TIMELESS TILE
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
While wood remains the desired material for floors in living rooms and bedrooms, tile has become extremely popular as the choice for kitchens, bathrooms, mudrooms, sunrooms and basements. And with regard to the growing environmental movement toward using reclaimed wood for floors, Chris Young, owner of Housefitters and The Tile Gallery, astutely noted that, "All stone is old."

Choices abound in tile, with options that include ceramic and porcelain, both man-made materials. Ceramic tile is more prone to scratches and used primarily in bathrooms, with porcelain more scratch-resistent and favored for kitchens and mudrooms. Glass tile, also man-made, is more rare but engi- neered now to be used for flooring. Natural materials include pebbles that are mounted on mesh and have a unique look and feel underfoot, popular for shower and bathroom floors.

Natural stone has a rich appearance and is widely used on the island for bathrooms, but is susceptible to stains and scratches so is not the best choice for high traffic areas, said Young. Natural stone includes polished and matte varieties and tumbled stone, which is generally granite, marble and limestone and provides surface texture.

Young said his company's most common tile request is for tumbled stone because it has a soft and rustic look, followed by porcelain tiles that can be made to appear as natural and tumbled stone. There are occasional requests for historic tile materials, however Young said they are expensive and generally limited to kitchen back-splash areas and fireplace surrounds. Antique terra cotta and limestone are exceptions that are strong enough to be used for flooring, he said.

"But nowadays, with budgets and with what is available, you're not always sure what you are getting from reclaimed stone," Young cautioned.

Housefitters has inventory from China, Italy and stone from around the globe, as well as porcelain in large supply from Brazil and Italy, if it is not American-made.

"We keep ourselves informed of the ever-changing marketplace by attending the Coverings trade show primarily for the tile industry. We go every two years to Chicago or Orlando," he said of his staff's continuing education.

Young's recommendations for the homeowner's best tile flooring investment is to consider the resale value of the home. In that instance, stone has an implicit richness and a greater return on the dollar than ceramic tile or the somewhat costlier tumbled marble. Natural stone or porcelain that resembles natural stone is his pick for kitchens, adding that porcelain is durable and the best investment and will not sustain the water and wear damage that affects wooden flooring. For the casual Nantucket look, he suggests tumbled stone for bathroom flooring.

In addition to tile, which is a good conductor if radient heat is installed beneath flooring, many homeowners, particularly those who

prefer bare feet or just socks in winter, are turning to cork flooring. Young said cork is durable, soft and will not absorb moisture.

"They are great for any environment, but we've done them primarily for kitchens and basements," he said.

Graham Burton at The Tile Room said one trend in ceramic and porcelain tiles he has observed is to use larger sized blocks. Also, manufacturers are delivering products now that mimic textures such as fabric, sisel and leather.

"They are branching more and getting a different look," said Burton.

Stone products are still popular for Burton's business, as are mosaics and a newer feature of tile combining glass and stone. He said stone tile is superior to wood in specific home areas because it is dense, wears well and is not subject to expansion and contraction. As with Housefitters, The Tile Room has suppliers from China, Italy and other European countries that produce lovely and high quality tile, and also offer reclaimed terra cotta from France and limestone tile from Lebanon and Cyprus that are consumer choices. He noted that there are many American companies producing tile of excellent quality and he likes to support the U.S. economy along with avoiding extra costs for transport that must pass on to customers.

"Our specialty is to have a personal relationship with the homeowner to choose the material," said Burton.

And he, too, said cork is becoming a desired complement to tile where wooden floors are not practical. He noted that it is fire and sound resistant, easy to install and is harvested from trees which continue standing and producing more cork.

"It's pretty easy and is good looking," said Burton. "Cork is comparable in price to ceramic tile or a lower priced stone. For residential use it has good applications and

it is a natural material." I