When it comes time to make tile selections for your remodel, it’s not unlikely that you may feel a little overwhelmed. Not only are there countless tile vendors, but there are a wide variety of price points, colors, and formats (oh my!). In an attempt to use a little of our professional knowledge to make your life easier, we’ve compiled a quick guide to tile, a complement to another one of our blog posts, all about countertops. Hopefully this makes at least one part of your design process simpler!
- Ceramic and Porcelain
- Construction: clay is pressed into shape and fired at high temperatures.
- Price point: $-$$
- Durability: high
- Best uses: anywhere and everywhere; ceramic and porcelain come in a wide variety of formats, shapes, and can even include 3-D textures. Check out Porcelanosa for their wide range of porcelain and ceramic tiles.
- Natural stone
- Construction: natural stone, harvested and cut into tiles, finished typically via polishing or honing
- Price point: $$$-$$$$
- Durability: ranging from low (for softer stones, like marble and limestone) to high (granite and slate). Note that natural stone must be sealed to ensure durability in wet areas.
- Best uses: anywhere and everywhere; just be sure you’re willing to put in the time and effort that natural stone maintenance requires if you’re installing in a high traffic area.
- Glass
- Construction: varies; most often, flat glass is cut into shapes and fired
- Price point: $$-$$$
- Durability: moderately high, but susceptible to scratches
- Best uses: anywhere except floors, as glass can be slippery. Glass mosaics are particularly popular in bathrooms and as backsplashes.
- Metal
- Construction: sheets of metal are cut into shapes and polished
- Price point: $$$-$$$$
- Durability: high
- Best uses: accent walls or strips; can add an industrial touch around a fireplace (but note that the tiles may get hot in this application)
Of course, this is not by any means an exhaustive list – there are terracotta tiles, natural pebble mosaics, cement, laminate, cork… you get the idea! Check out our full portfolio for additional tile inspiration. For a more detailed guide to all things tile (fabrication, installation, and maintenance), drop us an email. Our team can advise on the perfect material for your needs.
