Take to the tiles Get ready to make some hard decisions for your walls and floors
W JEN JONES Renovations expert
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YOU R H OM E AND GA RD EN
ith so many tiles available it may feel a bit overwhelming choosing just one. Fortunately, not all tiles are created equal, which makes narrowing down the choice much easier. Bear in mind when looking at tiles that they are priced in dollars per square metre, which is illustrated as either an actual $/sqm price, or an indication of price point such as $, $$ or $$$ etc. When calculating the quantity of tiles needed, always add 10-15 percent for breaks, cuts and faults. Tiles are usually delivered in boxes of about 1sqm each – however many tiles that may be, depending on their size. The majority of tiles available in New Zealand hail from either China or Europe – the latter are generally more expensive.
Material Most of the tiles you come across will be either ceramic or porcelain, although they might be finished in such a way as to look like natural stone. Why? Because natural stone tiles are heavy and expensive, which means their ceramic copycats are much more lightweight and affordable to install. Ceramic and porcelain Ceramic tiles are made from natural clay, sand and water, then baked to remove most of the moisture. Porcelain tiles are often referred to as ceramic but they’re slightly different, in that they’re made from a denser clay and baked at a higher temperature until almost all of the moisture evaporates. The long drying process makes porcelain tiles more expensive than ceramic, but it also makes them a lot harder. While this does increase durability, it unfortunately makes installation difficult, so aren’t recommended anywhere requiring tricky cuts such as a centred floor waste in a tiled shower floor. In terms of colour, ceramic tiles usually display warmer
