tiles are less durable and are best used for ceiling and wall cladding.

The number of firings is indicated on the packaging with a special symbol - a flame petal with a number drawn next to it.

Variety of tiles

We buy tiles: how to choose a specific type for coating different surfaces bathroom?

Depending on the number of firings and the method of molding, ceramic tiles are divided into the following types:

Majolica is a type of double-fired glazed ceramic tile with a porous colored base, produced by pressing. Majolica is used for wall cladding.

Faience is a double-fired pressed enameled tile that has a porous white base. The glaze is painted in a variety of colors. This type of tile can be tiled both on the walls and on the floor of the bathroom.

Cotto is a non-enamelled tile with a single-fired, porous backing, which is produced by extrusion. This type of tile is used for laying on the floor, because it has high wear resistance and strength.

Clinker is a single-fired tile that can be either enameled or unglazed. Clinker is usually used for floor covering.

- a special type of tile, which is made from heavy clay with the addition of various mineral additives that give the tile special strength and hardness. Porcelain stoneware is used for laying on the floor in the bathroom, as it has a low level of moisture absorption.

Choosing a tile

How to choose the right tile? What do you need to have with you?

So, let's go buy a tile - how to choose the right one will help an ordinary ruler and a square.

The edges of the tiles must be perpendicular. Usually, in stores, samples of tiles are glued to a stand, where you can evaluate the overall future picture, but the geometric dimensions can only be estimated when you hold the samples in your own hands.

Tip: you need to look at several tiles, but the whole box is best, as the packaging may contain defective and cracked tiles.

The right choice of tile is a tile of the same thickness. This is a guarantee that when laying the situation will be controlled only by the amount of glue, and not at random, while adjusting to each tile.

There should be no curved tiles. This can be checked with the edge of another tile or with a ruler. Basically, this situation is visible to the naked eye, one has only to look at the box with the packed tiles.
On the edges of the tile, the glaze should look the same and uniform on all tiles, spreading equally along the edge. The repeatability of the glaze swim to the edges of the tile is important.

The right choice of tiles - no cracked glaze. These are manifestations of violations of production technology, or incorrect transportation.

Tip: it is correct to transport the tile not on the base, but on the edge.

Coloring ceramic tiles should be uniform. If even insignificant dots are visible that are not filled with glaze on more than 3-4 tiles, the purchase must be abandoned.
A coarse-grained fuzzy pattern should also alert, which looks like in old newspapers or printed on a printer. This means that the equipment is already old and you should not expect a good result in terms of product dimensions.
You need to get acquainted with the information about the parameters of the tile, which are indicated on the packaging by symbols.