Location, desired look affect tile selection

Tag : Beige Tile

What are the different types of stones? The most popular istravertine; it is a type of crystalline or microcrystallinelimestone with layers. The layers contain pores and cavities givingit a texture, which can be filled or unfilled. Travertines aremainly in warm earth tones, which is why they are so popular.
Another natural stone that looks similar to travertine islimestone. It is a sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonateand magnesium. It is softer than some of the other stones, but itdoes have a more consistent appearance.
Slate, a very popular stone, is beautiful. It is a metamorphic rockcomposed of mica, chlorite and quartz and has lots of color. When Iwant a natural stone and color on the floor, I go right to slate.But I'll tell you, there are some wonderful simulated-slate ceramictiles being made.
Granite, although mainly used on countertops, is great for floorsas it is the hardest stone, but watch it as it can be slippery. Itis a granular, igneous rock, and consists primarily of quartz, micaand feldspar formed by volcanic activity. Granite has a wide rangeof patterns, from being very consistent from one batch to anotherto ones with incredible movement. It also has a broad range incolor, from almost white to brown, black, gray, gold, pink, orange,green and even blue. A couple of my favorites, which are amazing tosee in large slabs, are Rain Forest, a rainbow of colors, andMichelangelo, one of the most stunning brown, black and creamcombinations I've seen.
The last stone I'll talk about is marble. It is also a metamorphicrock composed mainly of the carbonate minerals calcite anddolomite. Marbles are softer than granite and more porous, so theyare not something I would recommend in a kitchen. I had a clientwho had to have marble in his dining room, then at his first party,someone broke a bottle of red wine; it was not pretty.
Natural stones are stunning, but they do take more care andmaintenance than man-made tiles. They all need to be sealed atleast once a year since they are porous and will absorb liquids andstain. Yes, even the granite on your countertops. Sealing is easyand takes very little time. Simply wipe the sealer on, wait andthen wipe it off.
You'll also find that natural stones are more expensive to install,normally about $2-$4 more per square foot than a man-made tile.But, I have to say, I love them.
Now on to ceramic tiles. Although there are many different types,the most common are unglazed, glazed and porcelain. The tiles aremade from various clays, feldspar and silica and then fired.
Unglazed tiles must be sealed to prevent staining. Glazed tiles aremore durable than unglazed since they have the glazed coating ontop. Most of the colored tiles that you see are glazed; however,the glazed color does not go through the whole body of the tile sorealize that the color can chip and even wear off.
Porcelain tiles are my favorite for high-traffic and wear areas,like kitchens. They are fired at a higher temperature than otherceramic tiles so they are extremely durable, stain resistant andnonporous. The face color of the tile goes all the way through thebody, making any scratches or chips less noticeable. They come in avariety of colors and patterns, many which look like natural stone.One manufacturer just introduced polished porcelain that looks likemarble; it's beautiful.
So, there's your short tile lesson and I hope I've made your tiledecision less confusing.
Gail Mayhugh, owner of GMJ Interiors, is a professional interiordesigner and author of a book on the subject. Questions may be sentby e-mail to: gail@gmjinteriors.com. Or, mail to: 7380 S. EasternAve., No. 124-272, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Her Web address is:www.GMJinteriors.com.