Why do tiles need to have gaps and use tile grout

1. Reserve space for expansion - when laying tiles, the cement mortar under the tiles is wet, and the inside of the tiles will absorb some moisture (some tiles even need to be soaked in water in advance).

Both cement mortar and tiles will deform during the drying process, and the tile joints provide space for this deformation. Without tile joints, the tiles will squeeze each other during the deformation process, resulting in cracks.

The wetter the cement mortar, the greater the deformation. Therefore, wet-laid wall tiles need to reserve larger gaps than dry-laid floor tiles.

The higher the water absorption rate of the tile, the greater the deformation. Therefore, tiles with high water absorption need to reserve larger gaps than tiles with low water absorption.

2. Make up for the errors in the tile production process - the tiles we see are generally square. In theory, each side of the square is straight, but in practice, due to the influence of materials and processes, the edges of the tiles will be slightly bent or twisted.

If the tiles are arranged closely, the errors of these edges will be highlighted. If the tiles in the same row and column are not aligned, it will be very ugly. By slightly changing the size of the tile joints, this process error can be visually eliminated.

Tile joints have certain practicality, but correspondingly, they will also bring some problems:

1. Unsightly, black tile joints are not so beautiful. Especially for some larger tiles, the increase in tile joints will destroy the overall sense of the tiles. Some tile shapes with coherent patterns will also cause the distance between patterns due to the existence of tile joints.

2. Dirty, tile joints are generally deep (more than 10mm), and will become sanitary dead corners over time. Various dust and small insects will get into the gaps, and ordinary tools cannot clean them at all. In a humid environment, it may also be moldy, and mold will grow in the gaps, emitting an unpleasant smell.

3. Humid, especially the floor tiles in the bathroom. The surface of the tile is generally glazed or polished, and it is difficult for water to penetrate from the front of the tile to the inside of the tile. There is no protective layer on the side of the tile, and water will penetrate into the inside of the tile when it hits the side.

Don't want the gaps between tiles to be so dirty and ugly? In the past, the commonly used method was caulking (caulking), and the main ingredients of caulking were white cement, quartz sand, etc. After the tiles are pasted, you can ask the workers to help caulk the gaps with caulking for free. After caulking, the gaps between the tiles are filled. And you can choose to caulk of different colors as needed to make the tile joints more beautiful.

The disadvantage of caulking is that it is unstable. After using it for some time, especially when it encounters water, it will flow out of the tile joints. On the other hand, the surface of the caulking is easy to get dirty, and the caulking will turn black over time, just like before caulking.