Tips on Ceramic Tile

You've seen all the DIY shows that have home owners laying and installing their own tile floors.  Would you like to do the same?  (It's actually not too difficult.  I've done a few tile projects myself.  I would give it a rating of medium difficulty!)  One of the biggest challenges you'll have is choosing out which tile you'd like!  There are many millions of different tiles out there so how do you decide which one is best for your space?  They'll all be classified with terms such as ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, through-body color, recycled glass, terrazzo, etc...    Let me see if I can help you!  Over the next week I'll provide a quick run-down of the different types and the pros and cons of each.

First on the list is ceramic tile.  Most residential applications (as opposed to commercial buildings) will use ceramic tile.  Ceramic tile is made from, well, ceramic.  It has been heat treated to make it extremely durable and usually has a glazed finish on top.  If you ever see what's called through-body color ceramic tiles, it just means that the color you see on top of the tile actually goes all the way through the tile.  Why is this important?  Because if you chip it the glaze might chip off, but the tile underneath will be the same color and therefore, much harder to tell if it's been damaged.

You can find ceramic tile at prices ranging from $1.50 a square foot up to $10 a square foot (and sometimes more).  The maintenance is great!  Just sweep and mop occasionally, there's no special treatments that ceramic will need.  It will stand up to virtually all traffic in and out of your home.  Some ceramic tile is made to be decorative and will only be recommended for wall use.  The tile display board that the samples are on will tell you whether it's recommended for your floor, walls, or both.

Here are some great ceramic tiles I like:

1. Angela Adams Manfred Deco from Ann Sacks Tile.  This would make a great accent tile for a back splash in your kitchen or on the walls in your bathroom.  This one would not work well on floors.

2 . Fayette Tile from Dal Tile.  This would work great on a large entry way or kitchen, either on the floors or walls.

3. Mizu Tile from Walker-Zanger.  This would work well on the walls, but too glossy for the floor.

4. Dual Chains from Stone Impressions.   This would work well on walls.  Then you can choose a solid field tile for your floor.

I hope that this series will help you!  Next up tomorrow is Porcelain Tile.  Let me know in the comments if you have any questions you'd like answered or included in the next post!