Tiles have been used to cover floors, and walls, in bathrooms for centuries, and they constitute the most used floor covering in the world. They are by no means monolithic in materials, colors, or motifs, and it is this wide variety that among other attributes makes them so appealing.

How to choose your bathroom floor tiles in view of this variety?

First it is essential to differentiate between ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles, as there is a lot of confusion about the terms.
All tiles are mostly made of clay, minerals and water, the mixture is then processed with heat, and the surface is coated with a glaze to keep the tile from being porous. It is in the glaze coating that design motifs and color is applied.

In Europe the difference between ceramic and porcelain is a question of the color of the clay used in the process. It is not a quality assessment, however porcelain being made of a light or white clay will produce better glaze colors.

In the United States the definition of porcelain varies widely from the European view, and it is indicative of quality. A porcelain tile in the US can have a red, or white body indiscriminately as long as the quality is high.

There are many discussion on this topic on the internet, but few really get to the point about what it means to you the consumer when you are trying to buy bathroom tiles.

My advice, ignore the label and look for a tile pattern and color you would like to have, look for the size you want as it will affect the look of your tiling design, then choose a tile that is rated for the application you want. You cannot use wall tiles on the floor but your can use floor tiles on a wall. Oh! you might want to look at the price too! But I will leave that up to you.

How to read tile labels

In view of what I said earlier, what do tile labels mean? On a given box of porcelain or ceramic tiles in the US you will find graphic symbols and ratings each addressing a different characteristic of the tiles in the box.

Grade: This is a numeric rating from 1 to 3 given after a visual inspection of the tile. The lower the number is, the better the rating. Many tiles rated as a 2 might be just fine for your purpose and be much cheaper than a 1 rating. You will probably not see tiles that are rated 3 in major US stores, as they have visual flaws, like variations in size.

PEI: Refers to the abrasion, or wear standard as designated by the Porcelain Enamel Institute. This standard is more important for floor tiles than it is for walls, and if you are buying wall tiles you can ignore it. There are 5 groups in this rating. Group I is the softest tile and can only be used for walls. Group II is suitable for flooring uses but only in low traffic areas. Group III will work well for normal foot traffic. It is a medium wear tile that will work for bathrooms, kitchens, or most any room, but is not suitable for outdoor uses. Group IV and V are the hardest tiles usually used in commercial applications.

W.A.: Indicates the resistance to water penetration. Outdoor uses would require a better resistance since it is exposed to the elements. This rating is given by the American National Standards Institute, and ranges from 0.5% to more than 7%. The lower number of 0.5% indicates the best possible resistance and these tiles can be used outside as well as inside. For bathrooms and showers a rating of 0.5 to 3% is suitable.

C.O.F.: The Coefficient of Friction (C.O.F) rating is important as it relates to the degree of slipping that a tile floor might have. The rating can be wet or dry. For general home usage you should look at a dry rating of 0.5 or above. For bathroom floors that might get wet you should choose tiles that are rated wet ranging from 0.5 to 0.7. If you are planning to use tiles on an outside area where people will be walking this is a very important rating to enforce as slipping accidents can have serious consequences.

Frost: Tells whether a tile can be used outdoors in area that freeze. If the frost icon is not present, do not use these tiles outdoors in areas where they might freeze.
Tone: Rates the variation in tone, or color, from tile to tile. These variations are common in many colors at the exception of white or black. More important than tone variation in the selection of tiles should be the variation in size. Tiles made in the US will exhibit very little variations.

In conclusion will you buy ceramic or porcelain tiles? It does not matter, as this is more a selling gimmick than true evaluation of a tile. Don’t buy a better quality tile than you need, buy tiles that you like for their aesthetic value, and for the design you have in mind; buy tiles that are safe to walk on and that will serve you well.

Bathroom floor choices are not limited to a few materials, but which one should you choose?

The choice you make for your bathroom floor is very important, so how should you choose the right material. Here are a few tips about each type of floor covering to help you arrive to the best solution for your lifestyle and your budget.

Tiles

Tile floors represent the first bathroom floor choice across the country and even the world. They present many advantages. A tile floor does not require much in terms of maintenance, it is sturdy and long lasting, and it is hygienic. Another benefit of tiles is that they do not stain since any staining matter can be wiped easily off the smooth surface. They are naturally insulated and good against static electricity. Since it does not burn it would also act as a fire retardant in case of fire. There are some disadvantages to consider as well, including the cold feeling on one’s feet specially on cold winter nights, they can be slippery, and they need frequent cleaning as dirt shows, specially if you use white tiles.

If you intend to make a mosaic floor, you have to plan the design carefully. Mosaic floors can be done from tile fragments but also from other materials, glass and natural stones for example. It is easy to instal and well suited for bathroom floors.

PVC or vinyl

A material that has found favor in commercial and public settings like offices and gyms, it is being used more frequently in private homes than it was in the past. Vinyl floors can be in one large sheet or in small squares (tiles). It main advantage is cost and easy maintenance.

Natural stones

Natural stones are a great bathroom floor choice, however they are expensive. The most commonly used stones are granite, marble, travertine, and terra cotta… Most people have to pay for installation as this is not as easy to do than other materials and that is not something you can “kind of guess how to do it”.

Wood floors

A wood floor in a bathroom is possible, the most often chosen wood is teak, but iroko and other exotic wood can also be used. The technic to install a bathroom wood floor is the same one used in the building of boat decks. The principle revolves around the idea of creating waterproof joints between the planks. Each plank or slat is set into the next one. A crevice is set between each to take in the joint material which will waterproof the floor.

Cork floors

It is possible to choose cork flooring for a bathroom, but finish must be done carefully. It is a beautiful material that is gaining in popularity but is still fairly expensive.

Natural flooring materials are more and more sought after by aware and involved consumers.

What do wood, stone, lime, earth, cork and linoleum have in common? Used as floor covering all these are natural, resistant, salubrious, and respectful of the environment. Here is a little guide to help you choose the natural flooring material that will best fit your needs.

Retified wood is a heat treated wood that can be used for natural flooring.

The new process of wood retification, which means to submit wood to high temperatures, is producing some very hard woods that are ecologic and provide an alternative to using tropical woods. Results are spectacular, local woods like pine, birch, or oak, can be used and given more stability, durability and resistance, that can be used inside or outside the house.

Retification changes wood molecules but since no other chemical products are used, the wood remains natural, non toxic for humans or the environment. Not having to transport woods from far away places also reduces pollution associated with purchase of exotic woods.

Bamboo is an ever abundant resource used to produce many things including natural floors.

Bamboo is a fast growing plant (faster than any tree), that makes it a renewable resource that can be replenished quickly. It produces an excellent quality material that is very ecological in spite of importation needs. A bamboo floor is made up of narrow slats thus requires a lot of glue, which could be less eco-friendly. If you use bamboo for your floors you should ensure to that the glue you select is free from formaldehyde which is a pollutant that causes allergies and inflammatory reactions in many people. Bamboo has a very dense structure which makes it a very hard material yet it is supple. The hardness of bamboo floors make them resistant to scuffing and scratches, it can be use in high traffic areas as successfully as anywhere else in the house.

Natural cork flooring is ecological and hypo-allergenic

Very resistant to bugs, damage, fire, and durable, as well as beautiful cork flooring is one of my favorite. Still under used for floors it is becoming more popular. Read my post on cork flooring

Cork is taken from some oak trees without harming trees. It also have acoustic and thermal properties, and it is available in different colors and finishes. A natural flooring material by excellence.

True linoleum should not be confused with its synthetic cousin. It distinguishes itself by it composition of linseed oil, wood pulp, cork pieces and a burlap backing, infused with natural pigments for beautiful designs and colors. It is naturally insect repellent and hypo-allergenic. Easy to maintain and very durable