During renovation, many homeowners are drawn to ceramic tiling. Tiles are suitable not only for flooring, but also for counters, tubs, sinks and even walls.
Ceramic tiles offer beauty, flexibility, texture, color and value. Moreover, ceramic is exceptionally durable. Tiles have survived the test of time for centuries. Some have been recovered in sound condition from ancient Egyptian and Roman ruins. Your home will hardly need to become an ancient ruin for its tile to be appreciated. Ceramic enhances its beauty now and into the future.
Ceramic tiles have at least one feature that makes them unique — ceramic refuses to harbor germs, making it an ideal and popular surface for kitchens and bathrooms. The smooth surface is also easy to keep clean. Just make sure that the ceramic tiles you purchase all come from the same lot, which will ensure that they are uniform.
Additionally, make sure to choose the correct hardness for the job at hand. Ceramic tiles range in hardness from zero to five. If you want to tile a wall, then the best choices are tiles rated zero through two. For in-home floor use, go with a three-rated tile, and if you want tiles for a commercial application, a ranking of four or five would be suitable. Backsplashes, walls, floors and countertops all benefit from ceramic, as it is easy to maintain, very versatile, highly durable and reasonably priced.
Porcelain is considered a subtype of ceramic, and its clean look makes it a good alternative. Porcelain is the tile of choice for truly high-traffic areas, especially in industrial and commercial settings. The tiling you find in airports is almost always porcelain. Your personal tastes will determine whether you like that look for your home, but its extreme durability may not even be the driving factor in your choice. Usually, homeowners choose ceramic tiles due to their unlimited versatility.
Another alternative may be natural stone tiling, which is often considered to be an agglomerate/aggregate tile: it is a mixture of marble and other rocks held together by epoxy. Stone tiling comes in a variety of engaging colors and designs. If you choose to install it yourself, be sure to measure twice and cut once. Since stone tiling is man-made, measuring and cutting work needs to be very precise.
