Continuum Tile Co. - Bay Area Tile Contractors - Tile Reference Guide - Porcelain, Ceramic, Marble, Granite, Slate, Travertine, Limestone, Glass

Tile Types	Cost (sq.ft.)	Hardness	Surface	Cutting Characteristics	Physical Attributes	Typical Applications
Porcelain	$1-10	Very Hard	Usually glazed	Very hard throughout, brittle	Body is is usually white, putty, or grey with usually a similar color to body, though it can be glazed and textured to look natural stone, wood, etc.	Very widely used on floors and walls in all types of situations. Public spaces, bathrooms, kitchens, entryways, etc
Ceramic Floor Tile	$1-10	Hard	Glazed	Hard surface, softer interior	Body is usually tan or sand colored with a wide variety of glazed surtace finishes. Surface be can be smooth or textured.	Very widely used on floors and walls in all types of situations. Public spaces, bathrooms, kitchens, entryways, etc.
Ceramic Wall Tile	$.50-10	Very Soft	Glazed	Semi-hard, very soft interior	Body is usually white and chalky with a glaze is usually smooth and shiny.	Bathroom walls
Terracotta	$1-5	Very Hard	Same as Body	Very hard throughout	Consistent granular body and surlace. Usually orange or brown in color.	Used on floors, especially in the southwest.
Glass	$5-30	Very Hard	Same As Body	Very hard throughout	Almost always painted on the back side. Can be smooth or textured.	Used for borders and accents. Can be used to cover floors and walls in bathrooms and kitchen backsplashes.
Marble	$2-20	Soft	Same As Body	Fairly soft but inconsistent; tends to break along veins	Usually white, veiny, with other colors such as pink or grey across the veins.	Bathrooms, entry ways, borders, and accents
Marble	$2-20	Soft	Same As Body	Fairly soft but inconsistent; tends to break along veins	Usually white, veiny, with other colors such as pink or grey across the veins.	Bathrooms, entry ways, borders, and accents
Slate	$2-15	Soft-Hard	Same As Body	Fairly soft and consistent; but flakes off unexpectedly	Blue-grey with some orange, purple, or rust mixed in. Can have an iridescent sheen.	Bathrooms, kitchens, entry ways
Granite	$2-20	Very Hard	Same As Body	Very hard throughout	Usually speckled with with grains of orange, black, white, and gray. More expensive varieties have more consistent coloration with less speckling.	Widely used for residential and commercial. Public spaces, bathrooms, kitchens, etc.
Travertine/Limestone	$2-15	Soft-Hard	Same As Body	Fairly soft with some hard spots	Tan to cream with browns mixed in. Cream spots where dust was used to fill the voids. Usually has a smooth surface finish.	Bathrooms, kitchens, entry ways