Nowadays, modern minimalist, cream style, wabi-sabi style, log style and other decoration styles are very popular. Consumers are increasingly accepting low-gloss ceramic tiles represented by matte tiles and soft light tiles. In terms of density, soft light bricks are between glossy bricks and matte bricks. They are regarded by many as the "alternative" material of microcement, so they are very popular among designers and consumers. If you search for "soft light brick" on Xiaohongshu, you can find more than 20,000 notes, which shows its high popularity.
However, on online platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu, Zhongtaojun saw many netizens complaining that their soft light tiles had overturned, and bluntly said that the renderings on the Internet were "cheating". What exactly went wrong? Zhongtaojun summarized four key points for purchasing soft light tiles.
First, soft light tiles are difficult to clean.
The difficulty of cleaning and maintaining soft light tiles is a headache for many homeowners. A homeowner said that due to the long renovation period, some ceramic tiles did not have a protective film and were directly stained with deep stains that could not be cleaned with a small brush. Moreover, during daily use, they were easily dirty and dirty. It’s not easy to clean, and the sweeping robot won’t be able to clean it at all.
▲Easy to leave marks with daily use
Soft light tiles are particularly easy to show footprints, so they need to be cleaned frequently. They are also jokingly called by many netizens "Don't buy bricks for lazy people". In addition, its stain resistance requires special attention. Not all soft light tiles have good stain resistance. For some soft light tiles of poor quality, even a little oil stain can be enough to "disfigure" them. If you accidentally spill the soy sauce and don't clean it up in time, it will easily seep into the bricks and the stain will be difficult to remove.
Second, the brick surface is of different shades of color.
The different shades of brick surface are also a common problem of many soft-light bricks. Many homeowners have discovered after laying soft-light bricks that the color depth of the brick joints is particularly obvious under natural light, and the color of the brick joints in the entire space will become darker., forming a strong contrast with the lighter colors, resulting in different shades. Even if you use various detergents and decontamination agents to wipe the joints of the bricks back and forth, it will have no effect.
Some netizens said that this situation is most likely because the bricks are not good and absorb too much water, sucking in the cement slurry, causing the color of the tiles to change. Some netizens also said that the different shades of color may be due to the different colors of the bricks themselves. You may not be able to tell by just looking at one brick, but when several bricks are laid together, you will find serious color differences and different colors.
Third, the product is different after buying it home and looking at it in the store.
It is actually difficult to distinguish the color and texture differences between different soft light tiles. There are many kinds of light colors, ranging from warm to cold, from 50° to 80°. For people with poor color perception, there is no difference at all. In addition, the lighting in the store is stronger, so it is easier to buy The color of the soft light tiles you get home is different from the ones you see in the store.
Fourthly, there are many holes.
The large number of holes in soft light tiles is one of the reasons why many consumers dare not follow the trend and buy them. A consumer encountered this situation. He found that there was a small green hole on the surface of the soft light brick that he had just received. After careful inspection, he found that there was more than one small pinhole. This situation made her very upset. .
Some people in the industry said that it is normal for a small number of holes and "little bumps" to appear because the soft light tiles have not been polished; others think that it is abnormal for the soft light tiles to have raised particles or pinholes and bubbles. It is a process control defect, and not every manufacturer's soft light products have such defects.
After reading the above 4 common mistakes when choosing soft light tiles, Zhongtao Jun will teach you how to choose soft light tiles that are not easy to overturn.
Suggestion 1: Distinguish between soft light bricks and soft polished bricks.
Many merchants usually confuse soft-light tiles and soft-light tiles, but in fact the two products are very different. Consumers often mistake soft-light tiles for soft-light tiles, which leads to overturning in decoration.
▲Soft polished bricks VS soft light bricks
The surface of soft light tiles is directly coated with a glaze layer without polishing, and the glossiness of the glaze layer is low, generally only about 15-30°. The surface of soft-polished tiles has been polished to achieve a soft light effect, but the soft-polished glaze will destroy the glazed crystals and form small pores on the surface of the tiles. Dirt can easily penetrate during use and form stubborn stains, making the tiles look unsightly. It looks dusty and can easily leave water stains during daily mopping.
When purchasing, you can illuminate the tiles with strong light to see the size of the aperture on the surface of the tiles. If the aperture is small, not focused, and not dazzling, and the surface has a texture similar to egg skin, it means that it is a soft light brick; if the aperture is very dazzling and the surface is smooth and bright, it means that it is a soft polished brick.
Suggestion 2: Do anti-fouling, bleeding and pinhole tests.
The needle eye test can be done together with the antifouling test. Use a marker pen to cover a small piece of ceramic tile, wait for the ink to dry, and then wipe it with a rag or paper towel. You can not only observe how many needle holes there are, but also know whether it is easy. Rinse off. In addition, you can also pour soy sauce onto the brick surface, wait for a while and then wipe it off to see if there are any stains on the brick surface.
Suggestion 3: Choose a good seam sealant.
It is best to choose a color similar to the soft-light tiles for the caulking agent. Matte caulking agent or epoxy sand mining are both good choices. It should be noted that you should never choose bright-colored seaming agents, otherwise it will easily ruin all the seams.
Recommendation 4: Choose a good detergent.
After laying soft light tiles, cement residue will appear in many places. In this case, cement cleaner needs to be used. Some footprints or black marks that appear in daily life need to be cleaned up in time with tile cleaners, toilet cleaners, etc.
Suggestion 5: Choose soft light tiles with less texture.
The more textures on the surface of soft light tiles, the easier it is to look messy, while the less texture, the more textured they are, especially the solid color soft light tiles. When paved properly, they are very similar to microcement self-leveling. If you want to pretend to be creamy, Wind, wabi-sabi wind, and soft light bricks are good alternatives.
Suggestion 6: Choose soft light tiles with a glossiness of 15°.
The glossiness of soft light tiles greatly affects the overall appearance and texture. If you want to avoid overturning, Zhongtaojun recommends choosing soft light tiles with a glossiness of 15°, which not only has good paving effect, but also Not reflective yet.
Suggestion 7: Choose a good space for paving.
Soft light tiles should be laid in the living room or bedroom as much as possible. It is not recommended to lay them in the kitchen or bathroom, because they are not easy to take care of and their slip resistance is not as good as expected.
A netizen who claimed to have been moving bricks for 16 years said that soft light bricks are recommended to be attached to the wall, not the floor. When he chatted with the director of the ceramic tile factory before, he found that they were unwilling to produce soft-light tiles because they were prone to staining and not wear-resistant, so the complaint rate was high. Although soft light tiles are very comfortable to touch, consumers don’t lie down on the ground and touch them every day, and don’t think that smooth tiles mean they are easy to care for.
After reading this article, do you have a new understanding of soft light tiles? Will you still choose soft light tiles? Leave your opinions in the comment area!
