Get to Know Your Flooring Series: Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile is among the most popular decorative products available and when it comes to flooring, nothing enhances the look of a home like a sleek, new tile floor!  Ceramic tile doesn’t just have the potential to make your home dynamic and striking; it is highly durable, practical and adds value to your home.

While size, style, color and patterns are important details to consider, there is more to tile than meets the eye.  Whether tiling your entire home or just a single room, there are a few critical things to consider before choosing your tile.  All tiles are not created equal and the key to telling the difference is reading the labels.

Each type of tile has a specific use, and which one you choose depends entirely on the way in which you will use it; this is referred to as the grade.  The grade determines whether the tile is fit for heavy duty use such as commercial floors, residential homes or wall décor.  When choosing ceramic tiles for your floors, be sure to use only tiles graded one or two.

Another important detail to note is the water-absorption rate or W.A. of your tiles.  Pay particular attention to the W.A. rating if you’re using tiles for outdoor projects or when choosing tiling for higher-traffic, moisture-prone rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens.

Wear rating is also very important as you’ll want your tile to be tough and last a very long time.  The wear rating of a tile is known as PEI and will be rated between I and V.  A rating of III or IV is good enough for residential use while tiles with a rating of V are better suited for heavy-duty commercial use.

Other things to consider are the frost, tone and slip resistance of your tile.  The frost will determine whether your outdoor tile will bode well in often changing weather patterns; while the tone determines the natural, stone-like look of the tile.  Slip resistance or C.O.F. (a given tile’s coefficient of friction) is important as well; a higher C.O.F generally means a safer floor.

Paying attention to these particulars will ensure that your ceramic tile floors are not just awesome to look at, but they are exactly what you wish them to be: perfect.

This post was written by Thais Sousa. Follow Thais on Google.