Products - Tile

Ceramic tile is the product most people are familiar with when they think of tile. Tiles made with the ceramic method have a bisque, or body, composed primarily of either white (talc) clay, brown clay or red clay. White body tiles are generally suitable only for wall applications. This product has an impenetrable glazed surface that is highly resistant to staining.

Large format porcelain tile is the newest technology in tile manufacturing. Porcelain has three main ingredients: feldspar, quartz, and clay. Contrary to common thought, porcelain tiles are exceptionally hard and very durable. They also have an absorption rate 100 times less than most ceramic tiles. Due to the low absorption rate, most porcelains are frost resistant and can be used in outdoor installations. The combination of ingredients produce an extremely dense, hard-wearing, stain resistant tile. Through-body porcelains can be polished to a high gloss finish.

Ceramic and porcelain tiles are classified for usage on a scale from 1 to 5. This scale measures the durability of the surface of the tile, whether glazed or unglazed. It is a good measure of how the surface will stand up to scratching. The scale is as follows:
  1. Wall tile only - Usually applies to high gloss glazed ceramics and white body tiles. Any tile can be used on a wall.
  2. Wall tile and light duty countertops
  3. Residential floor or countertop tile
  4. Heavy residential or light commercial floor tile
  5. Heavy commercial floor tile

An asterisk (*) next to this number (on Capco's website) signifies a tile is frost resistant and suitable for outdoor use. A good rule of thumb to remember when choosing your tile is "you can use floor tile on a wall but you can't use wall tile on a floor."