Types of Tiles — Every Floor and Wall Tile Material Explained

Tile types get listed by material, by manufacture and by look, often in the same breath, which is why the category is confusing. Sorted properly there are only three questions: what the body is made of, how the surface is decorated, and what it is imitating.

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Tile types by body

The body decides where a tile can safely go. Everything else is appearance.

TypeWater absorptionUse
Ceramic (non-porcelain)3-10%Interior walls, light domestic floors
Porcelain / vitrifiedUnder 0.5%Any floor, wet areas, outdoors
Full body vitrifiedUnder 0.5%Heaviest traffic, stairs, industrial
Double charged vitrifiedUnder 0.5%Commercial floors, large areas
GVT / PGVTUnder 0.5%Design-led residential and commercial
Quarry tile3-6%Unglazed, industrial and traditional floors
Terracotta10%+Interior, traditional, needs sealing
MosaicVaries by bodyShower floors, feature areas, curves
Natural stone1-10%+Premium, needs sealing and maintenance

Tile types by surface

  • Glazed — A fired glass coating carrying the design. Everything from gloss to deeply textured, but the decoration is thin.
  • Unglazed / full body — No coating at all — the body is the surface. Cannot wear through, and can be ground on site.
  • Polished — Mechanically buffed to a mirror. Brightest finish, poorest wet grip.
  • Matt — Left as fired. Hides marks, gives usable slip resistance.
  • Structured / textured — Relief surface for grip, rated R11 or R12 for external and wet use.
  • Rectified — Ground to an exact size after firing so joints can be 2 mm or less.
  • Sugar / carving finish — Fine grained or relief-carved decorative surfaces.

Tile types by look

Marble Effect Tiles

Veined stone

Carrara, Calacatta, Statuario and dark marbles reproduced in porcelain, without the sealing or etching.

Marble Effect Tiles ›

Wood Effect Tiles

Plank formats

Timber grain with surface texture registered to the print, unaffected by water.

Wood Effect Tiles ›

Concrete Effect Tiles

Industrial

The cloudiness of a power-floated slab, in a body that does not dust or crack.

Concrete Effect Tiles ›

Brick Effect Tiles

Exposed brick

Brick faces and subway formats for feature walls and splashbacks.

Brick Effect Tiles ›

Rustic Tiles

Weathered

Aged, riven and tumbled surfaces for traditional and outdoor schemes.

Rustic Tiles ›

Terrazzo Tiles

Aggregate chips

Scattered chip patterns in porcelain, without poured terrazzo's cost or cure time.

Terrazzo Tiles ›

Granite Effect Tiles

Speckled stone

Salt-and-pepper granite looks in double charged and full body bodies.

Granite Effect Tiles ›

3D Tiles

Relief surface

Sculpted and faceted wall tiles that catch light across the surface.

3D Tiles ›

Patterned Tiles

Encaustic and border

Repeating geometric and encaustic-look patterns, plus border and inset tiles.

Patterned Tiles ›

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What are the main types of tiles?

By body: ceramic, porcelain or vitrified, full body, double charged, GVT, PGVT, quarry, terracotta, mosaic and natural stone. By surface: glazed, unglazed, polished, matt, structured and rectified. By look: marble, wood, concrete, brick, rustic, terrazzo, granite, 3D and patterned.

What types of tiles are used for flooring?

Porcelain and vitrified in all their forms — full body, double charged, GVT and PGVT — plus quarry tile for industrial floors and natural stone at the premium end. Non-porcelain ceramic is only suitable for light domestic floors and is better kept to walls.

Which type of tile is the most durable?

Full body vitrified porcelain. Because the colour runs through the entire thickness there is no decorative layer that can wear away, so it ages evenly under the heaviest traffic. Double charged is the next step down and covers most commercial needs.

What is the difference between floor tiles and wall tiles?

Strength and slip resistance. A floor tile is thicker, denser and rated for abrasion and wet grip. A wall tile need only carry its own weight, so it is lighter and often more porous. Floor tiles can always go on walls; wall tiles must never go on floors.

Not sure which type you need?

Describe the room, the traffic and the climate and we will tell you which body and surface to specify.

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