The stone and ceramic tile flooring buying guide

While both stone flooring and ceramic tile are terrific ways to liven up your home and introduce some personality, they aren’t the same. They share some characteristics, such as durability, moisture resistance, and easy cleanability, but keep in mind that stone is an entirely earth-friendly product. Like anything created from Mother Nature, no two items are ever alike, so that every slab will be different with color and veining variations. Tile is more consistent in appearance. At Network Interiors, we provide this buying guide for both stone and tile with in-house fabricators and over 25 years of experience.

Anytime you bring the beauty of the outdoors inside your property, values go up, and that’s precisely what happens with stone. It adds immediate value to your home. Slate and granite are appropriate for hallways, entryways, and kitchens, and anywhere there's heavy foot traffic. At the same time, marble, limestone, and travertine are a little softer and better for low-to-medium foot traffic areas.

As for aesthetics, it ultimately comes down to your style. While marble creates a classic, luxurious look, slate tiles give a rustic atmosphere. Polished limestone tiles offer a contemporary feeling, and travertine floors combine elegance with a rustic style. Whatever you choose, be sure you ask your stone flooring expert about sealing requirements.

As for ceramic, when you walk into our tile store in Glenwood Springs, CO., you’ll be overwhelmed at all the colors, patterns, designs, shapes, and sizes. Be aware that each tile is classified for wall or floor use and graded on durability, waterproof, and even "grip" levels. Since ceramic is any tile made of clay, even if it includes sand and glass, that makes porcelain one. Because it's heavier, always waterproof, and denser, it is appropriate for heavily trafficked floors in busy rooms.

Other ceramics include tiny, glass-coated mosaics, often used for floor and wall decoration, terracottas with a beautiful red-brown color that goes so well in rustic decors. Subways are mainly used on backsplashes and appropriate for low traffic floors, now come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Technically not ceramic glass tiles, those sparkly little jewels are often used as accents for floor and wall tiles.

We’ll help you sort out stone and tile flooring and give you some inspiration and a free quote. Come into the Network Interiors showroom in Glenwood Springs, CO., especially if you live in or near Glenwood Springs, CO, New Castle, CO, Carbondale, CO, Gypsum, CO, Eagle, CO, Aspen, CO, Snowmass, CO, Avon, CO, Vail, CO || Basalt, CO. You’ll be glad you did.