Wood Look Tile, Transparent Tile

Winter 2007 No. 13

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Interceramic

www.interceramic.com

Hot For Tile

Welcome home to Riverstone by Mohawk Ceramic. Draw focus to your fireplace with a brick-style floor tile and an accent border. Or why not surround the fireplace with diamond pattern tile over it with accent tile on its mantle?

Dress up your countertop, backsplash and walls with decorative wall tile and accent trim pieces with Interceramic’s Calcutta Slate.

Above, from Marazzi USA, is Tiber in Brown, inspired by the Italian river by its name, with a palette of greens of Romagna, reds of Tuscany, golds of Umbria and browns of Lazio.

Above is Chiseled Edge Travertine in Picasso from Florida Tile, a natural stone with rustic chiseled edges. Below, this backsplash by Flux Studios uses Lineage Random Hourglass pattern in stainless steel with half-rounds and 5/8” mosaic insets.

Tile is and always has been for more than just the bath, kitchen, spa or beach house. The reason? Tile, in all its forms, is incredibly versatile and thus can make a stunning contribution to any room in the house.
One designer who loves to work in tile joked that tile is the very last word in “versatile.” We can understand the point. You can use tile for your floor, walls, backsplashes and counters –– anywhere in your home. 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 choose from...ceramic, porcelain, stone, metal or glass. So many formats...mosaics to 20-inch tiles or larger. A host of geometric shapes...squares, rectangles, diamonds and ovals. 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 imagine...including using more than one style in a room.

If all that weren’t enough, you can create a truly artistic floor with the help of an artist and space-age cutting technologies. (See Pages 72-74.)

What all this means is that your options in tile are truly endless. So, Winter should be the ideal time to sit back, relax and explore the delightful complexities tile has to offer.

With tile, there’s always something new, even after thousands of years. In recent years, changes in tile manufacturing have resulted in some new looks, such as translucent to transparent tile for a softer look. Tile that appears to be made of water can turn even an everyday bathroom into a personal spa. Changes in glazes and the way they are applied have also helped manufacturers produce tiles that look like wood. Imagine...the look of wood in the bath or spa! Try combining that with real stone or a porcelain.

Designers love tile because it’s styling varies from formal to rustic looks. It can be used almost anywhere, inside or out; floors, patios and fireplace as well as pools. Its durability makes it, when installed, one of the strongest surfaces available. Tile is considered to be a lifetime flooring. Properly cared for, you or subsequent generations never have to replace tile –– unless you want to!

New décor trends include dramatic white-on-white tiles as well as gray on gray. This tone-on-tone look can result in a damask-looking pattern, so your tile installation takes on the appearance of fabric. Black and white (which was never really “out”) is very much “in” again. Like outdoor-looking browns and beiges? They’re being highlighted with metals and glass to give these unexpected colors even more life.

Don’t overlook the tiny mosaics, available in all colors, which will turn an absolutely simple tile floor into an absolutely elegant one.
Try pairing tile in bright lipstick reds with today’s “cherry red,” appliances or other hot colors with bronzes, steels or copper-colored appliances to make a humdrum laundry room part of your home décor. Rather than hiding the washer and dryer, let them “pop” in full view together with your tile.

Designer’s Note

Tile can be a long-term investment in your home, not an expenditure. The reason for this is that tile can be a long-lasting –– sometimes permanent –– installation. (Remember, some of the early Romans’ installations are as lovely as they were when first installed 2000 years ago!) From a design perspective, think about how you can use the colors and textures of your ceramic décor, then select new paint or wallpaper, window treatments, fabrics and accessories to create a whole new world from your tile.

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 manufacturers stamp identify a tile’s 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 usually can 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.

A word about ceramic tile...

Tile is not only lovely, it’s also very practical. Tile is largely an inert surface of fired (baked) clay, metal or stone, so it’s easy to keep clean and tends to retard the growth of fungus, mold and mildew.

Ceramic tile is used interchangeably with porcelain. Technically, both traditional and porcelain tile are ceramics, made from clay and other minerals and fired at high temperatures.

Porcelain differs in that it is comprised of finer materials and fired, or baked, at much higher temperatures than traditional ceramic tile. This makes porcelain denser and more moisture resistant, capable of standing up to heavier traffic and harsher environments –– even outdoors.

Traditional ceramic tile is a clay body, usually with a colored surface, often glazed. Porcelain is usually homogenous in color throughout, making scratches or dings virtually unnoticeable. Porcelain, though, can be colored and glazed and also created in stone fashions –– only porcelain can be much tougher than Mother Nature’s version.