A home is more than just a
brick and mortar structure; it is an extension of one’s personality and
aspirational value. There are household who invest substantial amount of their
time and money ensuring a complete make over of the house but soon start
noticing the cracks in their tiles or leakage from the bathroom walls which
seeps into the dry area of a living room or bedroom leading to chipping of
paints.
After investing money in
possessing the dream home a lot of efforts go in maintaining it so that the
house looks beautiful and sparkling for years to come. One of the major concern
areas is maintaining the flooring of the house. Even after cleaning the tiles
meticulously sometimes they look dirty.
Resolve issues
These problems are common among
most households, but the best way to resolve these issues is while you are
initiating your interior work. Normally the materials and components used in
the bathroom to make its floor, wall including the service pipes and sanitary
fittings are susceptible to natural movement as a result the materials made of
clay and tiles could increase in size affecting the joints and causing the tiles
to shift.
Avoid cement
To prevent leakage in dry walls
and to protect water splash areas one can water proof adhesive beneath tiles
instead of adhering it with cement. Cement generally tends to settle and
contracts hence causes cracking of tiles, hollow sound and debonding. Tiles
should be adhered with a glass tile adhesive, which is 100% waterproof adhesive
and can even work underwater.
Seamless tilling
Very often people are looking
for seamless tilling for their kitchens and bathroom. Whereas ideally the tiles
should be installed with a minimum gap of 2mm. The cement which is used to fill
the tile gaps turn black with fungal growth giving the flooring a dirty look.
Spillage of ghee, turmeric, ketchup, leafy vegetables is common in kitchen the
same affects the tilling gaps and leads to decolorizing of the cement.
New products
While products like vinegar,
soft drinks can lead to erosion of the cement. Most households are unaware of
the impact of these products on their tiles. Using an epoxy grout is the best
way to filling tile joints in kitchen and bathroom areas. There are stain
resistant, antibacterial, non-cracking versions available and above all they
are CFTRI approved for their food grade quality.
Temperature variations
Kitchen and bathrooms are highly
exposed to temperature variations which generally lead to contraction in cement
joints leading to breakage of tiles, chipping off the cement filling etc. These
epoxy grouts then act as a permanent waterproof joint filler that can sustain
temperature upto 1000 celcius. Unlike cement, these epoxy grouts are stain
resistant and are available in multiple shades and can be used in contrast
colours of the tiles as that adds to the effect of the kitchen and highlights
the kitchen or bathroom tilling.
Avoid harshness
While there are plethora of products
available in the market to keep it clean some of them could be actually harming
your flooring. It is advisable to avoid harsh chemicals on tiles to remove
stains or dirt and maintain the shine. Use something that has been specially
made to clean the tiles and ceramic ware with pH that is well balanced to
remove those tough stains of hard water and paint to keep your floor looking
fresh and ensure its durability for year to come.
