Glass tile adds color, reflective properties, and moisture resistance to floors and walls. Glass tile offers subtlety and grandiosity alike to vertical and horizontal surfaces, used since ancient times and having proven to be a uniquely artistic, practical and long-lasting tile surface.
Glass tiles are an extremely varied subset of tile offering a range of:
- Designs
- colors
- textures
- sizes
- patterns
Glass tiles are a decorative asset in whatever area you decide to install them, imparting your space with striking beauty.
Glass Tile Production Methods
Depending on the type of glass tile, different processes are utilized in order to arrive at the finished product:
- Fused Tile Method – in this method, flat glass is cut into tile shapes and then fired in a furnace. This often produces translucent tiles
- Sintered Tile Method – this method involves pressing glass powder into dyes and then heating them until the particles fuse.
- Slumped Tile Method – tiles made using this technique have curved shapes, like reliefs, which make it ideal as a decorative wall tile. This is produced by melting plate glass into relief molds.
- Smalti Method – glass pieces called “cullets” are heated to a molten state. Color is added and then the liquid is rolled out, cooled, and cut into pieces.
- Cast Method – cullets are placed in forms or capsules together with the color and are then melted until the pieces fuse together.
Recycled glass tiles (those made from recycled bottles) are made using either the smalti or the cast method.
The Advantages of Glass Tiles
Glass tiles have remained popular throughout the years because they have a number of characteristics that make them appealing to consumers.
- Creativity. Glass tile is a creative floor and wall option because of the variety of colors, shapes, designs, and textures available to consumers, making it easy to find a glass tile applicable for every project.
- Durability. Glass tiles will never fade or scratch, and are impermeable and non-porous, meaning that the tiles are moisture-proof. This is the reason that glass tile is a staple material in bathrooms, steam rooms, and pool interiors
- Versatility. Glass tile can be installed anywhere, as a functional surface, an artistic one, or just as an embellishment to a greater interior layout.
- Hygienic singularity. Glass tiles will not mildew or grow mold and do not promote bacterial purchase.
Glass Tile Price Ranges
Glass tile can be both an inexpensive and more opulent choice in tile, depending on which elements go into their making.Pricing ranges from $3 to $300, which allows you to consider how your budget should look while still being able to take advantage of what glass tile can offer you.
Glass Tile choose a color range
Colors in glass tile through BuildDirect is a veritable rainbow of choice, with tiles ranging from:
- Blue
- Gray
- Green
- Amber
- Pink
- Purple/Mauve
- Red
- White
- Yellow/Gold
Easy-to-Maintain Glass Tile
One of the advantages of glass tile is their easy maintenance. Dust, grit, and other materials are less likely to adhere to the surface of most glass tile. Glass tiles are kept to their original sheen through the use of household glass cleaners and vinegar-and-water solutions.