All tiles are not created equal. The material a tile is made of and the way it was made determine its cost, durability, and water resistance, as well as the way it's maintained.

Is It Ceramic?

To be ceramic, a tile must be made from clay or other nonmetallic minerals and fired, or baked, above red heat - at least 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. By this criteria, terra-cotta, stone, and cement-bodied tiles are not really ceramic. We've included them here with "true" ceramics because they're often sold in the same places and they're installed in essentially the same way.