When choosing materials for finishing a bathroom, you can get confused by the large selection of different solutions. Most often, tiles are used for the bathroom, but they also have many varieties. One of them is called “hog”. Boar tiles in the bathroom are an excellent solution. In this article you can find out what it is, how to choose this type of tile and what kind of interior it is suitable for.
“Boar” tiles are considered universal and are suitable for decorating bathrooms in various styles.
Features and benefits of tiles
Hog-type tiles have several clear advantages that make them different from any other types of finishes.
- Increased resistance to moisture and temperature changes. Regardless of the level of humidity or temperature, the tile will retain its properties and appearance for a long time.
- Environmental friendliness. This type of tile is made from natural materials.
- Easy to care for. This finish is easy to clean; it is not afraid of even aggressive cleaning agents.
- Reliability. This variety has a very long service life.
- An excellent solution for finishing uneven or rough surfaces.
- Large selection of colors. This allows you to realize any design idea.
- An excellent combination with other types of finishing materials.
The wall surface, lined with a glossy “hog” with decorative beads, looks stylish and original.
“Boar” tiles can be used to decorate the entire bathroom or just to highlight the desired accents
Advantages
- variety of design - this finishing material easily matches any type of design due to its style and variety of colors;
- moisture and heat resistance, which is a huge advantage in choosing this option for bathrooms;
- boar tiles are made from environmentally friendly materials;
- easy care;
- resistance to chemicals that are found in large quantities in detergents;
- reliability and long service life;
- Suitable for uneven walls.
This finishing option is quite versatile and fits any design, and hog tiles for the bathroom are ideal. You can see photos of design examples in this article or in the gallery of our website.
What kind of hog tile is this and why is it called that?
This unusual name for the material is explained by the presence of two holes at the end of the tile. These holes are covered with a blank glaze, and due to this, the finish resembles a boar's snout. This was the reason for the appearance of this name.
Today, a “hog” is a monochromatic tile of an elongated shape, close to the size of a brick.
Due to the fact that the tile has a rectangular shape, it can be used to imitate brickwork. The volume of the tile visually appears larger and more textured due to the slightly beveled end chamfer. There are models without such an edge, and in this case the contrasting grout is responsible for the texture.
Beveled bevels give the ceramic surface a more vibrant and original look
Tips for choosing
The most important parameter when choosing finishing materials is the size of the room. As a rule, most bathrooms cannot boast of not only large, but even medium sizes. If you choose the wrong material, there is a risk of visually making the space even smaller. To avoid this, when choosing tiles, you need to take into account the advice of professionals.
- For small rooms, it is optimal to use small tiles: this will help to visually make the space larger. Large tiles should not be used; it is better to leave them for installation in larger rooms.
- If the tiles are laid vertically, then the room visually becomes taller, the same with horizontal laying - the room will visually appear wider. In small spaces, you can also use the diagonal laying method.
- For small rooms it is better to choose light colors; these can be several matching shades.
- Large prints, photo wallpapers, large patterns - all this is suitable only for spacious bathrooms.
- For a small bathroom, you can not use any patterns at all, or make a few small accents in the form of small patterns.
- Finishing with a mirror surface will visually increase the space. It can become the basis for an entire mirror wall or part of it.
- You should not use dark or bright borders as decoration in a small bathroom; you should also avoid dividing the wall into a light upper part and a dark lower part.
In large rooms it is better to lay tiles in the classic way with offset
In a small bathroom, you can choose a diagonal “hog” installation
Tiles with a glossy surface will visually increase the space of the bathroom
Matte tiles look more expensive and dignified
Which grout to choose
Popular grouting options:
- To match the tiles. If the cladding is made in different shades, use the predominant color or combine them. Contrasting. This option will emphasize the geometry of the tiles and make the walls expressive. For example, the contrast of black and white can be used in a room made in any style.
- Colored. It is used both when decorating a wall in one tone, and to create contrast. It is recommended to choose a shade that is less saturated than that of the tiles.
- Colorless. Tiles with such grout create a continuous but textured surface. In tandem with bright interior items, the “hog” will look very aesthetically pleasing and modern. This type of grout is the most expensive.
- Gray. Suitable for tiles of any color. It is more practical than white and does not attract attention when the surface is colored.
The grout must be purchased of high quality. The final result of all work depends on this, so you should not skimp on it.
Necessary Requirements
Materials for finishing a bathroom must be selected especially carefully, as they must meet certain requirements. Otherwise, there is a risk that the service life will be very short. Let's consider the necessary requirements.
- Moisture resistant. The tiles should not absorb moisture, and there is a lot of moisture in the bathroom space. If the material absorbs moisture, then with high humidity it will very quickly fail, mold and mildew will appear, and the appearance will also change for the worse. Among other things, the tile may simply fall off due to the fact that it becomes heavy. To determine the level of moisture resistance, you need to look at the back of the tile: there should be almost no pores on it.
- Resistant to cleaning. When cleaning a bathroom, aggressive or chemical cleaning agents are almost always used. They will get on both the tile and the seams at the junction. Tiles that are not resistant to such substances will quickly lose their appearance.
- Evenness on all sides. To check this, you can look at a stack of stacked tiles: if the distance differs by even a millimeter, this is a bad indicator. Laying such tiles will be problematic, the seams will be uneven.
- No damage. There should be no chips or cracks, the pattern should be distributed evenly. If the pattern on one tile is different in color or size, it is most likely a defect. It is better not to purchase such material. It is also important to pay attention to the fact that there are no irregularities, and that the color is of high quality and deep.
Tiles produced in modern times can have different textures - smooth, matte, aged or mirrored.
Competent selection of colors of ceramic tiles allows you to get an original interior
How to properly prepare the surface
Before installation, you should carefully inspect the walls for any unnecessary remnants of plaster or old paint. They must be cleaned to avoid peeling when exposed to adhesive under the tiles. The walls must be puttied and primed.
Possessing significant weight and a fairly large thickness, the tiles require application of an adhesive composition to the wall surface along with its application to the tile base.
Only in this case is the required adhesion coefficient and, as a consequence, long service life achieved.
Sizes of tile blocks
The range of boar tiles is very diverse, including the range of sizes. However, despite the large number of different sizes, the most popular parameters are 7.5 * 15 cm, 10 * 20 cm, matte and semi-matte options. Particularly popular are models that imitate wood, glass, marble or natural stone.
The sizes of ceramic tiles are selected taking into account the dimensions of the bathroom - small bricks are better suited for a small room, and in a spacious bathroom you can put a standard or large “hog”
Pig in the bathroom - 50 interior options
You can see the options for laying boar tiles in the bathroom in the photo.
