Your Tile Qs Answered
Bob Beaumont Talks Tiles
With over 60 years of experience Bob has come across every curve ball there is, here’s just a few things he's learnt along the way.
Bob Beaumont Talks Tiles
Click on any topic below and we’ll take you directly to our tips. Come back to this index at any time if you need more information.
| How Are Some Tiles So Shiny? | Porcelain tiles are a very high-quality variety of ceramic that is so dense it can be polished by special polishing stones to a very high finish. |
| Will Polished Porcelain Be Perfectly Shiny Like A Mirror? | It is quite unreasonable to expect a polished surface to be perfectly reflective. |
| Sealing & Cleaning |
As with any surface, the rule is to quickly wipe off anything which is likely to stain the surface. |
| What Bob Says About Laying Your Tiles | The bigger the tile, the more obvious any variations in flatness will be. Don't lay large or long tiles in staggered or brick bond laying patterns - if the tiles are prone to lipping, this will show it up immediately. |
| Australian & International Standards | All tiles sold by Beaumont Tiles are guaranteed to comply with the relevant Australian and International Standards. |
A little Bit Of Advice About Porcelain Tiles From Bob Beaumont
Porcelain is a fantastic, tough, and very durable product that makes an ideal floor surface. It is easy to live with, easy to clean and maintain and will look brilliant for many, many years. Plus, of course, porcelain also has many other benefits like all ceramic tiles.
- It is a natural heat bank
- Child friendly
- Asthma friendly
- Does not give off VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
- Fireproof
- It will last for years
"I have had porcelain tiles in houses I have lived in over 20 years and I have not had one problem with them. I would recommend them to anyone!"
How Are Some Tiles So Shiny?
Porcelain tiles are a very high-quality variety of ceramic that is so dense it can be polished by special polishing stones to a very high finish. When a floor is tiled with polished porcelain, especially in lighter tones, it adds a new dimension to any area home or commercial building. Polished tiles reflect light and make an area brighter, more inviting, and create an illusion of space.
Beaumont Tiles sells three main types of porcelain tiles:
- Unglazed
- Glazed
- Polished
Unglazed porcelain tiles are a matt finish and are used in very high traffic areas, or areas where high rates of slip resistance properties are important. They can be made as matt or textured tiles.
Glazed porcelain tiles are the most popular type of porcelain tiles and are made by using a decorative glaze (which can be matt or gloss) over the porcelain base.
Polished porcelain is simply unglazed porcelain that has been polished.
Our Hot Tip: Ceramic tiles are one of the most practical materials ever made and have proven their durability and beauty over thousands of years. Check out the many other Benefits Of Tiles.
Will Polished Porcelain Be Perfectly Shiny Like A Mirror?
No. Mirrors are made in a very different way to give a near-perfect reflection. Polished tiles (whether they are stone or porcelain) are made by polishing the surface of the tile with very hard grinding stones. The polishing process opens up microscopic pores on the surface of the tiles. These pores reflect light differently and therefore you may see a variation in shininess appearing in certain light conditions. In the same way, slightly varying thicknesses of sealer may be perceived as variations in shininess. These are normal characteristics of polished porcelain and should be expected. It is quite unreasonable to expect a polished surface to be perfectly reflective. Even an expensive car will not have perfectly reflective shiny paint for exactly the same reason.
Sealing & Cleaning
Virtually all polished porcelain tiles sold by Beaumont Tiles are pre-sealed with a very special penetrative sealer to make them more resistant to staining. It is still important, however, to promptly clean off any substance which is likely to cause a stain, as polishing and sealing a tile does not make it as resistant to staining as a glazed tile.
If the tile you choose is not pre-sealed, your consultant will let you know. It is then important to seal the tiles when they are laid and before they are grouted to avoid problems with stains. It is advisable to reseal the tiles periodically as a maintenance regime to keep the tiles at their utmost performance.
Most of the polished porcelains also come from the factory with a layer of protective wax on the surface of the tiles. This wax is normally water-soluble and not very hard to remove. In fact, most will be removed by the grouting process. Some wax may still remain on the tiles, however, and therefore will need to be removed by you, your tiler, or a professional cleaner.
Cleaning
As with any surface, the rule is to quickly wipe off anything which is likely to stain the surface.
The initial clean of the tiles need to be done really well to get off any invisible building residue such as grout haze. If this is not done, the tiles can look dull and dirt can actually stick to this fine coating. You can buy excellent products for this from any Beaumont Tiles outlet. This can be repeated if the tiles get really dirty, but for week-to-week maintenance, Beaumont’s suggest using a PH neutral cleaner in a bucket of water.
Our Hot Tip: We have a list of recommended cleaners for all your tiling needs right here.
What Bob Says About Laying Your Tiles
The bigger the tile, the more obvious any variations in flatness will be. A tile can be well within the Australian and International standards and still have variations in flatness. This isn't normally a problem, but when laying 300x600mm tiles or larger it can show up in one corner of a tile being slightly higher than the adjacent tile. This is called lipping. This is especially obvious with rectified tiles, which have a square edge rather than a rounded or cushion edge.
Here are four pieces of advice Bob Beaumont has to minimise lipping.
- First and most importantly, don't lay large or long tiles in staggered or brick bond laying patterns. If the tiles are prone to lipping, this will show it up immediately.
- Second, the tiler needs to take special care when laying very large tiles to match each tile to the next.
- Third, there are special lippage devices to clamp the edges of each tile at the same level while the adhesive sets (the tiler must use plenty of adhesives when using these). It is worth asking the tiler to use these.
- Fourth, use premium, non-slump adhesive. Sometimes the tiler does a perfect job of laying, only to find the heavy tile has sunk a little into the adhesive while it is setting. The larger the tile the heavier it is, a non-slump adhesive stops this from happening.
Bob's Thoughts On Tiles From China
Some people say Chinese tiles are not as good as others. Bob's answer is that it doesn't depend on the country, it depends on the factory and Beaumont Tiles is very careful who we choose to make our tiles. All our tiles are guaranteed to comply with Australian and International Standards.
Australian & International Standards
All tiles sold by Beaumont Tiles are guaranteed to comply with the relevant Australian and International Standards. This includes surface quality and dimensional attribute limits set out by these standards.
So all our tiles are guaranteed for:
- Surface
- Size variation
- Flatness
Aussie Made Tiles
Did you know there is one tile factory here in Australia and over 50% of their production is just for Beaumont Tiles, they make them to our specifications, We buy as much locally as the factory can produce, in fact, they increased production runs just for us. We stand behind our Aussie Made Tiles and will continue to add more and more exclusive tiles to our Aussie Made Collections.
Finally
We are always happy to stand behind our products. In fact, all first-grade Beaumont Tiles have a lifetime quality guarantee! Because laying tiles is very expensive, we do, however, ask that you inspect your tiles before they are laid to ensure you are happy with them, and have a good cleaning and maintenance regime, including mats to external doors.
Our Hot Tip: Our buyers travel the world looking for the very best in quality and design. When we find tiles we love, we work closely with manufacturers to ensure they are tested thoroughly for quality, performance, durability, and conformity to Australian standards.
We stand behind our products, but if something goes wrong we are here to help - check out our Price Beat & Quality Guarantees.
