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Custom Home Tile Ideas
How to Choose Tile for Your Custom Home
Custom tile designs help make a statement in your new home.
Many custom homes feature tile in secondary bathrooms, the kitchen, breakfast room, laundry room, and even
occasionally on patios or foyers. Fireplaces with a tile hearth and surround are also popular.
Ceramic Tile
Made from slabs of clay, ceramic tile is fired for hardness. Ceramic Tile is most commonly used, because of its
- Durability
- Resistance to dampness
- Affordability
- Ease of cleaning
- Water tolerance
Check before using ceramic tile outside - it needs to be extra strong to tolerate expansion and contraction from temperature changes.
Glazed or unglazed, smooth or textured, and available in a wide variety of colors and styles,
ceramic tile is the builder's choice for most tile floors, walls, or accents.
Natural stone
Quarried slate, limestone, flagstone, granite, or marble
Natural stone can be cut into tiles, even though all of these are better known as full countertop materials. Each type of natural stone
has pros and cons:
- Marble: beautiful, expensive, requires a lot of maintenance, and can crack, stain, or mark easily
- Slate: noted for its beauty and long life, but it is soft and can split
- Granite: durable, dense, and strong, but is mainly formed into basic tiles with few additional options
Natural stone is one of the most expensive types of tiles, and some materials require more care and sealant due to
natural permability. Because these stones are created in nature, no two rooms will ever look the same.
Cement tile
Cemet tile is created by pouring cement into molds, then finished by firing or natural drying. Color may be added.
A strong sealant must be applied in order for cement tile to resist stains. This type of tile is not as common.
Porcelain tile
Porcelain tile is made from material similar to that used for ceramic tile, but it is fired at a very high temperature,
which makes it denser and more resistant to moisture. Porcelain tile is:
- Fine grained and smooth
- Matte, unglazed, or highly polished
- Stronger and more durable than ceramic tile
As better processes for creating porcelain tile are found, it is becoming less expensive and more common.
Terrazzo
A cement or epoxy base is used, in which stone or marble chips are imbedded.
Terrazzo is known for its unique beauty, style, and permanence, but it is expensive and can be somewhat slick to walk on.
Saltillo (Mexican tile)
Saltillo tiles are generally handmade and air dried. They are softer and less durable, but with a unique look from exposure to elements.
When used indoors, the tiles must be sealed - some come sealed from the manufacturers.
Terra Cotta
Terra Cotta tiles are rich reds and oranges from a clay base.
- Absorbent, and most often used on patios
- Must be sealed for indoor use
- Wide variations in quality
Agglomerate
Agglomerate tiles are created by mixing graded marble or granite chips with portlar cement, polyester resin or epoxy.
Glass mosaics
Glass mosaics are often created in shades of blue, green, brown or even clear or translucent.
- Tiles are ¾"x3/4"
- Come in sheets roughly 12"x12" for application
This look can be expensive, but glass tiles can also be coordinated as medallions or accents with full size ceramic or other tiles.
Gather ideas, then talk to your builder about how to best fit those ideas inside your budget.
Want to get started?
Contact us
for more ideas for your new custom home.
*Photos represent a variety of interior trends from multiple builders and new homes.
More new home design ideas:
What kind of tile should my new home have?
Built In Bookcase Styles and Ideas
Fireplace Surround Ideas
Cabinet Wood Types: Compare and Contrast
Family Room Ideas and Trends
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