Forum
« Anyone use "Urban Homes"? Assessing Tenant Damages »
March 29, 2009
is unglazed tile crazy??
i am thinking of laying unglazed hexagon tile on our bathroom floor--i like the quiet, un-shiny look.
but: what kind of maintenance does this require? will it need to be continually resealed? will i be sorry?
thank you.
Comments
It's probably crazy. My sister's apartment has (had) brand-new matte hex tile in the bathroom (white) and it immediately became dingy and nothing will get it clean. She can't wait to replace it.
Posted by: BKRed at March 29, 2009 9:54 AM
Alot of marble bathroom floor tile is unglazed (and needs to be sealed on a periodic basis). This time usually has nore than just one color (veins) so doesn't seem to get 'dingy.'
If you are looking for standard bathroom tiles, look for a glazed tile with a matte finish. I've used it and it looks great - I hate the high gloss finish.
Posted by: SenatorStreet at March 29, 2009 10:04 AM
I like my unglazed hex tile... you say "dingy," I say "patina," I guess.
It comes clean easily, I only sealed it once, thoroughly, but it's not white-white--It's whiteish.
Posted by: vanburenproud at March 29, 2009 4:26 PM
vanburenproud, can you tell me where you got your tile? i too am looking for something not white-white--more like an almond or off-white.
and: is sealing something you did yourself?
thank you.
Posted by: chelseagirl at March 29, 2009 6:51 PM
Not crazy. I install tile in shower stalls, bathrooms and kitchens and I restore interiors of all kinds. Many elegant old places have unglazed porcelain tile, restaurants and hotels, not just apartment bathrooms. It is vitrified, so clay particles are fused together during high-temperature firing. It is not porous, but you can stain it, like with a magic marker, or with certain pigments in colored grout. Unlike marble or even granite, it will not absorb much penetrating sealer if any, but sealing the grout will help keep it looking new. Avoid coating it with products that stick to the surface - they make any tile look dingy.
Posted by: Green Mt at March 29, 2009 7:02 PM
I installed unglazed tile and it was a big mistake. Starting with the fact that I could never clean the grout stains off of the tile.
Posted by: kirbykat at March 30, 2009 7:58 AM
We did the same thing in a bathroom, unglazed white hexagons. They really hugged the dirt and scuff markes, so I had to scrub those floors frequently. I also used to seal them at least once a year to try and mitigate the problem. It wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't do it again.
Posted by: cornetor at March 30, 2009 9:44 AM
I haven't had them that long so I can't really say for sure but:
Unglazed hex aren't really white to start off with. They are a little dingy right off the bat. So they never get dirty like white ones would. I like the look.
If you really hate the thought, you could get all black.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at March 30, 2009 12:22 PM
I bought unglazed tile from Nemo in Manhattan and designed a pattern modeled after my local bakery. It's in the kitchen and looks great. It's been in the bakery for nearly 100 years and still looks fantastic. It's the glazed tile that can wear poorly with heavy traffic. I say "patina" too.
Posted by: Susan Elkins at March 30, 2009 7:26 PM
The off-white tile you're looking for (as well as other colors in the historical palette) can be found here: http://restorationtile.com/
Posted by: vinca at March 30, 2009 9:05 PM
We did a kitchen floor in unglazed hex, a pretty large expanse... Due to intense August heat, the setting materials did not take... Even though they looked great (off-white), we knew we were asking for trouble and went with the glazed when we did the second tiling.
Posted by: Architerrorist at March 31, 2009 3:52 PM
ok, i think i'm going to try it. thanks to all for your comments!
Posted by: chelseagirl at April 5, 2009 6:29 PM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.