Tile vs. Stone:

In general, tile is the most hard & durable flooring product made, barring cement. But most people don’t want a cement floor in their homes or businesses. That what makes tile a perfect choice. Plus, it is considered a “green” product and many tiles are made with recycled products. You will not have to replace it as often as any other flooring products. It does not fade, warp, or shrink. Tile is long lasting and easy to clean.

There is a large range of tiles in today’s market. There are ceramic, porcelain, glazed, natural stone, wall & floor tiles. In general, tiles are designated for floor or wall installation. ‘Floor’ & ‘wall’ tiles are noted on each tile board to specify where these tile should be installed & their durability factors. Wall tiles are not constructed strong enough to go on the floor. Floor tile can be installed anywhere inside a structure so you can use floor tile on the floor, walls & ceilings. Some floor tile are acceptable outside as they are less porous & can stand-up against outside elements.

Ceramic tile is made with a clay backing & a colored glaze on the top surface, to give you the protection and design. These two are fused together in the firing process and makes them resistant to scratching. When you look at the back of the ceramic tile, you will notice the ‘red’ clay, while other tiles use a ‘white’ clay. However, if the top surface is chipped away, you will see the color of the clay in your application.

The glazed porcelain tiles are baked at a higher temperature than ceramic & have a stronger, denser and are less porous than typical ceramic tile.

Full-body porcelain and through-body porcelain are two names for the same process and are made of sand like materials. These tiles are formed with pressure and higher heat to make them more dense, less porous and shows better wear characteristics than other man-made tiles. Because of this process, many porcelain tiles are can be installed outside where ceramic tiles cannot. Plus, the color of the tile is the same throughout the whole tile so if it is chipped, the same color will appear below the surface. This gives you the opportunity not replace a chipped tile.

Natural Stones: There are several different natural stone products: Travertine, Slate, Granite, River-rock, Limestone, Quartz & Marble. Natural Stones are harvested from mountains or quarries to give you a unique look for any application. Since these are not man-made, the shading and colors will vary from piece to piece to give you a one-of-a-kind look. All of these natural stones are beautiful and have many different colors & textures. Designing with natural stone can be a wonderful focal point of the room. Stone sealer needs to be applied to all natural stone.

Granite can be sold as a slab or by the square tile. We only have access to sell granite by the tile. We leave the counter tops up to the granite professionals.