A Reason To Choose Cushion-Edged Tiles Over Rectified Tiles

If you are looking at having your bathroom wall or a kitchen splashback tiled, you might have come across rectified tiles and cushion-edged tiles and be wondering which wall tile to choose. While rectified tiles are all the rage at the moment, there are some reasons why you might select pillow-edged tiles instead; here is one of them.

One reason to choose cushion-edged (also called pillow-edged or soft-edged) tiles is that you want to emphasise the tile shape and size as a design feature of the tiling. To understand why pillow-edged tiles are best in this case, you need to know the difference between rectified and cushion-edged tiles and why someone would typically choose rectified tiles.

Rectified And Cushion-Edged Tiles: The Difference

The difference between cushioned-edged tiles and rectified tiles are merely the edges. Rectified tiles are traditional porcelain or ceramic tiles with their edges mechanically trimmed; this has two effects. Firstly, it means that each rectified tile is a precise size, as the sides are machine cut. Secondly, it means the edges of each tile are flat and sharp, and not soft like traditional cushion-edged tiles. Because rectified tiles undergo an extra manufacturing step, being trimmed, they are sometimes more expensive. 

If You Want A Seamless Look

The reason people typically choose rectified tiles is that these tiles can be laid with extremely fine grout lines to produce a seamless look. Pillow-edged tiles, on the other hand, need to be arranged with thicker grout lines, as each tile size varies slightly due to the firing process; the thicker grouting allows the tiles to be maneuvered somewhat to mask the size variances.

If You Want To Emphasize Tile Shape And Size

Now if you want to emphasise the tile size and shape as a design feature, thicker grout lines will do this for you, particularly if you use contrasting grout colour to make each tile really 'pop'. Therefore, you would not need to go for the extra expense of rectified tiles, the main advantage of which is to create a seamless look. You want the opposite of a seamless look if you're going to highlight each tile shape and size.

It is not only the grout thickness that makes each cushioned-edged tile stand out more in a tiled wall, but it is also the soft edges themselves. Rectified tiles have sharp, clean edges, and when laid, they provide a totally flat surface. When soft-edged tiles are arranged, on the other hand, a sort of valley or channel forms along the joint lines, so the tiling is not as precisely flat and undulating as with rectified tiles. These valleys along the grout lines subtly make each tile stand out a touch more than they would otherwise. 

So even though rectified tiles are prevalent, it is not a foregone conclusion to choose a rectified wall tile for your tiling renovation. If you want to emphasise the shape and size of each tile as a design focus, it makes better sense to choose cushion-edged tiles.