Ceramic and porcelain tile have long been used as a covering for both floorings and walls. Tile is tough and durable, capable of lasting for many decades with minimal grout maintenance before a full replacement is necessary. The tile market is huge, varied, and often confusing. One familiar point of confusion is the differences, if any, between floor tile and wall tile. Are some tiles designated purely as floor tiles and others as wall tiles? Or is there simply one type of tile that is used interchangeably for both areas?

Though overlapping to a level, a couple of primary differences create one tile better for a single application. The difference between wall tiles and floor tiles boils down to its ratings for slipperiness and hardness.

Coefficient of Friction (COF) evaluation: COF evaluations will help specify which kind of tile belongs on flooring or walls. Each ceramic or ceramic tile has a particular COF score. Floor tiles need to have a minimum degree of warmth for them to be safe to walk. Tiles Sydney

This is called the Coefficient of Friction or COF, with higher numbers representing greater friction. Wall tile can be honed and as slick as glass, and often it is glass because friction is not an issue where traction is not a concern.

PEI (Porcelain Enamel Institute) rating: PEI ratings are the second factor that defines hardness and durability. The Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI) issues five PEI ratings that tile companies can use if they wish. Ratings range from Class 1, for areas with no foot traffic, to Class 5, for areas with heavy-duty foot traffic, as found in commercial settings. PEI ratings are usually buried within each tile's specifications and are a good determiner of where a tile can be used.

There's no considerable difference in the overall look of ceramic and ceramic wall tile vs. flooring tile. Still, stylistically, its general practice for wall tiles to be comparatively small compared to flooring tiles. Because of its visible nature and the difficulty of installing wall tiles on a vertical surface, wall tiles tend to be smaller and more lightweight.

Consumer-level flooring tile may vary up to 18 x 18-inch square dimensions. With the prevalence of super-large structure tile, big sizes are typical. The one exception is when flooring are tiles using mosaic sheets-little tiles secured to sheets of net backing. Vintage 1-inch hexagonal mosaics have been set up on bathroom flooring.

Both wall and floor tiles have the same maintenance profile. The tiles can be cleaned with simple soap and water. Grout between tiles should be kept clean and may need to be replaced every few years if it cracks or becomes discolored.

Both floor tiles and wall tiles have been set up using similar procedures. To begin with, an underlayment of cement backer board is set up from the subfloor or wall studs. The tiles are stuck to the backer board utilizing thin-set adhesives applied with a notched trowel. Once dry, the joints between tiles are full of a paste-like, mortar-based grout, sealed after it dries and hardens.

Browse a wide selection of wall and floor tiles on Tile Living in various style and types. For more details, please check out our website.