At first glance, the only important thing about a tile is how it looks<\/strong>. Scratch under the surface, however, and you might be surprised to find just how much difference there can be between two similar looking tiles. From the first fired-clay bricks of ancient Mesopotamia to the ultra-thin 3mm architectural grade porcelain from Spain and Italy, there is a long history of technological advancement in the industry. But why does that matter to you? Well, there are some important considerations to make when selecting the right tile for your project. We\u2019ve listed a few below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read on to discover what each material offers as a solution to these problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like wine, roses, and pasta sauce, ceramic tiles come in two options.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ceramic tiles are made from two basic ingredients \u2013 clay and water \u2013 mixed with a few extra minerals to ensure a uniform appearance. The difference is colour comes down to which clay (a mix of sand, gypsum and shale) is used in the production process. Thanks to digital printing techniques, all tiles can be glazed in any combination of colours. Red and white refers only to what\u2019s referred to as the \u201cbody\u201d, \u201cbiscuit\u201d or \u201cbisque\u201d of the tile \u2013 the bit underneath the glaze.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Red body tiles are generally (although not always) :<\/p>\n\n\n\n Common use cases for red body tiles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of our favourite pasta rojas<\/strong> (the Spanish term for red body tiles)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n White body tiles lie somewhere between red body and porcelain. The lack of colour in the body allows lighter glazes to really pop, but the (relative) lack of hardness means they\u2019re only ever suitable as wall coverings. Key points include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Common use cases for white body tiles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of our favourite pasta blancas<\/strong> (the Spanish term for white body tiles)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Porcelain is a special form of ceramic, made from different clays and fired at a higher temperature.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A tile is classed as porcelain when it demonstrates a water absorption rate of less than 0.5% of its weight (red and white body ceramics normally land somewhere between 1 \u2013 3%). This means they are impervious to the freeze-thaw effect, and can be used outside without cracking. The main material used is a type of clay known an kaolinite, which is fired in a kiln at temperatures generally exceeding 1200o<\/sup>C<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many subcategories of porcelain which are explored further in our article Understanding Porcelain Tiles<\/a>. However, all porcelain share some general characteristics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Some of these key characteristics are<\/p>\n\n\n\n Common use cases for porcelain tiles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of our favourite porcelain<\/strong> tiles<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nCeramic tiles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/07\/red-body-tile-cut.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=1024&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=1024&wpsize=large&s=36b67bcb5f0b24510acbec96e6de551d\")
Red body<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Tarima](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/07\/STN2TAR2162ROB-FEAT.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=600&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=600&wpsize=woocommerce_thumbnail&s=a78443ce98a31cb36b7265bd22deb713\")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"Biselado](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/07\/STL1BIS1020CAR-FEAT.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=600&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=600&wpsize=woocommerce_thumbnail&s=72c4109e5e48343fd20545f7912992b0\")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\tWhite body<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/07\/pasta-blanca.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=1024&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=668&wpsize=large&s=c0351b3746a4ffcb96cc4cc225c87fe9\")
![\"Muro](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/07\/MER1MIC3090XLBLA-FEAT.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=600&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=600&wpsize=woocommerce_thumbnail&s=c0c1ba50340365105b9950057dad2cee\")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"Autumn](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/07\/MER1AUT3060LEA-FEAT.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=600&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=600&wpsize=woocommerce_thumbnail&s=021536b4d926ac886d75ddb3db818bef\")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"Wabi](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/07\/GRE1WAB31100FABBLA-FEAT.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=600&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=600&wpsize=woocommerce_thumbnail&s=90f12f0a97d2f191d8c8c681487cfb8d\")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t£<\/span>44.00<\/span><\/del> Original price was: £44.00.<\/span>£<\/span>39.60<\/span><\/ins>Current price is: £39.60.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\nPorcelain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/07\/steven_barritt_kaolin.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=338&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=1024&wpsize=large&s=21a86f3dfbf239fd34bc39c073124add\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/07\/porcelain_corner_tile.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=1074&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=768&wpsize=medium_large&s=a34464c16e4c90aeb74ab1ad71da13fd\")
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Paris](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2019\/12\/AjEzbI9o-DEL2PAR2020VIV-FEAT.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=600&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=600&wpsize=woocommerce_thumbnail&s=0fe1f85c612e47176dfef7089a14244e\")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"Kalkaria](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2019\/12\/BhEd5NzK-RIC2KAL60120CIN-FEAT.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=600&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=600&wpsize=woocommerce_thumbnail&s=952d7f2d04a6c4bd8d32330e5b50df71\")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t£<\/span>55.95<\/span><\/del> Original price was: £55.95.<\/span>£<\/span>44.95<\/span><\/ins>Current price is: £44.95.<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/li>![\"Woodglam](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/07\/RAG2GLAM1070NOC-FEAT.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=scale&h=600&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=75&w=600&wpsize=woocommerce_thumbnail&s=72d9a55c5b48e4ebd64ae82aade3ede3\")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\tShop the look<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/04\/look-victorian-vogue.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&ixlib=php-1.2.1&q=75&s=845469091131929d51bbbbd1db0c1714\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/04\/look-natural-stone-beauty.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&ixlib=php-1.2.1&q=75&s=5ab350ead5e2355ed9c84114fe4055a8\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/04\/look-mid-century-modern.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&ixlib=php-1.2.1&q=75&s=55c819dc8ad1c0c47cf0b6bbe71cfecb\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/04\/look-industrial.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&ixlib=php-1.2.1&q=75&s=6d29f508f53110a8fce892212a897ee1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/u-kno.imgix.net\/2020\/04\/look-scandinavian.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&ixlib=php-1.2.1&q=75&s=9ae6b376375df28fd3c6c2636ef5d24e\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n