Tiles can add interest and unity to a space. Nowadays, there are endless options of colours and designs to match your desires, needs, and budget for your project. Take a minute to read up a little bit about the types of options avaiable to you.
Porcelain:
Through body porcelain tiles are extremely solid and impermeable, making them highly resistant to staining, moisture, and wear. Porcelain is created from clay and minerals, along with 50% feldspar, a type of crystal found in rock. It melts into a glass-like material and bonds all of the moulded ingredients together while acting as a flux during the kiln-drying process. Porcelain tiles are capable of withstanding temperature extremes, water, and frost, making them appropriate for interior and exterior applications.
Ceramic:
Ceramic is strictly used for interiors due to its properties. Glazed tiles have increased stain resistance, scratch resistance, and traction, as well as decreased water absorption, in comparison to an unglazed tile. Glazed tiles come in matte, semi-gloss, and gloss glaze. Traditional ceramic is created from white, red, and/or brown clay and other minerals. When slight modifications are made to the ingredients or the kiln-drying process, it produces a vast variety in the look and characteristics of the tile.
Natural Stone:
Natural stone tile consist of tiles produced from natural quarried material, such as; travertine, marble, granite, limestone, and slate. Natural tiles can create a stunning design and are extremely durable, unfortunately, due to how porous they are, they require treating or sealing. Also, the characteristics of these tiles will vary depending on the location of where they are quarried.
There are three types of finishes that are applied to natural stone; natural, honed, or polished. Natural surfaces are unfinished and have an earthy, dull appearance. Texture and pitting are visible characteristics of natural stone tile. Honed surfaces are smooth and matte in appearance, it is an excellent choice for high-traffic and wet areas to prevent slipping and wear. Polished surfaces are highly reflective with a mirror-like finish. Depending on the intended type of application and type of stone tile you select, your choice might be geared towards one type of finish rather than another.
Mosaic:
Mosaic tiles are small tiles that are less than six square inches and most commonly are 2″ x 2″ or smaller. Mosaic tiles can be made from porcelain, clay, glass, metal, and natural stone. Mosaic tiles are usually mounted on a mesh or dot-mounted sheets to smooth the progress of handling and installation. This allows them to be used as entire sheets, or cut into pieces for listellos and borders. Mosaic tiles add stunning accents and focal points to a space.
Please feel free to come visit our showroom at 5-850 industrial Avenue in Ottawa or reach us at 613-749-1512 for any more information on selecting the right tiles for you renovation!
