Tile is and always has been for more than just the bath, kitchen, spa or beach house. The reason? Tile, in all its types, is extremely versatile and thus can make a stunning contribution in any room in your home.
Tile is the last word in “versatile.” You can use tile in multiple rooms and it has multiple uses in your home. From being your floor, to tiling the walls of your bathroom, or backsplashes in the kitchen - tile will look great. You can use a single piece as an accent. Or you can pore through the world’s treasure-trove of tile types for inspiration as you create your own unique look.
Tile’s hot because it’s all about you!
There are so many types of tile to pick from - porcelain, ceramic, metal, stone, or glass. So many formats… mosaic tiles can be 20-inch or larger. Tile also comes in a host of geometric shapes - squares, circles, ovals, rectangles, and diamonds. So many textures… smooth, nubby and sculptured. And gloss for your lifestyle… matte, semi and high gloss. Let’s not forget trim, accents and listellos. Then there’s design, pattern and color, color, color. On top of that, there’s any kind of installation you can imaging…including using more than one style in a room.
If that weren’t enough, you can create a truly artistic floor with the help of an artist and space-age cutting technologies.
But caution… all tile is not created equal.
One thing to remember, especially if you plan to tile more than the floor, is to discuss with your retailer how it is to be used. Not every tile is rated for every use. To help guide you, most manufactures stamp identify a tiles’ durability. The higher the number, the higher the wear rating. (Durability has very little to do with price.)
Wall tiles and trim pieces typically are decorative and more expensive than floor tiles. They feature wear ratings of I or II on the PEI (Porcelain Enamel Institute) Wear Rating Chart. Floor tiles will be higher. You can usually use a floor tile on the wall or countertop, but you wouldn’t want to use a decorative tile on the floor.
Most likely you will never have to replace the toughest, your floor tile, because it has worn out. You will probably want to replace it because you’ve warmed up to another color, style design, format or finish!
