tile flooring basics

Tile flooring is growing in popularity: tiles are a natural, durable, relatively inexpensive and easy to care product.

Types of tile

There are several types of tile, namely…
- ceramic,
- natural stone tiles and
- cement (full bodied and encaustic cement tile).

Ceramic tile comprises:

- glazed and unglazed ceramic;
- porcelain;
- terracotta (including Saltillo or Mexican tiles);
- brick tile;
- quarry and…
- pavers.

Tile Flooring: ratings and choosing

When choosing a tile, pay attention to its rating and to some basics.

See: Selecting a tile flooring

Tile flooring advantages

Durability, low maintenance and low or medium prices, combined with a wide set of aesthetical solutions are the main pros of tile flooring.

Tile flooring disadvantages

Tile floors are cold and hard underfoot – these are the main objections… Non-slip rugs can be a good remedy, but...

Tile and environment

See: Tile and environment

Tile & Rooms

Entryways and other areas with high-traffic foot (and exposed to dirt or moist) need a hard, wear-resistant and water-moisture-proof type of tile.

Bathrooms, basements or even kitchens demand a moisture-proof and also non-slip tiles (non-slip tiles are made of natural rough materials or treated with abrasive materials in order to rough up the tile’s surface).

Outdoor tile flooring may involve different types of flooring: pavers, bricks, cement tiles… Ceramic tiles can be rated for indoor or outdoor uses.

See, for details:

Bathroom flooring
Kitchen flooring
Basement flooring
Living room and bedroom flooring

Installing the Tile

Installing an outdoor floor with bricks is an easy do-it-yourself job. But most installations are difficult jobs or, at least, very challenging.

There are many things you should pay attention to: the under-floor subsurface should be very stable and leveled and with sufficient thickness, the definition of the floor pattern, the application and use of mortar or other adhesives, the final application of grout, etc.

See, for more details: Tile Flooring Installation

Tile & Maintenance

Tile maintenance is typically low. That’s an advantages of tile over other flooring. But some high porous ceramic tile like terracotta, and many stones, pose extended maintenance cares.

See: Stone tiles & Moisture & Stains & Maintenance

Hardness and Porosity: porcelain tile and glazing

The hardness of a ceramic tile is important in high-traffic foot applications. As a rule, the longer and hotter the firing, the harder the tile (porcelain tiles are particularly hard due to longer firing).

Traditional technologies make use of a double-firing process to increase the tile hardness and to add new colors or decorations, but very recent technologies only involve a single baking, producing equally hard tile through extreme temperatures.

The firing process is usually tied with glazing (the incorporation of a vitreous layer on the clay’s surface).

See:

Porcelain vs. other ceramic tile
Glazed and unglazed ceramic;

Design & Patterns

Colorful and painted tiles are now a significant part of the market. But it varies with the type of tile and applications. There is a wide set of combinations of size, color, texture and geometric layouts.

Floor tile: thickness and dimensions

1/2" to 3/4" thickness floor tiles are particularly common (wall tiles are typically thinner). But there isn't any rule on this issue: brick tiles, for instance, are much “thicker”, while mosaic tiles have a lower thickness...

Tile dimensions also vary a lot. Typical wall tiles dimensions are 3" x 3" (7,5 x 7,5 cm) up to 6" x 6" (15 x 15 cm) square, but floor tiles dimensions usually involves wider dimensions: 4" x 4" (10 x 10 cm) up to 24" x 24" (60 x 60 cm). There are, anyway, other dimensions and many shapes: octagonal and hexagonal shapes are particularly common, while mosaic tiles are 2" x 2" (5 x 5 cm) square or smaller.