A little about Tile & Stone

Ceramic tile is a mixture of clays which have been shaped and fired at high temperatures, resulting in a hard body. The two basic types of tile are glazed and unglazed.

Unglazed tiles are simply baked pieces of clay in which the colors run throughout the body. They are the work horses of the industry and are generally thicker and denser than glazed tiles.

Glazed Tiles are made the same way as unglazed, but a glass wear layer (the glaze) is fused to its surface with tremendous heat. Glazed tiles are primarily suited for residential and light to medium commercial installations.

Tile is further categorized into two types - porcelain and ceramic. The incredible density of porcelain gives it a delicate beauty with superior strength that offers a tight bond against the moisture, frost, wear and breakage. These qualities of porcelain often command a higher price in the marketplace today.

There are several natural stone products that are quarried; a few of the more commonly known are travertine, marble, tumbled marble, slate, quartzite and granite. Shaw and other manufacturers of tile often emulate these "looks" of stone, referring to them as "stone visuals" simply because they are not natural stone, but ceramic tile.