Instead of a bullnose tile edge, a Schluter strip is frequently used to create a square edge in tile installations. It acts as a border or divider within the tile pattern and serves as both a functional and decorative element. The Schluter strip’s profile offers a contemporary finish that is frequently overlooked. Schluter strips are essential for tile installations, but many people ignore this fact despite its significance. These strips protect tiles from chipping and cracking in addition to giving tiled edges, corners, and transitions a polished and professional finish. In this article, you’ll learn what Schluter strips are, how they function, and why they’re essential to any project involving the installation of tiles.
What is a Schluter strip?
Schluter strips are metal or plastic profiles used to finish tiled surfaces’ edges and transitions. It is available in a range of materials, colors, and sizes to suit various tile styles and installation techniques and is named after the company that created and popularized the product, Schluter Systems. Notably, using a Schluter strip will produce an equally beautiful finish for a lot less money. For instance, adding brass strips can add a wow factor to inexpensive marble subway tiles, elevating their appearance.
How does a Schluter strip work?
Schluter strips are intended to function by establishing a barrier of protection between the tile and other surfaces, including countertops, floors, and walls. Additionally, they aid in ensuring that the grout lines are straight and even and that the tiles are properly aligned.
By burying the strips in the mortar or adhesive used to install the tile, the strips are put in place. They are placed along the tile’s edges and transitions, and after that, they are anchored with more mortar or adhesive. The strips are left exposed after the tile is put in and act as a decorative and practical finishing touch.
Why are Schluter strips important?
- They guard the tile’s corners and edges against chipping and cracking, which can happen over time from wear and tear. This keeps the tile’s aesthetic appeal while extending its lifespan.
- The tile installation is finished off neatly and professionally with Schluter strips. They produce a tidy appearance that improves the tiled surface’s overall appearance and conceals any flaws or irregularities in the tile edges.
- Schluter strips may also contribute to the tiled surface’s increased safety. They lessen the chance of tripping or falling by establishing a smooth transition between various flooring materials.
Schluter strips are a crucial part of every tile installation project, to sum up. They give the tile a decorative and practical finishing touch that increases its safety, improves its appearance, and guards against damage. If you want a polished and professional finish when installing new tiles in your bathroom, kitchen, or any other room of your house, be sure to include Schluter strips in your design plan.
We’re Emma Carole Paradis and Kimberly Carole, the owners and designers of Impeccable Nest, based in Bedford, New Hampshire. A mother-daughter team with a love of design. Originally from Manhattan Beach, California, now based in Bedford, New Hampshire, we bring a Southern California cool and New England tradition to our design. Not only do we work together…we also live together in a multi-generational home…and a home that they are known to design for others.
