Information on the Different Types of Glass Tile
Posted By Houston Decorator on March 12, 2011
Tiles have been around in bathrooms for nearly as long as bathrooms have been in use but ‘glass tiles’ haven’t been around for too long – however although they haven’t been around for long their popularity has been phenomenal.
There are several different types of glass tile, they are named generally after the methods that they are made or treated.
Smalti Tiles: These tiles are usually cut from mosaics and are cut to be quite small, they are small and opaque and have very rich colours. ‘Smalti‘ is a glass glaze which is made from sodium or potassium carbonate which is melted together with Silica, the word was originally Italian.
Slumped Tiles: A tile that is shaped like a cushion, which starts off as a flat, single piece of glass and is in turn curved during the firing process.
Fused Tiles: Created from a single piece of flat glass, the glass is then fired into shape in a furnace and crafted into it’s shape. The colour is added later, either on the bottom or on the top so the tiles are clear with an opaque layer to them.
Etched Tiles: This style of tile is very similar to a Fused tile. The main difference is that they have a thin translucent layer applied to the surface and this is achieved by layering cloudy glass into the tile.
Cast Tiles: A common look for tiles that have been recycled, many different pieces of glass are placed in a mould and fired together to make them mould together and then cut into a tile. They can look like a precious stone if done correctly.
Sintered Tiles: This type of tile is becoming more popular, they are scratch proof and durable and are made by placing glass powder inside a mould and then fused together via heating. They are coloured by applying colouring particles before they are fired together.
The one downfall to glass tiles that I’m sure you can imagine is that they can be very brittle and they can break fairly easily. One plus side is that when the tiles are fitted the are entirely watertight, which is good news when they’re in the bathroom, but it can be a pain when your fitting them as if even water cannot get in behind them then neither can the adhesive used to fit them, so you need to make sure that you’ve the correct tools to fit glass tiles.
So now you know a little about glass tiles, they are durable but yet can be brittle too, they can look fantastic however when done correctly!
However they can work out to be expensive and even though they are becoming more popular a lot of designers still prefer to use porcelain or stone tiles as they are easier to fit, can work out to be cheaper and can be more durable. However it’s always a good idea to ask your designer and see what options are open to you.
James Green is a renowned Kitchens Designer and specialist in the UK. He can be contacted about Kitchens through his website.
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