| Still in their relative infancy, glass bathroom tiles can | | | | the appearance of a precious stone. They are created |
| bring a sparkle to your bathroom. Though previously | | | | by placing small pieces of different glass together in a |
| expensive, they are now a very affordable solution to | | | | mould and firing them until they start to melt and fuse. |
| bathroom tiling. | | | | This is a common look for recycled tiles. |
| As the name suggests, glass tiles are made from | | | | Finally, Sintered glass tiles are a good all rounder. They |
| glass, there are 6 main types of glass tiles, named for | | | | are very durable and scratch proof. They are created |
| the methods and surface treatments used to make | | | | by placing glass powder in a mould and heating until |
| them. Smalti, Slumped, etched, Cast, Fused and | | | | the powder fuses. Colour particles can be added |
| Gintered. | | | | before firing, alternatively, colour can be given to these |
| Opaque and able to hold intense colour, Smalti tiles are | | | | bathroom tiles by applying after the firing process. |
| generally cut small to be used in mosaics. Smalti is an | | | | Because they are so hard and brittle, glass bathroom |
| Italian word which is simply a glass glaze made from | | | | tiles need to be handled differently to ceramic or |
| sodium/potassium carbonate melted together with | | | | porcelain bathroom tiles. Before doing any work with |
| silica. | | | | glass tiles, make sure that you are wearing appropriate |
| A Slumped tile is a 'pillow' shaped tile. The glass starts | | | | eye protection. I don't know about you, but the last |
| life as a flat piece of glass and is curved during the | | | | thing I want when I am decorating my bathroom is a |
| firing process. | | | | glass tile in my eye! |
| Available in a multitude of sizes and shapes, Fused | | | | Glass tiles are impervious. This is great news when |
| bathroom tiles are created from a flat piece of glass | | | | you are installing them in your bathroom, although, a |
| cut into shape and fired in a furnace. The colour is | | | | downside of this is that if water can't get in, neither can |
| added to these tiles by adding colour either on top or | | | | adhesive! This can make them very tricky to install |
| below the glass before firing. This creates a clear tile | | | | unless you know what you are doing. If you plan on |
| with a layer of opaque colour visible through the tile. | | | | installing your tiles yourself then you will need to make |
| Etched glass tiles are similar to Fused tiles. The only | | | | sure that you have the correct tool set and adhesives. |
| difference being that they are given a thin translucent | | | | It should be noted also that, as glass tiles are still a new |
| surface layer. This is commonly achieved by applying | | | | phenomenon, many professionals shy away from |
| a cloudy glass layer to the top of the tile. | | | | these jobs opting for the more comfortable ground of |
| Cast tiles are very interesting tiles. They can have | | | | ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tile installations. |
| many different colours and can sometimes take on | | | | |