Sunday
Sep232012
Penny round tiles
Sun, 23 Sep 2012
On Friday I blogged one of my favourite types of tiles - the subway tile. Today I thought I'd share my next favourite tile - the penny round. This one is adorable, tiny and subtle yet can have high impact depending on the tile colour/grout colour and placement. It's often used as bathroom flooring but I think it's a fun option for a kitchen backsplash as well. I'd love to use this somehow in my next home.
Reader Comments (10)
Hi..I really do like the small tiles but in Malaysia, I think due to the humidity that encourages dirt, it is quite a nightmare trying to clean the groting in between the tiles. Is there some chemical that does that effectively?
For the previous commenter - the key with grout is sealing it as that manages the porous surface. I'd also recommend having some level of colour - I have white and it shows everything.
What I find funny about these pictures is that in many, you can tell that the tiles were applied in sheets. Many are great examples of really bad tile jobs! I would be upset if I paid the high install charges that come with this kind of tile and am left with uneven grout lines. The bright blue, green and black seem to be the most obvious examples.
I agree with Ginger. I have these tiles in my bathroom and I simply hate it, because the tile job was made not perfectly and with this kind of tiles it should be done just ideally, because every milimeter is obvious. They put tiles twice, the expenses were high and the result was poor. I would never recommend these tiles to anyone.
In order to avoid have to cleaning the joints between the little tiles, you have to use epoxy grout. For example STARLIKE from Italian company Litokol. www.starlike.it or www.litokol.it ...its is sooo great. Waterproof! and it doesnt get black with dirt.
I love the one from Sarah Richardson, with the flowers in the tiles.
Hmmm, my thoughts exactly - white grout is the work of the devil. I can never get mine clean, and I'm not a fussy housekeeper.
But as I don't have any money to renovate my bathroom, the choice of tiles is a hypothetical problem, and I just have to live with making the occasional effort to scrub the awful orangey pink goop from the grout. Yuk!
Shoot, I didn't realize they were such a pain! Reading the comments. I loved Kims idea about using them as a backsplash.
Caro's comment was so helpful. Thank you. I'm considering these tiles because I am renovating and the floor/walls are not perfectly level/straight. I'm think these tiles will have a little flexibility. Love this blog!
My husband and I installed white 1 inch hex tiles on our bathroom floor. We used grey grout which should hide stains pretty well. This was our first ever attempt at tiling and these pictures, especially the blue, black and green penny tiles, make me feel really good about our tiling job. We have a few uneven grout lines, but they really aren't too noticeable.
Lay this tile even a millimeter off, and the eye picks it up. Plus, way too much grout to clean -- and darker grout just means you don't see the problem, not that it isn't there, and a health hazard. In high humidity areas, the less grout the better, I think. A few years of proper cleaning, and even the best seal job is compromised. I get the appeal of penny tile, but the cost in disappointment seems very high.
I wonder if they make half-dollar tile? Less grout, a little more visually forgiving... ;-)
oregonbird! i am not reccomending darker grout, epoxy grout comes in every colour and it has active agents against bateries, etc. Check www.starlike.it i use this product in Argentina as I manufacture penny round tiles, this is the best solutions. Doesnt get dark and doesnt get bacteries, it is also waterproof. I highly recomend it. Bye bye