One of the better options for a home remodel is putting in tile on the floors or walls; this opens up a lot of options for selection and it can be a bit bewildering. Different tiles are suitable for different applications, and have different costs associated with them. Here's a quick guide of what's out there, what it's good for and how expensive it is in general.

Tile is made from a wide variety of materials, most often some type of ceramic. Ceramic tile combines the virtues of low cost and high durability. You'll also find tiles in a tile store in varieties that range from terra cotta, stone, porcelain and agglomerated. These all come in a range of prices and applicability to specific situations. There are more choices for ceramic tile than for all of the other options combined; no matter what shape, what color, what thickness or what finish, someone out there has put it out as a ceramic tile product. Nearly any geometric shape (or pattern of them that will cover a floor) can be had. Ceramic tiles also come in (in some common patterns) in pre-laid roll with paper backing; you remove the paper, unroll it on the floor and add grout - this is an incredible time saver over laying it in manually.

When you're laying down tile, think about the level of polish needed; the higher the polish, the slipperier the tile will be when wet. A step up from ceramics is porcelain tile, which is a kind of ceramic fired and hardened with a water proof glaze. It's more durable, and can have more vivid colors and translucent effects, but most people who buy it are looking for the air of elegance it offers. On durability alone, it's usually not a good cost-benefit trade off with ceramics that cost half as much. Porcelain takes the "slippery when wet" problem and makes it even worse; it's not recommended for kitches or bathrooms or places where standing water may happen.

Stone or quarry tile is often four or more times the cost of a similarly sized piece of ceramic but is a very popular choice because of the enhanced appearance that stone brings. Stone is also popular for outdoor application fitting in very well in both appearance and function. Driveway pavers are almost always stone because the abuse that a driveway can get is much more than an indoor floor. Stone tiles by nature tend to be produced in larger sizes and anything less than 12" x 12" is rare to see. A new kind of tile in the market is agglomerate tiles. These are epoxy resin tiles with bits of stone cast into them, and can be made custom (including the type of stone, the kind of resin and more). They have the advantage of being cheap - they're the only type of tile competitive with ceramic on both cost and durability - and they can be made in custom shapes.

There are some issues to consider with them, like how long the resin will hold up under use, and how water resistant they are, but you can ask a lot of questions before you buy, and we recommend doing so.

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Article Submitted By: Sammie Griffin
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