Stylish Concrete Looking Ceramic Tile – Part II
This past week, here on our website, in our blog section, we started looking at a floor that was built or finished using a tile that interestingly resembles concrete. We thought it’s a bit interesting that tile would be manufactured or created to look like a simpler and generally less expensive material. These rustic or brutalist type finishes have become popular in modern culture, though.
These tiles are about 20 in x 20 in. They are just a bit smaller than the more common 2 ft x 2 ft tile found as a medium or large format surface covering. Generally, it’s a pretty consistent rule that smaller grout lines look better. We prefer smaller grout lines for several reasons, mainly because they show a more professional aesthetic, showing that the installation is done with a higher degree of craftsmanship. The same principle applies, in most cases, to masonry as well. In fact, in several types of historic masonry, embellishments or additional applications of mortar were added on top of the substrate or original layer of mortar in the masonry joint.
Here in the historic parts of Washington DC, for example, toothpaste and grapevine joints are relatively common at rubble masonry retaining walls. We find these short retaining walls throughout several neighborhoods in DC and the granite stone used as a medium to light gray color.
On top of the varying sized mortar joints, a thin fake joint is applied to give the look or aesthetic that the stone work has been precisely fitted together to yield a consistent and relatively small mortar joint. In reality, though, because these stones are not precisely cut like a typical ashlar masonry, generally somewhere in between like a hybrid between ashlar and rubble masonry, the mortar joints vary significantly. In some cases they’ll be as wide as 2 inches or more and other cases they’ll be so small that the stones are almost touching because the stones are not precisely cut so the mortar joints are graduated, tapered, or variable.
The point though is that people prefer, historically speaking, the aesthetic of a tight fitting masonry unit. The entire industry and field of installing ceramic tile is relatively new, in the history of building construction. The real history of tile installation goes back for centuries, but here in Washington DC and the majority of the United States, thin ceramic tiles installed on top of thinset mortar is comparatively new. It only began within the last century.
Thick set mortar tile installation is significantly more laborious, requires a lot more materials, and imposes a heavier structural load on a framed floor system. Most bathrooms though, in the historic DC homes, built over 100 years ago, we’re built with a relatively small mosaic tile set on top of a thick set mortar which is set on top of a chamfer cut or tapered edge joist system below
At the time of initial construction, the floor systems may have been strong enough to support the heavy load of the thick set tile mortar, but as the many decades have went by, now 120 years after the original construction of the majority of these historic homes, where these floors still remain, the floor joist have typically begun to sag or have debilitated from their original position.
It’s also really interesting, almost to the point of being absurd or comical that we’re having this discussion to describe the original thickset mortar, in the context of comparison to common modern or contemporary mortar used to build floor systems like this concrete tile, because the original thickest mortar itself was almost of the same makeup. Based on the components and usage, as actual concrete, the thick set mortar was almost the same as concrete and today some people refer to the thick set mortar by simply calling it concrete. In the times of the original construction of the thick set mortar floor systems, the thick set mortar was intentionally concealed and concrete was almost never exposed.
In the picture below, you can see the grout lines more clearly. Last week, we explained that the color that was chosen for this particular grout happens to resemble the darkest color of the range of colors within the exposed surface of the tile. We encourage people to lean towards picking a color that resembles or matches the darkest color within the range. We generally find that that type of selection will complement the tile itself and will perform better from a functional perspective over time as well because darker colors generally are easier to keep clean and or even repair if needed.
Zooming in close, you can see this 3/16 inch or 1/4 inch grout line very clearly. Although there are white speckles which imitate or replicate a quartz type aggregate, there’s also smaller black dots that resemble dark aggregate or sand that would be typically found in concrete. Concrete, depending on the source origin of the aggregating sand, can appear differently, depending on each individual batch.
Dupont Kitchen & Bath Can Help
As dedicated and local DC metropolitan kitchen and bath builders and installers, we pride ourselves on turning your visions into reality. Your kitchen and bathrooms can reflect your unique style and be designed with personalized aesthetics. It can be a process from creative designs to the realization of your dream space. Dupont Kitchen Bath DC Specializing in kitchen and bath construction, we bring expertise and skills to every project. If you’re contemplating a renovation, upgrade, or modernization in the local market, we’re happy to be your team. Consult with us, and we can start together on a path to redefine and elevate your DC living experience.
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