When you’re in the market for choosing new tiles in order to decorate your home, the options that are placed before you are manifold. You might be thinking, “what to choose from all these types and designs and colors? Should I go for the traditional ceramic and porcelain tiles, or should I try something new?”
And if you are thinking about trying something new, elegant, and aesthetically pleasing, you can go for some specific choices, whereas if you want to go for not so expensive and really hard and durable tiles, you will have another set of options. Mosaic tiles and vitrified tiles are such options. Both of them will offer you more durability than other common tiles, and they don’t cost much either. So, which one are you going to choose for your floors and walls? Let’s look at a brief discussion about these two types of tiles, and then you can determine you prefer which one more.
Contents
Mosaic Tiles vs. Vitrified Tiles
Mosaic Tiles
Mosiac tiles are basically like small ceramic squares, which is being used for home decor for ages. These tiles have mortar or plaster backgrounds and glass and stone pieces of different colors are embedded in them. Natural stone and ceramic are bound onto a mesh backing, and then mosaic tiles get manufactured. The many different designs of these tiles have made them unique, and the variety of colors, textures, and stones are really vast.
You can apply mosaic tiles to both floors and walls, and they are an amazing choice for the places that get weight. As after getting wet, surfaces made with these tiles don’t get slippery, they work excellently as bathroom tiles and kitchen tiles. You can use these tiles at other places too, especially by combining them with other tiles to add more excitement and jazz to the decor. The texture and sparkle these tiles offer can make your home really colorful and amazing.
Types of Mosaic Tiles
There are various types of mosaic tiles. All the varieties have provided mosaic tiles the opportunity to have numerous designs, and all these designs come with inexpensive price tags. Based on the color the most commonly used mosaic tiles are grey or white ones, but depending on designs and materials, there are different types of mosaic tiles, and they are-
- Ceramic Mosaic Tiles
- Vitreous Glass Tiles
- Smalti Glass Tiles
- Organic Glass Tiles
- Artistic or Creative Mosaic Tiles
The ceramic ones are the easiest to cut and use, but they are the weakest of mosaic tiles and aren’t much durable. Vitreous glass tiles come with transparency and mirroring features, and they work well with beautiful lights, as they help the light bounce around the room and create a glowing effect. These tiles are easy to handle and relatively less expensive, so they are most commonly used. But they have poor abrasion and slip resistance.
One of the most expensive kinds is Smalti Glass Tiles, which can add glamor to your interior. These tiles look like gems and jewels, and they also reflect light to glow things up. To have a nice texture and the feel of natural stone, you can go for organic mosaic tiles, as they are cut from natural stones like marble, granite, etc. And if you want to go for freestyle design and have the creative decor in your home by not following a proper pattern, you can go for artistic mosaic tiles.
Pros of Mosaic Tiles
- Because of the numerous designed glass chips and stones, these tiles give off a really great and unique look and finish. With their help, you can have really beautiful home decor.
- These tiles are slip-resistant, so you can easily go for them while choosing tiles for washrooms or kitchens.
- They are not expensive at all, and their installation costs are really cheap too. If you have a low budget, you can still go for them.
Cons of Mosaic Tiles
- The main problem with the mosaic tiles is they are really hard to maintain and keep nice and clean.
- The maintenance cost is high.
Vitrified Tiles
Vitrified tiles are actually quite similar to your traditional ceramic tiles, but additional elements like clay and silica are used in the mix while manufacturing vitrified tiles. 60% clay and 40% silica are used in the manufacturing process, and they are blended together to form a glass-like element during the vitrification process. And this glass-like element reduces the porosity of the tiles to a huge extent and makes them very durable. These tiles come in various colors, patterns, and designs, and they cost a little more than ceramic tiles.
Vitrified tiles are water and frost-resistant, as they have high porosity. You can get more abrasion resistance from them if you use an anti-skid coating. You can use these tiles in the high-traffic areas, as they offer high durability, and their installation process is a quick and easy one too. You can perfectly use them as your kitchen backsplash or the floor of your bathroom. Their vitrified nature gives them weather resistance, which makes them a good fit for both interior and exterior designs.
Pros of Vitrified Tiles
- They have very high water resistance and no water can ever seep through these tiles due to the vitrification. Their polish remains intact after a long time.
- They are stain-resistant, and you won’t have to care about stains damaging your tiles anymore.
- They have very high durability, which makes the investment for these tiles worth it.
Cons of Vitrified Tiles
- They are expensive compared to mosaic and ceramic tiles.
Final Words
Both mosaic and vitrified tiles have their own share of advantages and disadvantages. Even though the vitrified ones are more expensive, your investment will be worth it due to their durability and long-time service. On the other hand, mosaic tiles will provide you with many varieties and a chance to add glamour to your decor. So, you should choose one carefully based on your preferences.