Tiles are pretty much the best flooring option to choose for a bathroom install; they run in different shapes and designs, are very durable and don’t break if water is absorbed like hardwood.
Albeit, tiles are a great flooring option for bathrooms, there are things you should be aware before purchasing tiles.
Tiles Tend To Be Slippery
The surface on tiles are not the same. Some are slippery and some aren’t that slippery. The test to determine the surface resistance is called Coefficient of Friction (COF). The lower COF rating a tile has, the least slippery it is – for example, the patio tile outside the pool are considered high because of it’s slip resistant while the surface of ice has a high COF rating. DCOF is Dynamic Coefficient of Friction – today’s standard tile testing.
As stated by the TCNA (Tile Council of North America) ANSI A137.1-2012 says that “ceramic tiles selected for level interior spaces expected to be walked upon must have a minimum wet DCOF AcuTest value of > 0.42. Tiles with a lower value are not necessarily restricted to dry areas only, but rather are restricted to applications where they are kept dry when walked upon. In the case of residential bathrooms, the common use of bathmats can accomplish this. Similarly, in entranceways, the use of entrance mats can accomplish the same.
– Tile Slip Test
Tiles that are meant for outdoor should not be used for interior installs, chances of injury are greatly increased.
The Bathroom Is Not Heavily Walked On
Bathrooms will probably receive the least amount of foot traffic in your home. There is a rating for tile’s prone to surface damage – the Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI), measures the abrasion resistance, scores range 1-5. Bathrooms tiles should be a PEI 2, suitable for it’s low traffic.
Porous Tiles
Indoor tiles are less forgiving when it comes to water seepage. Any type of tile (ceramic, marble, porcelain, limestone, slate, travertine) can be used for indoor flooring. Outdoor tiles are the ones prone to crack from water entering it. If water does enter the tile and temperature drops below freezing the tile will crack. Outdoor tiles need to be made of only porcelain, which has the lowest absorption of water.
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