How To Buy Ceramic Tile
Before you buy ceramic tile, review these words of wisdom.
Baker Bros. has been helping Arizona homeowners make smarter flooring decisions
since 1945. That’s over 60 years of paying close attention to what you want
and need in flooring, then exceeding your expectations.
We’ve advised thousands and thousands of customers and installed millions
of square feet of flooring. In the process we have become this area’s most
trusted flooring resource.
And it shows. Our customer satisfaction rating is exceptional. Our standing with
the Better Business Bureau and Arizona Registrar of Contractors is unparalleled
for a company the size of Baker Bros.
Our professional sales team brings an average of 15+ years of flooring knowledge
to every customer relationship. Knowledge that includes today’s styles and
trends, which is why the Baker Bros. motto is “Where Fashion Meets Flooring”.
The bottom line is, you won’t find more flooring understanding, more design
savvy or more installation know-how than with our team. Baker Bros. offers you…
More experience per square foot.
And in this section we’ve laid down what we know and what you should consider
before making a ceramic tile buying decision. Because knowledge about tile specifics
and characteristics, about its traits and subtle differences, can be invaluable.
It’s a fact. Choosing the best ceramic tile flooring for your home is really
about knowing the right combination of characteristics, aesthetics, performance
and budget to best meet the needs of your lifestyle.
So, we invite you to read on, check out these notes and considerations and get the
upper hand on the flooring that may soon be underfoot.
First, put the accent on accents.
The beauty of ceramic tile is the flexibility you have with design options, especially
through the use of the accent pieces: trim work and decorative tiles.
If you’re interested in applying trim work and decorative tiles you should
know that there is a definite step-by-step procedure.
The correct order of this process is to first identify the room and its application,
select the type of tile, then its color and shade, and then its texture and size.
Finally, a layout pattern is designed, the trim and decorative patterns are determined,
and the grout color and type are chosen.
Adhering to this process will ensure a smooth installation without any missing elements.
To help you insure a smooth understanding of floor tile trim terminology, allow
us to cover a few definitions.
Floor Tile Trims
Bullnose. It has one rounded finished edge on the tile to give a nice finishing
touch. Sometimes it is also used as a substitute for cove base.
Corner Bullnose. It has two rounded finished edges on the tile to be used
to complete a corner.
Sanitary Cove Base. It has a rounded finished top like a bullnose to cover
up the body of the tile.
Understand this about color, texture and shading.
Many of today’s popular styles of ceramic tile are designed to look and feel
like natural stone, emulating their rugged surface and color variations.
It’s important that you understand these variations when designing with ceramic
tile, so pay special attention to our story here.
These tiles are intended to show color and texture variations, just like natural
stone. Since the composition of the tile’s glaze also varies, different tile
styles will also exhibit different gloss levels.
You should also be aware that solid color tiles provide a consistent look, however
shade variation is inherent in all fired ceramic products and certain tiles will
show greater variation within their dye lots.
Shade variation is usually listed on the back label of each sample with a low, moderate,
high or random rating. Here, to help you, are the definitions:
- Low(V1). Consistent shade and texture
- Moderate(V2). Moderate shade and texture variation
- High(V3). High shade and texture variation
- Random(V4). Very high shade and texture variation
The color of the body of the tile is determined by the color of the clay used by
the manufacturer that is available in their geographic region.
Look at the body of the tile to see if the color is red or white. The quality of
the tile is more related to the quality of the manufacturer, not the color of the
body.
Color variations will also be present between manufacturers’ samples of the
same color and throughout installed countertops, wall tile or ceramic floors.
Color consistency is something you should understand and carefully consider when
selecting ceramic tile. Your Baker Bros. sales associate will be happy to review
with you what to expect from different ceramic tiles.
Here are the basics on moisture absorption and tile density.
As the composition of glaze varies, different styles of tile will exhibit different
gloss levels and surface textures. This is important to note when choosing your
ceramic tile flooring.
For example, in areas that are used while wet, such as your shower or bathroom floor,
they should have low moisture absorption and good slip resistance.
Baker Bros offers:
Arizona Flooring
Flooring in Phoenix
Arizona Floors
Arizona Carpet
Phoenix Hardwood Floors
Floor Tile Phoenix | Ceramic Floor Tile Arizona
Phoenix Area Rugs