Are waterproof tiles essential for our bathroom?

[miked]

Hi
We are choosing wall tiles to redecorate our bathroom. We have found some tiles in Wickes that are displayed in a typical bathroom layout and are specified for bathroom use excluding wet rooms.
Our bathroom is very small and we get a lot of condensation, the shower is wall mounted and flows into a bath. As the tiles are not specified as waterproof, do you think this will be a problem?
Thanks miked

 

[Qwerty]

Hi @miked . No, they will be fine. It would however be very advisable to tank the walls within the shower area.

Would you mind telling us which tiles they are please?

 

[One Day]

When tiles have a warning on regards to water, they will normally be totally unsuitable in any wet area. The biscuit will absorb water through the grout joint and the glaze will discolour.
Not 100% certainty but certainly seen it a lot...

 

[Qwerty]

Will be interesting to see what tiles they are.....

 

[Sean Kelly]

Miked, Welcome, condensation is mainly down to the fact that the air in the bathroom is not being circulated enough. i.e. the damp air (after taking a bath/shower) needs to be expelled via a window and/or extractor fan.
I am guessing the walls of your bathroom are very cold to the touch? Leave a window open for as long as possible (even in Winter) to get rid of as much damp air as possible.

I live in a very cold 1930's house (no cavity walls). Every so often (every 3 months) I have to spray the shower area with HG mould spray just to keep the spores at bay.

If a tile is being sold as a bathroom tile then it should be fit for purpose.

 

[miked]

These are specified for bathroom and kitchen use;
Wickes Azzara Grey Ceramic Tile 600 x 300mm | Wickes.co.uk - http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Azzara-Grey-Ceramic-Tile-600-x-300mm/p/147279

 

[miked]

In response to Sean Kelly;
We also live in a 1930's house, we manage the condensation by opening the windows, use an extractor fan, wipe the walls down after use and use a mould spray every 2-3 months

 

[Qwerty]

I have seen the link to the tiles and see no reason whatsoever why these couldn't be used in a normal domestic bathroom with a shower. It may well be worth checking with wickes in person, but this review may reassure you....

 

[Time's Ran Out]

They are made in UK so they say and for this reason I’d suggest they are for light traffic areas only where there will be no excessive water. Most of these ceramic tiles are a white soft biscuit tile and the Matt glaze makes them softer. Because this glaze is short/sharp on the edges they need a very high grout joint and water can penetrate the edges and stain in behind the glaze.
In my opinion they are not suitable anywhere near water/moisture, and certainly not on a floor.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Just had the same conversation with a wet room customer today.
His tiles are suitable for a wet room as they are porcelain and made in Turkey.
However they are being marketed by Topps as an English made tile in their English regional range!
Topps say they haven’t updated their web page yet, but their actual English range is as described in my earlier post and not suitable for wet of floor areas. Perhaps they’ve had problems.

 

[miked]

Thanks for your advice, as we get a lot of condensation in our bathroom we have decided to purchase waterproof tiles instead.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Porcelain is what you want.

 

[Flintstone]

I wouldn’t fit any ceramic tile on a wet room floor.

 

[miked]

The tiles are for the walls only, we will be fitting a lino floor covering. Sorry I should have made that clearer.

 

[Poppymirry]

These are specified for bathroom and kitchen use;
Wickes Azzara Grey Ceramic Tile 600 x 300mm | Wickes.co.uk - http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Azzara-Grey-Ceramic-Tile-600-x-300mm/p/147279

But it still says 'excluding wet rooms'