Should you choose ceramic tile for your floors?

Absolutely, but there are two important things to keep in mind when you begin shopping for your tile flooring in Calgary. One is that you may want to consider porcelain. Even though it goes by a different name, it is a ceramic meant to withstand heavy foot traffic rooms in busy areas.

The other is that floor, and wall tiles are different, so check the box carefully. Floor tiles are thicker and meant to withstand the weight of foot traffic. You can use floor ceramics on walls, but you can?t use the wall pieces on floors. To learn more, visit our tile store in Calgary, AB.

All about porcelain tile

This tile is made of clay and includes some sand and glass, making it heavier, denser. The clay is a non-porous one called Kaolin, making porcelain completely waterproof and appropriate for outdoor use; it won?t crack or break with freeze-thaw conditions, an important consideration with the Calgary weather.

Design-wise, it?s a large-format, which is the current trend of bigger and bigger ceramics. It?s also available in an almost unlimited number of colors and patterns and can be made to look like anything, from wood and stone to fabric.

Other types of ceramics

Be mindful that every ceramic is also graded for strength, porosity, and slipperiness (the latter called "coefficient of friction" or COF). They include the highly designed 4 X 4 squares that we see on backsplashes and accent walls and floors. This is appropriate as tile flooring on medium traffic floors indoors.

Others include mosaics, the tiny (sometime ? X ? inch) decorative, often glass-coated pieces used mainly as floor and wall accents. Terracottas are known for beautiful rustic, reddish-brown colors. Subway tiles are usually seen on backsplashes, but they can be used on floors (in fact, they?re often used for herringbone patterns), as long as they are low traffic, indoor ones.

Homeowners in the Greater Calgary, Alberta area can get inspiration and a free in-home estimate for tile flooring by visiting one of the three Westvalley Carpet & Flooring showrooms. We are in North Calgary, South Calgary, and Westvalley Central (Calgary, AB).