Many popular styles of ceramic tiles are designed and manufactured to
appear and feel like natural stone, imitating their rugged surface and
color variation. It's important to understand these variations while
selecting and laying out your ceramic tile flooring. You will always be
provided with a wide range of glazes, different gloss levels, colors
and texture variations to choose from. Your choice should depend on the
conditions present at your chosen location, whether commercial or
residential.
A
commonly preferred choice is a solid color tile because of its
consistent look. However, shade variation is a natural factor in all
fired ceramic products. In fact, certain tiles will show a certain
amount variation even within their dye lots.
For the benefit of
better understanding on the part of the consumer, shade variation
categories have been devised to enable consumers choose their desired
shade spectrum. These shade variation ratings are mentioned on the back
label of each sample within either of the low, moderate, high or random
categories.
Here is a brief explanation of these categories:
Low: Consistent shade and texture
Moderate: Moderate shade and texture variation
High: High shade and texture variation
Random: Very high shade and texture variationThe
color of the tiles body is determined by the color of the clay used to
manufacture it. It is usually the clay available in the surrounding
regions of the manufacturing facility or sometimes imported from
another region. You can have a look at the body of tile to find out if
the color is red or white. The quality, however, depends on the
processing standards of the manufacturers rather than the color of the
body.
Color variations will also be present within the
manufacturer's samples of tile of the same color. Moreover, it can be
seen throughout the installed tiles on counter tops, walls and floors.
a couple of good tile manufacturers we use at
Ceramictec Tile Contractors use are
Crossville and
Marazzi.
to us they are a really good quality porcelain tile and made in the U.S.A.
If
you have a particular tendency towards color consistency, then
understanding the facts and talking to your tile contractor about your
expectations can be a worthwhile pursuit.
some shade variations can be a beautiful thing.
like this full house tile renovation in Lakeland Florida for a customer.
