Decorative Ceramic Tile

Decorative Ceramic Tile

You Can Use Decorative Ceramic Tile Just About Anywhere

Decorative ceramic tile does indeed have many applications in the home, but let's take a look first at ceramic tile itself. There are many different kinds, both in the way it is made, and in its appearance. This variety in turn leads to a plethora of decorative applications.

How decorative ceramic tiles are made

A ceramic is a material made from clay, and often a variety of other substances, including sand. It is first molded into the desired shape, which is usually flat for ceramic tile. Then it is fired in an oven or kiln at very high temperatures, between 900 and 1400 degrees Celsius. On cooling, the material becomes a hard, durable substance, composed mainly of oxides of aluminum and silicon in a crystalline state.

There are two main types of ceramics. Glazed ceramics have a coating of metallic oxides or ceramic stain that is applied before the final firing. The result is a shiny surface that can have a variety of colors, or even a design or picture. In unglazed tiles, the color comes directly from the clay, and varies from white to red. Quarry tiles and terra-cotta tiles are unglazed.

Porcelain tiles can be either glazed or unglazed, and their unusual hardness and shine comes from the glass that is formed throughout the tile due to the extremely high temperatures of firing.

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Pros and cons of ceramic tiling

The reason why decorative ceramic tiles are used in so many different ways is that they have so many desirable properties. They are:

• durable
• noncombustible
• don't fade
• don't stain
• don't warp
• can be made waterproof by sealing or glazing
• are hygienic, since they don't harbor dust or mites
• can be made to resemble stone, and cost a lot less
• can match any room decor

The only con I can think of is that they might be a bit slippery if used for flooring.

How decorative ceramic tile can be used in the home

Most ceramic tiles are made to be used for flooring, but they can also be used for surfaces, such as countertops or vanity tops. They can even be used on walls for shower stalls, wainscoting, backsplashes, or decorative frames around fireplaces or windows. And glazed ceramic tiles are used to line bathtubs and swimming pools, since they are waterproof.

The latest trend is to use ceramic tiles to make murals. These "wall pictures" can be mosaics, which are designs made from small tiles arranged in a pattern. Or larger tiles can be decorated with scenes before being given the final firing, and then arranged on a wall to form a larger picture.

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Albertha

Posted 584 days ago

I agree. When I was in college, I rented an apartment, and the bathroom didn't have any tiles. It just looked grubby. Nobody bothered to clean off the finger-smudges on the walls, because they wouldn't come off without taking half the paint with them.

Isidra

Posted 594 days ago

Forget all those cons. Can you imagine having a bathroom that has no ceramic tiling? I sure wouldn't want to have to live with one. It looks so much shinier and cleaner than just paint. And it's so easy to keep clean.

Madeline

Posted 630 days ago

I have another con: they are very hard. I wouldn't use them on the floor of the childrens' room. Even though kids don't have that far to fall, they could easily hurt themselves falling on a ceramic tile floor.

Allan

Posted 630 days ago

You say that you can only think of one "con": that they're slippery when wet. Well I can think of another one: they're cold to the touch. So if you have them on the bathroom floor, you'd better have some rugs to stand on in the winter time!

Shelly

Posted 662 days ago

That mural you have pictured reminds me a lot of a van Gogh painting. I don't think he did any work in ceramic tile, though. Whoever did the mural tiles certainly got the gist of his style.

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