by Kelly R. Smith
Article updated on 08/09/20
Tile is a very advantageous building material. It’s durable, inexpensive (usually), available in a huge range of styles, and easy to install with a few tools. Here are a few of the most common types of wall and floor tile that you are likely to encounter.
As with any new or remodeling construction project, it is important to approach it methodically and go in with a solid plan. Consider your construction budget, the living area and of course your style and tastes.
Glass Wall Tile
Glass tile is a great solution for shower walls and counter top back splashes. The photo above is a bathroom shower glass tile installation that I recently did during a re-build following the Great Flood of ’18 (Hurricane Harvey).
This tile is clear glass with a colored paper backing which means it’s somewhat transparent at some angles and lighting conditions if the colors or marks on the underlying wall vary. Because of this it is important to apply a suitable white primer before applying the tile. Also, use white thinset as an adhesive.
Be aware that you will also need a special glass-cutting blade for your wet saw. Glass also chips easily so if you are making a narrow cut it is not only important to make a half cut and then flip it over and cut from the other direction but cut very slowly.
Ceramic and Porcelain Tile
Porcelain and ceramic tile is suitable for floor, kitchen back splash installation and wall applications. The difference between the two is susceptibility to water absorption due to content of materials and how they are fired and boiled.
The advantage of porcelain is that it resists moisture much better than ceramic so consider your application. It is also more costly in general.
Going Beyond the Ordinary; Tile Patterns
There is no reason that your tile installation project has to be bland. The photo above shows a 3D center area with a border tile pattern that I am currently working on. It is available through Home Depot and is the Twenties collection by Merola and the pieces are Diamond (for the 3D center), Corner, and Frame. And of course for the outside I’m using matching gray tile of the same size.
In my case they didn’t carry it at my local Home Depot store so I ordered online and picked it up there in a week or so. Free shipping!
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Terra cotta or quarry tiles are better for outdoor installs because they are not as slippery as the others.
You should use mortar for floors and thinset for walls from what I understand. Right?
I have found the glass tile quite easy to work with on the wetsaw but not with any kind on nippers.