TILE REFERENCE GUIDE |
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TYPES OF TILES |
COST |
HARDNESS |
SURFACE TREATMENT |
CUTTING CHARACTERISTICS |
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS |
TYPICAL APPLICATIONS |
| MANMADE TILES | ||||||
PORCELAIN |
$1 - $10 | Very hard | Usually glazed | Very hard throughout, brittle | Body is is usually white, putty, or grey with usually a similar color to body, though it can be glazed and textured to look natural stone, wood, etc. | Very widely used on floors and walls in all types of situations. Public spaces, bathrooms, kitchens, entryways, etc |
|
$1 - $10 | Hard | Glazed | Hard surface, softer interior | Body is usually tan or sand colored with a wide variety of glazed surtace finishes. Surface be can be smooth or textured. | Very widely used on floors and walls in all types of situations. Public spaces, bathrooms, kitchens, entryways, etc |
CERAMIC |
$.5-$5 | Very soft | Glazed | Semi-hard, very soft interior | Body is usually white and chalky with a glaze is usually smooth and shiny. | Bathroom walls |
TERRACOTTA |
$1 - $5 | Very hard | Same as body | Very hard throughout | Consistent granular body and surlace. Usually orange or brown in color. | Used on floors, especially in the southwest. |
GLASS |
$5 - $30 | Very hard | Same as body | Very hard throughout, brittle, chips easily | Almost always painted on the back side. Can be smooth or textured. | Used for borders and accents. Can be used to cover floors and walls in bathrooms and kitchen backsplashes. |
| NATURAL STONES | ||||||
MARBLE |
$2 - $20 | Soft | Same as body | Fairly soft but inconsistent; tends to break along veins | Usually white, veiny, with other colors such as pink or grey across the veins. | Bathrooms, entry ways, borders, and accents |
SLATE |
$2 - $15 | Soft-hard | Same as body | Fairly soft and consistent; but flakes off unexpectedly | Blue-grey with some orange, purple, or rust mixed in. Can have an iridescent sheen. | Bathrooms, kitchens, entry ways |
GRANITE |
$2 - $20 | Very hard | Same as body | Very hard throughout | Usually speckled with with grains of orange, black, white, and gray. More expensive varieties have more consistent coloration with less speckling. | Widely used for residential and commercial. Public spaces, bathrooms, kitchens, etc. |
TRAVERTINE/ |
$2 - $15 | Soft-hard | Same as body | Fairly soft with some hard spots | Tan to cream with browns mixed in. Cream spots where dust was used to fill the voids. Usually has a smooth surface finish. | Bathrooms, kitchens, entry ways |
CERAMIC 
