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Tiles are among the most common features in bathrooms across the UK. They provide a waterproof covering for the walls and floors around baths, showers, and toilets. But hidden in that covering are plenty of nasty surprises.
In this post, we’ll look at four ways bathroom tiles can cause a filthy problem in your home.
Bathroom tiles are non-porous, meaning they don’t absorb anything that splashes or runs onto them. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the grouting that holds them in place. Sitting in between tiles, grouting provides the perfect place for dirt and bacteria to gather and build up.
Needless to say, this is far from hygienic for anyone touching those surfaces. Over time, it can even lead to grouting becoming discoloured. When you consider why it’s discoloured, it’s enough to make anyone think twice about tiling their own bathroom.
The worst thing about dirty grouting around tiles is that you can’t just wipe it away. Unlike wall panels, which can be easily wiped clean, grouting requires special solutions and lots of elbow grease.
Scouring the internet will bring up suggestions for bicarbonate of soda, old toothbrushes and lots of elbow grease just to get it looking partly clean. That’s hardly ideal in a room where you’re supposed to be cleaning yourself.
Tiles are seen as a waterproof solution for bathroom walls and floors. However, even the smallest gap in the grouting lets water through. Once it gets underneath the tiles, it can allow mould to grow and lead to the wall or floorboard underneath decaying and rotting.
The worst bit? You won’t see the damage developing because your tiles are covering it. This can lead to truly filthy revelations should you pull your tiles off, which could cost lots to repair depending on how long it’s been happening.
The final filthy part of tiles? Removing them. Raking out the grout and chiselling away at tiles will leave your bathroom an absolute mess with cracked tiles, dirty grouting, and heaps of dust all over the place.
That’s not even considering the state your wall will be in, with cracks and lumps the best-case scenario.
Whether it’s the grimy grouting build-up or the potential water ingress and rot, bathroom tiles are far from a clean option for your home. Fortunately, there is an alternative. Bathroom wall panels are made from waterproof PVC, making them the perfect alternative to bathroom tiles.
There’s no need for masses of grouting, just a small amount of silicone between each panel. Much larger than bathroom tiles, they can also be easily wiped clean with soapy water and a soft cloth.
Best of all, wall panels can be installed over tiles, so you don’t need to embark on a messy removal to renovate your bathroom. At Igloo Surfaces, our bathroom wall panels even come with a 10- to 20-year guarantee depending on the specific product, so you can rest assured they’ll stand the test of time.
