CHOICE er associations to promote the superior hygiene benefits that tiled surfaces provide.
Winner of the Best Heritage Project in the 2020 TTA Awards. St Comgall’s Parish Church, Northern Ireland. Tiling by Armat
and purposes impervious. When used with epoxy grouts, this enhances the level of protection still further.
The relevant British Standard is BS EN 14411:2012, which covers the specification of ceramic wall and floor tiles, including their resistance to abrasion and chemicals. BS 5385-4:2015 includes a code of practice for the design and installation of ceramic and mosaic tiling in specific conditions. This gives recommendations on design considerations and on the installation of ceramic wall and floor tiling and mosaics in situations where there are specific environmental or functional requirements.
BS 5385-4:2015 also covers grouts and states that: “Epoxide-resin based materials are superior to cementitious mixtures by virtue of their impermeability and smooth surface texture whereby the degree of contamination is reduced and cleaning facilitated”. Grouts used should conform to BS 13888, which covers the specification, conformity and evaluation of all types of tile grout.
Tiles are also hypoallergenic, since the hard surfaces on ceramic tiles don’t give allergens a place to hide. Ease of cleaning also means that dust mites, pet hairs, pollen and other chemical allergens common to other floorings have nowhere to hide on a tiled surface. Tiles are also resistant to the growth of mould and mildew spores.
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There are also no chemicals in tiles which can potentially cause an allergic reaction, such as formaldehyde or halogenated flame retardants, as can be found in vinyl, wood or carpet. These organic compounds are not found in ceramic tiles.
Finally, from a fire safety perspective, ceramic tiles are neutral in terms of fire risk, being non-combustible. Since they don’t burn, they don’t cause smoke and will not emit toxins in a fire as many other floorings do.
Another area that TTA has been working on is that of slip resistance of tiled surfaces, and TTA has a technical document on Slip Resistance of Hard Flooring. Ceramic tiles are not inherently slippery when clean and dry, but the slip resistance of any type of floorcovering can significantly reduce if it becomes contaminated by any form of lubricant, such as water or dust, depending upon the floor’s surface texture and footwear used. Anti-slip tiles for use in bathrooms and wetrooms are available from many manufacturers. These can also feature special step tread patterns.
It should finally be observed that all work should be carried out to British Standard BS5385. This states that tiling works should be carried out by a skilled operative, who has been trained to a level of competence, certified by a recognised authoritative body, such as the TTA.
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