Tile Flooring

How do I find the right tile flooring?

Tile flooring can last upwards of 50 years if taken care of properly. The primary factor in that is using the correct tile for the job. Try not to become burdened with the nearly unlimited patterns, colors, shapes, designs, and sizes. Consider things like porosity, durability, and slipperiness.

Porosity

Words like vitreous and impervious are essential when it comes to tile. Why? Because they measure density and absorption rates in the product. Porcelain is impervious. It can be used indoors and out, and it is always waterproof, glazed, or not. Vitreous tiles are water-resistant and can be considered frost-resistant, but they can crack in freeze-thaw conditions. Non-vitreous and semi-vitreous tiles can only be used indoors on floors in dry rooms. Keep them away from bathrooms and such.

Mom?s Scale

This is a rating scale that ranks a tile?s hardness from one to five. It was developed by the Porcelain & Enamel Institute, and each level is broken down into categories. C-3 and C-4 are recommended for residential applications. At the same time, C-5 is meant for commercial use and heavy residential foot traffic floors. C-1 is only useable for walls.

Don?t slip

The coefficient of friction (COF) refers to slip resistance. For residential homes, .50 is the baseline for COF. If you are in a commercial environment, a COF of .60 is recommended. If slippage is a concern, remember that you can also have smaller tiles with more grout to reduce the danger.

Carpet Mart is here to answer all your tile questions. We are a tile store that carries a wide selection of floor tiles to choose from. Our staff is friendly and knowledgeable and can answer any questions you may have concerning your project. We have a showroom and tile shop in Benton Harbor, MI. We also serve the areas of Saint Joseph, Stevensville, Bridgman, and Sawyer. Come by the showroom any time you are ready to start on your tile flooring project and see what we have to offer you.