Tile flooring is a cost effective way to add value and beauty to your home.
Ceramic and Porcelain Tile is not just for the bathroom; it can add class to a kitchen,
living area, indoor porch, 3 season room or hallway. When properly installed, ceramic and porcelain
tile floors will last the lifetime of your home. And because tile comes in a wide variety
of sizes, accent shapes, colors and styles, it is relatively easy to make an ordinary
room extraordinary with a relatively modest investment.
Tile flooring is particularly easy to care for, and it features great durability, particularly
when pittted against water and high traffic areas. Unlike some other flooring formats such as hardwood and carpet, tile
can be laid out and pieces can be cut to create a variety of different patterns and arrangements.
To ensure that you get the best tile for your intended use, it is important to pay attention to the characteristics of the
particular tile material. Tile is rated and categorized into different groups: Group I, II, III, IV, and V, with Group I
being tile that requires light traffic to Group V being a tile that can endure very heavy traffic, and be used just about
anywhere.
The hardness of a tile floor comes primarily from its construction. Tile, like pottery and other similar materials, requires kiln firing
in order to turn out the hard material that we know it as. Typically, a longer, hotter firing will result in a harder, more resilient tile.
Tile can be fired once or twice, with additional decorative accents or patterns added for the second baking process. Twice fired tiles are
generally thicker than once fired tiles.
When considering tiles for areas that see a fair amount of water, such as bathrooms or kitchens, it is very important to
make sure that the tile is rated as "impervious," or very non-absorbant and non-porous. Other ratings, such as "semi-vitreous"
and "non-vitreous," with non-vitreous being the most absorbant and porous type of tile.
Tile floors can be made from a variety of different tile types.
Ceramic tile is a rather general term that refers to tiles made from a mixture of clay and other materials
and then fired in a kiln. From there, tiles are basically characterized as porcerlain or non-porcelain. Ceramic flooring tile refers
to rock hard tile, whose "bisque", or the body of the tile, is fired once. This process of single firing is referred to as "monocottura."
Porcelain tiles are a type of ceramic tile that are made using a "dust pressed" method, which uses very little
water and is kiln fired at high temperatures. This creates a tile that is impervious, very dense, and smooth. Porcelain tiles are categorized
according to their finish into unglazed, high polished, and mat.
Terra cotta tiles, also known as Mexican tile, can come either prefinished or coatings and sealers can be
used to create a wearing surface. The tile is most often hand made, and comes in a variety of colors and textures.
Agglomerate tile is made from a mixture of graded marble or chips of granite. It is then mixed with
a polyester resin, epoxy, or a Portland cement.
Quarry Tile is a made from shale or natural clay. Typically, this tile can be either red to dark red, brown,
or gray.
Terrazzo tile is comprised of chips of granite or marble mixed with epoxy or
portland cement.
Porcelain tile has become a popular option
in recent years, and is a competitively priced with ceramic tile. Please call (503.222.9663)
or stop by to explain your specific needs; we will be happy to discuss your situation and provide
a variety of recommendations to choose from. We can even provide
the names of several local contractors that will expertly install your tile selection.
