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Ceramic tile and porcelain has been utilized
as a beautiful and elegant form of floor covering, wall covering, and counter
top covering for many centuries around the globe. This man-made product
is produced using clay in the case of ceramic tile, or 55% glass and 45%
clay in the case of porcelain. Both products are then formed and
painted, then covered with a glazing compound, and fired in kilns to achieve
the hardness and degree of luster needed. Porcelain tile is manufactured
for heavy duty purposes that require superior performance characteristics
to that which is offered through the use of standard ceramic tile. In recent
years, Ceramic tile has been designed to look like real stone (Slate, rough
stone, Marble, Granite, Travertine, etc.) resulting in the popular Stone-look.
Since Ceramic tile is glazed, it
is not porous and will remain stain free for the life of the glaze which
may last up to 20+ years (that of course depends on the traffic it is subjected
to, as well as the quality and grade of the tile). Porcelain tile is offered
in two formats: 1) glazed porcelain 2) through-stone porcylin; the
latter has the color and deisgn throughout the thickness of the tile.
Ceramic tile and porcelain is graded for Glaze hardness, clay type hardness,
moisture absorbency and temperature fired at, in addition to the number
of times it is fired and degree of heat it is fired under. Ceramic tile
is produced in many countries around the world such as Spain, Italy, Turkey,
and South America in addition to the United States and Canada among others.
It is the best suited for any area of the home and may be installed indoors
or outdoors (depending on the grade), directly over concrete slabs, or
in conjunction with a concrete board "Hardibacker" over a wood sub-floor.
We feature a great selection of the world's finest ceramic tile and we
custom install it for you as a floor tile, wall tile, or custom counter
top and back splash. Come see us. |
