The world of ceramic tile is wide and spectacular, with a seemingly endless family of product choices and style options.
Ceramic tile flooring and wall products are offered in a broad range of textures, patterns and sizes. When combined with a spectrum of grout and glaze options, they offer significant design options for any room in virtually any home style. The goal is to know what is the best combination of aesthetics, style and performance that fits your floor covering budget.
To help you know, shop and decide, we offer this section. Here we explain ceramic types, sizes and styles and offer you all the information you need to make smart choices. We invite you to join us as we describe the beautiful and vast world of ceramic tile styles. A universe so large there’s bound to be a ceramic tile perfect for your home and lifestyle.
There are 3 types of ceramic tile: glazed, unglazed and porcelain. Understand them and you’re home free.
Glazed ceramic tiles are coated with glass-forming minerals and ceramic stains. Typically, they have a matte, semi-gloss or high-gloss finish. They can offer better stain and moisture resistance than unglazed tile. Glazed tiles can also have different finishes and you should be aware of them for future considerations. High gloss finishes can be more slippery and scratches can become more visible, while matte or textured finishes help with traction and scratches, and dirt is less visible.
Unglazed ceramic tiles are very hard and dense. They come in various surface treatments and textures. Typically, these are installed outside your home as they do not offer much protection against stains compared to glazed ceramic tile. Unglazed tiles do have good slip resistance, however please note that they do require sealing to help prevent staining.
Porcelain tiles usually fall in the ceramic tile category and are the hardest and densest tiles available. Because the colour in porcelain tile goes all the way through, they are non-porous, resist scratching and can withstand temperature extremes.