Tile Stone & Glass
Beautify Your Floors With Tile
Types of Tile
Used since Roman times, tile is one of the favorite design materials for both bathroom and kitchen renovation. Excellent manmade materials have become popular in recent years, but tile is still valued for its beauty and cost-saving potential. Tile is classed into three types: ceramic, quarry, and stone.
Ceramic Tile
When we talk about tile being cost effective, we are talking about ceramic tile. While not all ceramic tile is inexpensive, it is possible to find bargains.
Ceramic tile starts with clay—shale, gypsum, and sand—and is worked into a material called bisque. The bisque is shaped into tiles and is fired in a kiln up to 2500° F. The higher the temperature, the stronger the tile will be.
The main value of ceramic tile is that it can be formed into an infinite variety of colors and shapes because it is made from scratch.
Quarry Tile
In the past, quarry tile came from quarries. Back then the tile was cut away, ground, and polished. Now manufacturers use the extrusion method for making a vitreous clay tile that is almost as hard as natural stone.
Quarry tile has a rough surface, which makes it perfect for flooring because it provides a good grip. Quarry tile is not good for kitchen countertops because it is very porous. Even though quarry tile can be sealed to make it less porous, it is still not appropriate for food preparation surfaces.
Stone
In recent years, granite has become the big winner in the kitchen design sweepstakes. Be careful when choosing granite for your kitchen countertops. Granite and marble are easily scratched and are not always resistant to high temperatures such as those from hot kitchen pots. Granite easily cracks, and it is porous, so it must be sealed and polished on a regular basis.
From a design perspective, however, natural stone provides unique accents for your home. The designs can’t be duplicated by ceramic tile; they are endlessly fascinating and the creative aspects are virtually limitless.