Handy Things To Know About Tiles

Kiln fired ceramic products have always had a degree of shade variation between tiles and different production batches due to the natural ingredients and small variations in firing temperatures, it’s this variation that makes tiles so unique and beautiful.  After firing, tiles are graded, separated and packed into like shades and given a batch number.  What this means is that if you need more tiles, you'll need to ask for tiles from the same batch number so you’ll know that they will look great together.

The ongoing development of digital glaze and ceramic printing has more recently enabled manufacturers to replicate variation between tiles to emulate; the many looks and faces of natural stone, the gorgeous natural variation in natural timber, antique brick looks, as well as replicating and celebrating all the different shades that are a feature of traditional hand-made tiles. These stunning replications, in our world, is named ‘variation’.

The following ratings have been developed to help you understand the level of unique variation you can expect from your tiles. Any tile rated V2 or above will show distinguishable colour, shade, texture or pattern differences between tiles. The higher the number, the more variation between individual tiles, like you’d see in nature.

We always recommend you check the full variation of tiles, especially tiles rated V3 and V4 during your selection, and ensure you dry lay V3 and V4 tiles before installation to ensure you’re totally happy with the variation range. It’s amazing how different the first tile can look to say tile six of the same range!

Tile Slip Ratings

Slip ratings have been developed, in accordance with Australian Standards, to help with the selection of tiles in circumstances where public safety is a priority. For residential buildings, the Australian Building Code and Australian Standards only mandate slip rated flooring for stair nosings, stair landings and ramps. 

Slip ratings have been designed to make it easy to decide whether a tile is suitable for different areas like bathrooms, kitchens, outdoors or around pools. Other factors will also play a part in your choice but are mainly for commercial use, but good to know, for example, pedestrian stride and pace, along with any contamination of the surface by water, oil or foreign substances which are common factors in falls. Cleaning is therefore an important part of maintaining an appropriate level of slip resistance. Choose an appropriate slip-resistant tile for your project, remembering that the higher the level of slip resistance, generally the more effort is required for cleaning. A glossy tile may be suitable for general pedestrian traffic walking at a slow or moderate pace, provided that the surface is clean and dry. If the surface can become contaminated by water or other substance, it should be cleaned up immediately. If this happens regularly or if an area is subject to general pedestrian traffic walking more quickly, a higher slip resistant rated tile may be more suitable. 

The three common slip resistance tests quoted in Australia are; the Pendulum test, the Oil Wet Ramp test, and the Barefoot Wet Ramp test. The Pendulum Test is a reliable, all-purpose indicator while the two ramp tests are designed to assess tile performance in oily and wet surface conditions respectively. 

Pendulum Test (P0 – P5)

Beaumonts quality assurance team is on the case, ensuring you always have the right tile for the right purpose.

The details below are a little technical, but still good to know.

The Pendulum Test measures the frictional resistance between a wet tile and a foot-shaped mass fitted with a rubber slider mounted on a pendulum arm, mimicking a standard shoe sole striking a wet tile. The higher the number, the lower the risk of slipping. A tile with a rating of P3 or below is generally considered suitable for indoor flooring while a P4 or P5 has a lower slip risk and can be used outside or around a pool.