Corner for tiles: which is the best to choose?

Kitchen and bathroom renovations are most often carried out using ceramic tiles. In such premises, it is simply irreplaceable. However, the matter is not limited to ceramics alone. Only when using additional elements, the room acquires an aesthetic appearance, becomes reliable and safe. One of these elements is a corner.

If you do not use corners at the joints of the walls and in the corners, then the appearance of the room will be incomplete. They carry not only an aesthetic function, masking possible shortcomings during work. Such corners protect tiles from possible chips, protect against mold and mildew that can appear in damp conditions. Besides, they smooth out irregularities and dangerous protrusions, which in the future can protect the user from possible injury.

The correct laying of tiles is easiest for craftsmen to cope with. However, with a little construction skill, well-chosen instructions, a general understanding of this procedure and a strong desire, this task is within the power of a layman.

The skill of the craftsman and the quality of the tiles are definitely important. However, additional details, both decorative and functional, in some cases, can quite strongly affect the appearance of the room. When using corners, you can achieve a reliable and effective joining of tiles, much better and more beautiful than with other joining methods.

Decorating the room with corners gives accuracy and completeness to the main covering... With their help, complex areas can be aesthetically decorated. They are used both during tiling work and after their completion.

The corners can be divided into outer corners, which are installed on convex corners and having a more aesthetic function, and inner corners - of a concave shape and used for inner corners, and in addition, for aligning the corners at the junction of the tile and the bathroom.

Outside corners are used in the case when protrusions appear at the point of convergence of two walls at right angles. Such products have a rounded shape, which prevents injury to a person from sharp ceramic corners and damage to the tile itself in the future.

The main dimensions of the elements (length and width of the shelf) - 7, 9 and 11 mm, length 2.5 m... One side of the product has a groove for tiles, the other serves as a decorative function and protects the slabs from external influences. Decorative items can be made from plastic, aluminum and many other materials. They can be white or any neutral color.

Internal elements are used to decorate the corners of the room itself and are mounted between the corner joints of the tiles. They have a standard width of 1 cm and can be adjusted as needed. It is they who carry a protective function, do not allow water to enter, which, in turn, protects the walls from the formation of fungus and mold. Easy to clean with any detergent.

Tile profiles fulfill both technical and decorative functions. They simplify the installation of tiles, and are also protection against external influences... There are U-shaped, T-shaped, L-shaped and H-shaped types of profiles.L-shaped is angular, used at the junction of the vertical and horizontal cover. The T- or H-shaped is a dividing insert and joins the floor covering at the same level. U-shaped is used in the process of finishing finishing work.

There is no definite answer to the question about the use of profiles and corners on the steps. They can be ordinary, as in the case of wall-mounted, or overhead. Ordinary ones have a decorative function, they protect the joints, however, the service life of the stairs during their use can be reduced as a result of the fact that the accumulated water destroys the base material over time.

Overheads are more functional and prevent slipping.

Among the corners (layouts for tiles), there are decorative (most often made of PVC, less often ceramic) - to give beauty, different colors and shapes and functional, differing in strength, varieties.

• Aluminum corners are versatile, have a neutral color and give more room for designer creativity. Perfectly combined with a wide color palette of tiles and sanitary equipment. Can be combined with various coatings. The advantages of the material are its lightness, increased strength in comparison with plastic, as well as resistance to corrosion.
• Main properties PVC (or plastic corners) - flexibility and lightness. Available in various colors, they can be installed at any stage of work. Another plus is a wide range of models of this type. The plastic is moisture resistant and easy to handle. However, if this type is accidentally bent, this can affect the entire structure. Perfectly fixes, provides insulation and is a decorative element.

• Metal corners used together with heavy rectangular tiles, as they can easily withstand heavy loads. However, in this case, the masonry should be perfectly flat, since it is not easy to bend such products. Available in brass and stainless steel.

Stainless steel elements are durable and high density. Most often they are gold and silver, but also found in bronze, chrome, nickel plated and brass. Easy to paint.

• Ceramic corners most often they have a decorative function and are used as part of compositions. They are characterized by patterned execution. However, at the same time, they are quite fragile and cannot withstand shock loads.

According to their design features, the corners are divided into hard, soft and semi-rigid:

• Tough products made of metal and aluminum are considered. Initially, they are not stained and have a natural color. The cost of raw materials is quite high in comparison with other types, which affects the price of the finished product.
• Semi-rigid Are elements made of plastic. Light enough and flexible, they have different color shades, easy to paint. It is extremely rare for such products to be found in black.
• Soft the corners are also plastic, but their difference is in the silicone edges. They are considered universal, can be used when working with any tile surfaces.

Decorative moldings are of particular interest. They represent volumetric smooth or patterned products that are combined, if necessary, into a single composition according to the identity of the pattern. They can reflect a certain style of the interior. Made from various materials.

Molding is used for masking at the junction of materialswith different colors and textures, as well as for creating compositions on surfaces. It hides defects well and attracts attention. Elements used to hide the joints of two planes of a room (ceiling, wall and floor) are called floor and ceiling skirting boards. When joining floor coverings directly, moldings made of metal and plastic are mainly used.

The corners are laid directly during the installation of the tile.There is no need to use additional fasteners, since they are held by the adhesive and the coating itself. There are no special difficulties in working with these elements - they are fixed simply, however, you need to be careful and careful when installing them.

Depending on the goal that the designer wants to achieve, different types of products are used. In order to close possible defects and make the overall look neat, plastic models are used. Ceramics are used for decorative functions, helping to add luxury and grace to the decoration of the apartment. Brass and chrome are relevant for retro style.

Often there is a need for joining different surfaces, for example, when moving from a bathroom to a corridor, it can be tiles and laminate.

If during the repair it becomes necessary to divide the surface into zones, this can be done in various ways. The most popular and simplest option is to apply a threshold. It can be made from all kinds of materials, have different sizes and properties. When installing such sills, profiles are also used, which, as a rule, are mounted on fasteners.

Most often, the joint is closed with a docking nut made of metal or plastic, which is attached with self-tapping screws. Its installation does not require special skills. Also, a similar junction of two different surfaces can be closed with a flexible profile, which looks like two T-shaped halves - one at the bottom, the other inserted from above, which does not require the use of additional elements.

And finally the method of joining "liquid profile" is gaining wide popularity... It is a waterproof mixture of elastic glue and cork chips.

To make the corners look even after laying ceramic tiles, it is necessary to use edging in the form of profile corners. When carrying out repairs, the master himself determines where to start - by installing corners or laying tiles. You can install these elements at the same time as the tile, or on top of it. The second method is simpler, but it is only cladding.

In any case, marking and filing the joints of tiled corners plays an important role, because it depends on this how smoothly and efficiently the tiles will be laid.

As for the metal corners, then deformed products must not be used, this may affect the appearance at the finishing stage... Laying the profile has a positive effect on the strength of the finished coating. It is advisable to start work from an open wall, on which attention is focused when entering the room. It is necessary to make accurate measurements before starting the repair, this will help to minimize tile trimming and other corrective points in the future.

The corners should be one to two millimeters thicker than the tile itself, so they fit into the recess.

The installation scheme for external and internal elements is different:

• The outer corner of the required size is applied to the corner of the wall, tiles are placed in both of its channels and the necessary notes are made. After that, the tile is removed, and the profile is put on the glue exactly according to the marks. Next, the glue is applied to the tile itself, which is applied into the grooves and pressed tightly. It is necessary to remove excess glue from the outer surface, and then using adhesive tape, both tiles and the corner are fixed until dry.
• When installing the inner corners, tile adhesive is applied to the tile itself and to the wall where the element will be laid out. Then a corner is placed in the required place, and the tile is glued into the profile channel. The use of a building cross is necessary so that the gap between the tiles is even and clear.After that, another tile is glued and left to dry completely for 24 hours.

In both cases, after the end of the work and after a day, it is recommended to carry out a decorative grout. When marking angles of 45 degrees, a triangle is usually used.

During all tiling work, you need to control the location of the corners and, if necessary, make adjustments. After finishing the installation, you need to wait a day for the glue to dry out completely.... Then the work is evaluated, possible defects are identified. At this stage, minor flaws are eliminated with a tile grout.

For information on how to install the corners on the tiles with your own hands, see the next video.

• When choosing corners, it is necessary to take into account all the parameters - material, dimensions, colors.
• First, you need to calculate the number of external and internal corners of the room in which the repair will be carried out. Based on this, the number of corners is laid down that are planned to be used in the work. Experts advise adding a couple of pieces "in reserve".
• Elements can be of different lengths, they will need to be trimmed at the ends. As for the thickness, as already mentioned, the corner should be one to two millimeters larger than the tile. If several types of tiles will be used in the room, the corners are selected for each individually.

• As for the color, first of all, the color scale of the tile itself plays a role here. The corners can either match in shade with the main color of the room, or contrast with it. It all depends on the idea of ​​the designer and the idea of ​​the final appearance of the room. It should be borne in mind that the stores have a wide range of colors for these elements, so when choosing, you can take with you a sample of tiles, in relation to which the shade will be selected.
• And finally, the material. In addition to the ratio of price and quality, it is necessary to take into account the convenience in processing the element, as well as the aesthetic factor and design idea.
• Ceramic corners work best with a decorative task, they can perfectly match the tiles in color and texture, and also give a rich and elegant look to the room. These elements are strong enough, which, however, creates certain difficulties in processing, and have a high price.

• PVC is quite sensitive to impact, bends easily and is not very reliable in terms of strength. But this is the most unpretentious element during installation and processing, which can be done by almost any available means. Has a wide variety of colors and the lowest price.
• Metal products are durable and particularly durable. They look nice and expensive. Usually there are no problems with their processing.