Your Floor: How to Shop for Tile
Here's how to read a ceramic tile box and get exactly what you need
Paul Anater
July 6, 2011
I am a former designer, past Houzz contributor and current Marketing Director at The Reclamation Project, a reclaimed lumber flooring and furniture company in Pennsylvania.
I am a former designer, past Houzz contributor and current Marketing Director at... More
There's a lot more to buying ceramic tile than finding a color and pattern that will work in a room. Every tile manufactured and sold has an intended use, and that intended use is made pretty clear on the label of a box of tile. However, it's always in code. Understanding this code will go a long way to helping you buy the ceramic tile that's right for your project, and it may even save you money.
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Ratings. There are four or five ratings categories listed on every box of ceramic tile. Five if it’s a glazed tile and four if you’re buying unglazed tile. Any time you’re getting ready to buy tile, be sure to read the label. Look for a given tile’s grade, PEI rating, water absorption, coefficient of friction, frost safety and tone. In this Ideabook, I’m going to go through and discuss each of these categories and why they’re important.
Hire an experienced contractor to install your tile
Hire an experienced contractor to install your tile
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Grade. The first category is a tile's grade. A tile will have a grade from one to three. Grade one is the highest quality, grade two is similar to grade one but it will almost always be less expensive. Grades one and two are suitable for floors. Grade three tile aren't heavy-duty enough to walk on, and they're only intended to be used on walls. Though you can use floor tile as wall tile, you cannot use wall tile as floor tile. Be sure that any tile you're considering for your floors is at least a grade two.
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Wear rating. The second category is something called a PEI rating. PEI stands for the Porcelain and Enamel Institute’s wear rating. PEI rates a glazed tile’s ability to resist abrasion and its suitability as a floor tile. Only glazed tiles get a a PEI rating, if you’re buying unglazed tile you won’t find this category on the the label.
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Ceramic tiles rated PEI I and II are appropriate for use as wall tile only. They tend to be decorative and cannot withstand foot traffic. Tiles rated PEI III offer moderate resistance to wear and they are appropriate for most residential uses. Tiles that carry a PEI IV are highly resistant to wear and appropriate for all residential and some light commercial uses. Tile rated PEI V are the most resistant and are appropriate for use in heavy commercial locations. If you can save money with a PEI III or PEI IV tile, go for it. Anything rated higher than that is overkill for residential uses.
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Water-absorption rate. Another important category to consider when you’re looking at ceramic tile is its water absorption rate or W.A. A tile’s W.A. rating will tell you if a tile you’re considering is the right tile to use in a wet area or outdoors.
There are four categories in the W.A. rating and they’re expressed as a name and percentage of water absorbed by a tile.
Complement your tile flooring with an elegant area rug
There are four categories in the W.A. rating and they’re expressed as a name and percentage of water absorbed by a tile.
Complement your tile flooring with an elegant area rug
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Nonvitreous tile absorbs more than 7% of its weight in water and is inappropriate for use outdoors or in a wet area such as a bath or spa. Semiviteous tile absorbs between 3% and 7% of its weight in water and it too is only appropriate for use in dry, indoor areas. Vitreous tile absorbs only 0.5% to 3% of its weight in water and it's a rating you want to see if you're using a tile outdoors or in an area where there's a lot of moisture present. The last category is impervious and it absorbs less than 0.5% of its weight in water when exposed.
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What's called a porcelain tile isn't really made from porcelain, but it is in that final category, impervious. A tile has to absorb less than 0.5% in order to be called porcelain. A lot of times, that label porcelain carries a price premium and if you can save some money by buying a vitreous tile (0.5% to 3% water absorption) you'll be being a smart consumer. Tile categorized as vitreous has to be called ceramic. Don't look away if you see a floor tile that's not labeled as a porcelain tile. A vitreous ceramic floor tile will do the job you need it to do in your home.
daltileproducts.com
Slip resistance. Another important rating is a given tile's coefficient of friction, abbreviated as C.O.F. The COF refers to a tile's natural resistant to slip and it's measured by the force required to slide an object across a surface divided by the object's weight. Lower C.O.F. numbers indicate less friction and the floor will provide less traction. Higher C.O.F. numbers indicate that a floor will be less slippery.
A C.O.F. greater than .50 is recommended for standard residential applications. A C.O.F. greater than .60 is required for commercial applications and to meet Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. If you’re looking to tile a bathroom floor, pay attention to that C.O.F rating. The higher the number, the less likely you’ll be to slip when you’re getting out of the shower.
Design a handicap-accessible home
Design a handicap-accessible home
The last two categories are Frost and Tone. Frost is a simple either/or rating and it tells you whether can withstand freeze and thaw cycles outdoors. If you're using a tile indoors, this rating doesn't matter.
And finally, the last category is Tone. Tone only applies when there is intentional variation from tile to tile to mimic the look of natural stone. If you're looking for a tile with consistent color, toned tile is not for you. That category though, is definitely something to look for if you're looking at single tile samples.
More: Two More Tile Materials to Love
How to Find the Right Stone Tile
How to Shop for Solid-Plank Wood Floors
And finally, the last category is Tone. Tone only applies when there is intentional variation from tile to tile to mimic the look of natural stone. If you're looking for a tile with consistent color, toned tile is not for you. That category though, is definitely something to look for if you're looking at single tile samples.
More: Two More Tile Materials to Love
How to Find the Right Stone Tile
How to Shop for Solid-Plank Wood Floors
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Great education, am much smarter for this assignment now. I initially lack any clue to start with.
Just the information I was looking for! Thanks!!!
Yes, this is a very helpful article, thanks, Paul. I would like to add to Heyitskim's comments about the V ratings, which I found very helpful when shopping for tile. Paul mentioned the "tone" of the tile and implied that it only applies to stone tiles. The V rating applies to all tiles and it is very, very helpful when trying to figure out how the tile will look on the wall. For those who are interested in an old-fashioned, handmade look in a glazed tile, the V rating will give you an idea of how much variation there is between different tiles. It may indicate a difference between the body color of individual tiles, or even a variation in the amount of darkening along the edges of tiles, like the ones that are flashed to give that kind of "toasted" look that was popular in the past. Some colored tiles also simply have a darker edge. If this is the look you want, look for a higher V rating. There are articles out there that discuss this, or sites that sell handmade (or handmade-like) tiles will cover this. It is a look that brings to mind bricks or rustic looks, or Art Deco colorful bathrooms and kitchens from the 30's through 50s.