Porcelain vs ceramic
- Porcelain: denser, lower water absorption — best for floors and outdoors
- Ceramic: fine for light residential floors; verify floor-rated
- Glazed porcelain: easy clean; through-body hides chips better on unglazed edge
PEI wear rating (glazed tile)
- PEI 3: residential floor, light traffic
- PEI 4: general residential including kitchen
- PEI 5: heavy traffic commercial — overkill at home but durable
Slip and size
Bath and entry: look for DCOF ≥ 0.42 wet or textured surface. Large format (12×24, 24×24) means fewer grout lines but demands flatter subfloor and more waste.
Kitchen vs bathroom tile picks
Enter tile dimensions in the tile calculator with 15–20% waste for diagonal or large-format layouts.
- Bathroom floor: textured porcelain, PEI 4+, smaller formats for slope areas
- Kitchen: PEI 4 porcelain; large format OK if subfloor flat
- Shower wall tile ≠ shower floor tile — floor needs slip rating
- Natural stone: seal regularly; higher maintenance than porcelain