TILE | STYLES
Choosing the perfect tile for your home or business can be a challenge. Understanding the different styles available will help you in this decision, as will our experiences sales team at Okanagan Hardwood Flooring & Tile. Here is a brief overview of the different styles available:
Ceramic Tile:
Glazed ceramic
Coated with a layer of liquid glass and/or minerals and ceramic stains.
Typically have a matte, semi-gloss or high-gloss finish. Matte finishes are typically harder than semi-gloss or high-gloss finishes.
Lighter glazes are generally harder than dark glazes.
Offer better stain and moisture resistance than unglazed.
High gloss finishes tend to be more slippery and show scratches.
Matte or textured finishes help with traction and resisting scratches, dirt is less visible.
Slip resistant coating can be applied after installation.
Some manufacturers apply slip resistant coatings during production.
Wide variety of styles and colors.
Unglazed ceramic
Tiles are denser and thicker.
More slip resistant in moist and high traffic areas
Better scratch resistance than glazed tile.
More vulnerable to staining.
Natural coloring.
Can be coated with finish or wax after installation to seal and give more protection from moisture and stains.
Less slippery than glazed tile, good choice for kitchens and laundry rooms and well as high foot traffic areas.
Suitable for outdoor applications in mild climate.
Porcelain Tile:
suitable for heavy foot traffic
for use in both residential and commercial applications.
harder and denser than most ceramic tile.
highly resistant to moisture, scratches and stains.
wide range of colors, textures, designs and patterns, including wood and marble looks.
less susceptible to breakage.
easy to maintain – no waxing or polishing needed.
certified porcelain tile has a low rate of water absorption. To be certified, stringent tests are performed to verify that it is waterproof and suitable to be used in wet areas.
more expensive than ceramic tile.
Recommendations on usage:
ASTM International developed a test to determine how waterproof a tile is. Based on this test, the following usage recommendations have been determined:
Non-vitreous tile – for use on fireplaces and walls
Semi-vitreous tile – for use in dry areas like backsplashes with minimal water contact
Vitreous tile – for use in showers on both the floor and walls, outdoor areas where freezing does not occur
Impervious tile – for use indoors and outdoors, including wet locations.
Suitable for in-floor heating:
both porcelain and ceramic are good heat conductors, will not expand when heated or contract when cooling.
Sizes:
priced by the square foot
mosaics come in 1”x1” standard, 2”x2” supersized and 1”x2” subway blend
classic subway tile is 3”x6”
standard size tile is 12”x12”
plank sizes are available in 4”x24” sizes, used for flooring only
bigger tile sizes are the most popular – 12”x24” and 24”x24”
Gradings for color shade variation:
V1 – Uniform: Minimal or no difference in each tile as it is manufactured with the same glaze and texture.
V2 – Slight: Slight differences in pattern and/or texture.
V3 – Moderate: Overall color of the tile may seem similar, but each tile varies.
V4 – Random/Dramatic: Tiles may have a completely different look from each other.
