|
 Glazed
Tile - Most of the common ceramic floor tiles have either
a glazed, or unglazed surface. The glazed tiles have a special
ceramic coating that is applied to the body of the tile and
then fired under tremendous heat. The glazing becomes hard
and non-porous resulting in a flooring that is:
- Stain
Resistant
- Scratch
Resistant
- Fire
Resistant
- Doesn’t
Fade from Sun Light
- Slip
Resistant
- Easy
to Clean
Unglazed
Floor Tile (Pavers) – There is no glazing or any other
coating applied to these tiles. Because these tiles are porous
it is recommendeded that a special penetrating sealant be
used to maintain this type of floors and to help prevent stains
from seeping into the pores of the tiles. Their color is the
same on the face of the tile as it is on the back resulting
in very durable tiles that do not show the effects of heavy
traffic.
Marble
– Marble is a natural product and is not made in a factory.
For this reason no two pieces of marble look the same and
the veining is a natural characteristic in all marble. There
are special marble sealants to help protect from staining
of the face. Extra care should be used when cleaning and all
abrasives and acidic cleaners should never be used when cleaning.
Even colas, some juices, and possibly ammonia may destroy
the marble finish.
Granite
– This is another natural stone and is not manufacturered
in a factory. Granite can be used indoors or outdoors and
is less porous than marble. It is still recommended that you
use a sealant to protect the finish from staining.
Grout
– Grout is a mixture of cement and a color additive. For tile
floors with wider spaces between each tile sand is added to
the grout. Also, a liquid latex additive can be added to the
grout to give better resiliency to the grouted areas. For
ease of maintenance a penetrating sealant should be used on
the grout. It should be noted you may see a change in color
of your grout over time.
Some
of the other important things we can help with when selecting
a tile floor is the slip-resistance, the size and color of
the grout joints, the thickness of the tile, height variations
from room to room, size of the tile, suitability of the subfloor,
and cleaning of the tile.
|
