Tile Floors

You Have So Many Choices

• Terrazzo Tile Floors

Granite Tile Floors

You can choose from polished, honed or flamed surfaces, each providing their own unique look. These are recommended for heavy-duty interior floors. The polished finish however, is not recommended for exterior or interior floors where water or grease could be present.

Granite tile has always been a favorite choice for use on kitchen countertops, and today it has become very fashionable as a flooring choice as well. You'll find a variety of designer colors (actual stone colors) to choose from.

One big advantage of this type of flooring over regular glazed ceramic is that many scratches can be polished or buffed out of it.

Again, remember when installing polished granite tile, be particularly wary of using it in wet areas such as in a master bath floor. This type of floor is extremely slippery when wet and would prove quite hazardous in such applications.

On bathroom walls (such as the shower and bath area) this is not a concern. In fact, polished granite tile looks absolutely beautiful when installed on vertical surfaces. It cleans easily and the chance of ever scratching the surface is non-existent at best.

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Ceramic Tile Flooring

Tile made of Porcelain in sizes 16 by 16 and larger exceed the wear ratings of the previous softer bisque and glazed choices of yesterday by leaps and bounds.

Ceramic tile floors today though, are much different and the number of various styles and colors to choose from today just boggles the mind. Smaller sizes, once popular in main areas of the home, have now been replaced by much larger sizes.

The effect that larger sizes have visually is absolutely amazing. A room 12 by 12 in size will actually appear larger to the eye because of being less busy, more open and spacious when using lets say a piece 16 by 16 than it would if you had used a 12 by 12 square.

The number of grout lines is drastically reduced as the size of the piece increases, creating this illusion.

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Ceramic Tile Wear Ratings

What do these numbers mean? They basically indicate the areas of use recommended by the manufacturer. For instance, one rated PEI 2 should only be considered for an area where very low traffic and soiling is expected.

In this classification will be the high gloss selections with vibrant colors which are aesthetically pleasing, but not long wearing. On the other hand, a PEI 5 indicates something designed for heavy commercial wear and traffic.

Most good quality Porcelain will have a wear rating of 5, meaning it is the strongest you can buy. It must be mentioned though, that the rating system is only for determining wear expectations, not the actual quality of the product.

The factors determining quality are calibration are all pieces the same size, squareness of edges is there any warpage, and consistency of surface texture are there imperfections such as small visible cracks in the glaze.

Ceramic Tile Quality

Grout joints are required in all floor applications, with anything 1/4 inch or smaller acceptable. At no time should squares be butted together, for when the floor settles and they all do shearing coming up off the floor and buckling will occur.

At any rate, let's say each of the pieces are consistent in size with one another. This is a good thing, for because they are calibrated well, the installer can set a close joint lets say 3/16 of an inch or even a little closer and all of the grout lines will be uniform.

It's not unusual though for a poor quality line to have squares within the same shipment and dye lot vary as much as an 1/8 of an inch from one another. Calibration is terrible some would say unacceptable and the end result will be larger and considerably more inconsistent size grout lines.

Consistently square edges will translate into consistently square grout lines. Warped edges, such as those found in a poorer quality selections, will mean grout lines that get wider and narrower along each individual piece, as well as lippage in the floor. Lippage is when you run your hand over the floor and discover height differences from one piece to the other.

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Porcelain Tile Floors

Porcelain tiles are suitable for use almost anywhere such as countertops, tub surrounds, showers, floors, literally anyplace you can think of. Still very popular in mosaic form for pools and bath walls and floors, they have now found their way into entire living areas. Porcelain glazes can be bright and glossy or matted. Some of the pieces seem to be almost translucent.

One drawback though, if it can be considered that, is that porcelain tiles are generally not uniform in size. This is due to the fact that they are fired at very high temperatures, which can cause distortion or warpage.

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Glazed Tile Floors

With a rainbow of colors and designs from delicate florals to contemporary geometrics, this flooring is at home in a variety of settings.

Glazed floor tiles are generally rated for wear resistance by the Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI), so make sure and inquire as to the rating of the tile you are purchasing. A rating of 5 for instance, would mean that this particular floor will wear better than one rated 3 or 4.

Glazed tile flooring is by far the most popular tile being purchased today. They are manufactured in countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, United States and many other places as well. Due to the number of manufacturers existing today, pricing has become a very competitive issue.

Always remember this principle. The floor you are considering should by all intents and purposes last as well as look good forever. This principle will only apply if you exercise practical and prudent insight. In other words, try and follow the above advice.

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Marble Tile Floors

Most if not all marble sold in this country is imported from places such as Italy or Spain.

Marble is the perfect choice for that formal master bath shower floor and wall, as well any other area in your home where you want to make a formal and dramatic statement.

Make sure you contract a professional installer who can provide plenty of references (photos if possible) that you can call to verify competency and quality. This is a major investment, so be sure and research everything you can in advance so your experience will be a pleasant one.

One more thing to keep in mind is this. Since this is a natural product taken from the earth, there is very little control in veining and color variation.

Be sure and ask if you are able to see the lot your order will be taken from so you can know ahead of time what to expect once the floor is installed.

Some companies will for an additional fee allow you to hand-pick out of a lot those tiles you want installed. Either way, understand the nature of the product you are purchasing.

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Quarry Tile Floors

Quarry tile is durable and relatively inexpensive. Some are multicolored and contain marble like swirls or patterns resembling wood grain.

Although primarily used extensively in commercial applications, quarry tile is gaining popularity in the home both inside and out. The color tones are 'earthy' and lend a more contemporary look to floors.

They even come 'flashed', meaning that within each box there will be varied shades which when installed will create a beautiful country or even rustic decor. Because quarry tile is made much like brick, it is sometimes referred to as "burnt clay."

The most common size quarry tile is 6 x 6 inches, although there are other sizes and shapes. Quarry tiles are available in a range of shapes, including the basic square, the rectangle (brick), and the hexagon.

These tiles are frost-proof, and are a good choice for outdoor projects.

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Slate Tile Floors

Slate tile, like fieldstone and ceramic tile, maintains heat well, making it a good choice for passive solar homes. Because slate resists fading, abrasion and is chemically resistant as well as being impervious to freeze and thaw cycles, its beauty will last for years to come.

Slate tile is recommended for both interior and exterior applications. It does however have one minor drawback and that is it could scuff in heavy traffic areas. It may periodically need to be buffed or even waxed to keep it looking good. It is not recommended for exterior or interior floors that are subject to water or grease accumulation.

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Terrazzo Tile Floors

Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or can be precast as well, which is used for a finished flooring. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, that are sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder.

Terrazzo is cured, ground and polished to a smooth surface or otherwise finished to produce a uniformly textured surface. There exists an unlimited matrix of colors due to the strict color control, resiliency, chemical resistance and tensile-compressive strengths not found in cement based systems.

Terrazzo tile flooring offers unique flexibility which makes it excellent for creating striking and original multi-colored patterns and designs such as the one pictured above. Being somewhat light weight and flexible makes it an ideal choice for multi-story use.

It has the lowest maintenance cost of any hard surface due to it's non-absorbancy.

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