Choosing The Right Tile For Your Floors

Choosing the right tile for your floors depends upon what rooms you want to put it in as much as what the tile is constructed. Whether you are remodeling your existing home, renovating an older home, or building your own home, you’ll need to keep the following information in mind for choosing tiles that are the best fit for your floors.

First to consider is the amount of foot traffic the tile will receive. Floor tile is rated by the manufacturer according to its resistance to wear—the tile's durability or Porcelain Enamel Institute rating. The PEI scale is not a measurement of quality but of the tile’s surface abrasion resistance.

PEI 0—not recommended for floors at all
PEI 1—Light traffic floors (walked on with soft-soled footwear or bare feet = bathrooms and bedrooms)
PEI 2 and 3—Medium traffic floors (suitable for normal footwear. This tile should not be used where sand, dirt, and grit are introduced from the outside.)
PEI 4—Heavy traffic floors (suitable for most residential uses, including halls, kitchens, balconies, and terraces)
PEI 5—Extra heavy traffic floors (suited for normal foot traffic in commercial settings and also for most residential applications.)

The second consideration is the level of slip resistance your floor requires. The higher the probability your floor will be exposed to water or household spills, the higher your need is for a slip-resistant floor tile. If your home has small children or disabled or elderly family members, you will need slip-resistant tile. With the use of various glazes, glaze additives, and patterns, tile manufacturers have developed a variety of slip-resistant tiles. The tile size, grout spacing, and slope of the floor will also affect slip resistance.

Once you’ve determined the amount of traffic the tile must bear and how slip-resistant you want it to be, the next step is choosing the kind of tile for the look you want. The most popular floor tiles are ceramic and porcelain.

Glazed ceramic floor tiles are machine-made clay tiles, pressed in a die and fired in a kiln to provide color and a hard surface. They come in a larger variety of colors and tones and are more stain resistant than unglazed tiles.

Unglazed ceramic or “quarry” tile brings the look of terra cotta into any design scheme. As opposed to glazed tile, the natural color of quarry tile is present from the start. Unglazed ceramic tiles are naturally stain and slip-resistant, and are available with an abrasive grain for even greater traction. This tile is more durable than the glazed ceramic as well as water-resistant (but not waterproof).

Porcelain tiles are fired at a high temperature, making them very dense and durable. Porcelain tiles are versatile; they can be used in any room of the house, they don’t wear down quickly, even under heavy traffic, and they are also virtually waterproof.