The New Face of Ceramic Tile

   After seeing how bad plain, square ceramic tile can look, it's no wonder many people avoid it like the plague. But with so many new styles and options available, you may want to give ceramic tile a second chance. Far from being boring and bland, the newest ceramic tiles have gorgeous glazes, interesting patterns and best of all, unique shapes.
    But rather than bring back old memories of the same ceramic tile used to cover an entire wall, I decided it was time to consult an expert. So I headed to Walker Zanger to meet with the company's Marketing Director, Tristan McManaman, to discover how to put together a beautiful ceramic tile design, and while I was there, I got quite the lesson in ceramic tile.


What is Ceramic Tile?

    Simply put, ceramic tile is clay - or bisque - that has been fired at a temperature hot enough to turn it into a hard, unbending material perfect for use in wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms. Compared to other tiles, such as porcelain, ceramic tile is not the most durable; however, people still love it for it's imperfect charm.
    "Ceramic tile tends to be more artisan made, more irregular, less perfect, more beautiful versus porcelain tiles that tend to be much more streamlined," McManaman said.
    Not every ceramic tile looks the same. The glaze may pool differently, the color may be a bit uneven, and oh yea, the edges might be crooked.
    "Ceramic tile is hand pressed into molds and then it's fired and it typically warps a little bit when it's fired," McManaman said. "That warpage can be as much as 8 percent per piece, which means nothing to anybody except when you're trying to put tile on a wall together and one piece sticks out like this and the other goes like that and then it makes a big difference. People don't like that."
    But don't worry. While the gaps between ceramic tiles may frustrate you at first, once the wall or floor is grouted those differences completely disappear and give the overall look an organic, natural feel.


Creating a Ceramic Tile Design

    When you first walk into a ceramic tile store, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. But there's no need to panic, because creating a tile design is very easy.


    If creating a tile design sounds like way too much work, there's a type of ceramic tile made especially for you. Called all over patterns, those ceramic tiles have a texture and interesting shape that creates a gorgeous pattern when laid together. In fact, the patterns are so beautiful they don't need any molding or deco tiles to finish the look. Simply put them on your wall and they'll easily become the focal point.

    

Introducing Ceramic Tile to the Rest of the Home

    Most people use ceramic tile in the kitchen or bathroom as backsplashes, shower walls and floors. But ceramic tile can be used anywhere in the home.
    "The coolest way I've seen ceramic tile used is actually outside of the kitchen and the bathroom," McManaman said. "We have a client that installed [an all over ceramic tile pattern] on a wall in the dining room. It's gorgeous."


Photo Credit: Walker Zanger