TYPES OF FLOOR TILES
Choosing any finishes for your home can feel intimidating with so many options on the market and many factors at play (budget, timeline, aesthetic, and purpose). Floor tile is no different with endless colours, textures and shapes to choose from - all with the possibility of either enhancing your space or creating headaches later on.
Have you ever stayed somewhere, while beautiful, the bathroom tiles were slippery beyond belief that you had to get out of the shower with hyper-vigilance for fear of slipping? Ya, no fun. Thus, it is so important to take the time to research and really consider how your space is going to be used and to choose the best products for it. Below, we have summarized the popular floor tile types & provided tips for choosing the perfect floor tile for your space!
NATURAL STONE:
Natural Stone refers to a number of products quarried from the earth, used over many thousands of years as building materials and decorative enhancements. These products include Granite, Marble, Limestone, Travertine, Slate, Quartzite, Sandstone, and many others.
Beautiful organic look with a variety of natural stone including granite, slate, limestone & marble.
Some stone tile is brittle and can chip/scratch easily
Stone stays naturally cool (this has both pros and cons depending on where you live - if you don’t have radiant heat system installed underneath stone flooring can be a tad uncomfortable)
Can be pricey, especially natural stone flooring, due to shipping and installation costs
PORCELAIN:
Porcelain tile is made from a clay mixture that is fired in a kiln. It is made from more refined clay and it's fired at higher temperatures than ceramic which makes it denser and more durable than ceramic tile. Porcelain tile has a water absorption rate of 0.5 percent or lower as defined by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) section C373.2. To test this, the fired tile is first weighed, then it is boiled for five hours and left to sit in water for 24 hours. Then it is weighed again. If the tile weighs less than half of one-percent more as a result of water-absorbing into its surface, it is considered porcelain.
Moisture resistant and impervious to spills
Stands up to heavy foot traffic
Durable; less porous compared to ceramic (thus more expensive)
Some can be used outdoors and exposed to cold temperatures
Can emulate natural stone, brick, or wood
Their dense characteristic makes them hard to cut or drill
CERAMIC:
Tile defined as ceramic uses a coarser clay with a smaller ratio of fine kaolin clay, and it generally lacks some of the additives used in porcelain clay. Ceramic tile is fired at lower temperatures, generally no more than 1,650 degrees Fahrenheit. Ceramic tile can be slightly more prone to water infiltration than is porcelain tile, though these differences are fairly minimal if the ceramic tile is glazed.
Usually a bit more affordable
Cannot be installed out doors or in high moisture settings
Rated based on the amount of moisture it absorbs
Glazed or unglazed coatings options
ALTERNATE OPTION:
CONCRETE:
A concrete floor is typically one in which a flat slab is formed of concrete. Rebar, also known as reinforcement steel and reinforcing steel, is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires often used to reinforce concrete. If using the concrete exposed for flooring, typically a radiant floor heating will be applied before pouring to heat the slab.
Great for use outdoors and indoors
More costly than other types of tile
Thicker (typically 5/8 inches or more) and not as versatile
Porous product ~ has to be resealed/finished depending on finish product recommendations
Eco-friendly; produced with natural components
Heavy ~ if using on a second or more storey, the floor would have to be engineered to carry the weight of the topping
Perfect for modern-style homes
ADDITIONAL TIPS:
The lighting and other finishes can have an impact in the space and bring out the undertones in the product so it is important to view the sample in the room it will be installed. We recommend ordering or borrowing a sample to take it home and have a look. Be mindful to have a look at it throughout the day as the natural light changes.
Hire a professional to install your tile, the prep work for tile often can be a bit more substantial and it can be hard to get patterns perfect. If you have selected a natural tile, we recommend ordering a bit extra to be able to “cull” out some of the less desirable pieces. Remember ~ it is a natural stone so will have variations in the colour or veining.
If you are installing tile yourself, make sure to have a tile saw, laser level & you follow install directions closely (different products will have different install & care instructions)
As a rule of thumb for floors, choose durable tiles with a hardness rating of PEI Class 3 and up (typically 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick) - aka don’t use wall tiles as flooring tiles, they are often not thick enough so they often break are aren’t abrasive enough to be anti-slip.
Typically the higher the PEI rating (Porcelain Enamel Institute), the more foot traffic a tile can handle due to the hardness of its glaze
Water resistance, stain resistance, heat resistance, frost resistance are other things to consider when picking tile.
If you are ordering tile for a commercial space, be mindful to choose a commercially rated tile to avoid any liabilities or warranty issues. You can use commercial tile in a residential space but the reverse is not recommended.
There are many other factors to consider when choosing a tile for your floor (or really any tile) and we stay connected with tile vendors educating ourselves on the latest products so we can empower our clients to make the best choice!