When was the last time you had art on your walls dating back thousands of years? If you have ceramic tile on any of the walls of your home, then you are among the many homes around the world with an art form dating back thousands of years. Being the most popular wall tile of all time, ceramic tile is truly a form of art that has not faded over time.



Made from a mixture of clays, ceramic tile is then fired at extremely high heat and in most cases given a glaze. These beautiful tiles will add an artful accent to your walls and enhance the atmosphere of your surroundings.

For those wanting timeless beauty as well as low maintenance, the answer to this scenario is wall tile. If you are wondering about the advantages of wall tile, you will be pleased to know that they are easy to clean, resistant to most harmful stains, oxygen has no effect and the appearance of being new is easily maintained. If you are looking for maintenance free surfaces, then your answer to this is wall tile. These tiles will establish an ambiance of style and comfort to any wall on which they are placed.

If you are wondering about your choices, wall tiles come in a large variety of materials, patterns, colors and designs. Just to mention a few of the materials, these tiles are available in glass, cork, granite, marble, slate, metal, limestone, porcelain and ceramic. With all the varieties of size, shape and styles your choices are limitless.

Always be sure, before you go to buy the tiles, that you properly measure the surface of the wall to make sure you purchase enough tile to complete the job. By properly preparing the walls you will make the application of the tiles an easy do-it-yourself installation.

Before you start installing the tiles, be prepared with the proper tool for the job. You will need special tools. Among the tools that you will need are a leveling board, rubber float, spreaders, trowels, nippers, tile cutters and a saw. Just so you know, professional installers always use a thick bed of mortar when applying tiles to a wall.

For those of you who are not the handy man type, there are professional tile installers in locations close to you.

You have the choice of ceramic or rustic stone, due to the fact that these walls will not be walked upon. Another option available to you is recycled glass. This type of glass tile comes in a variety of colors with sizes and shapes that abound. If you are going green for the environment, this would be a step in the right direction. Also because these tiles won't be walked on, you can go with metal tiles which are lighter in weight. No matter what material you choose, you have the choice to have these tiles hand painted, antiqued or matched to any color of your choosing. One thing you should know is that installing metal tiles may be a bit more difficult.

If you are looking for an extremely artful appearance to your walls, you might want to go with a tile mural. These tile murals come in a wide assortment of themes and are especially attractive when used as a kitchen backsplash on the walls of your kitchen between the cabinets and the counters. Tile murals will also add something special to any room of your home, supplying a unique and comfortable touch of elegance to your decor.

From hand painted art to modern technology the final product can be presented in many forms. Just to name a few, there are unglazed tiles that come in colors from light sand to red brick. China clay, China stone, flint and white lead are among some of the plain glazes offered. Manufactures make different colors by adding ground metal oxides.

Mosaic tile has recently risen in the ranks of popularity. The varieties of color choices are white, green, turquoise, black, brown, blue, and yellow, just to mention a few. These mosaic tiles are carved or cut into shapes and placed in a prepared pattern on a mesh backing.

Other artful forms of the wall tile finished product are transfer printing, modeled, tube lining, carved and hand painted.

Now we will take a look at porcelain tile. In contemporary homes, porcelain tile has become the most popular. It is the modern version of ceramic tile. Fired at higher temperatures than ceramic, porcelain tile is the product of much finer porcelain clay. Its density is greater, it is less porous, prone to take on less moisture and more resistant to staining than ceramic tile. There is one slight setback with porcelain and that is it is difficult to cut.

If you are planning on using marble tile which is very porous, prepare for the maintenance involved. In order to keep marble tile stain resistant, you will have to reseal it every 12 to 24 months. This is especially true for marble tiled bathrooms because of heat and steam.

If the stunning and dramatic look of granite tile is in your future, be forewarned that because of its weight, it is difficult to install because no matter what you do this tile wants to slide down the wall.

Another elegant look is cork tile. Cork tile will give you durability and stability along with improved air quality and produce a sophisticated comfort zone to the room.

Infused with a variety of colors, glass tiles take the visual aura of natural light. These tiles add a special eye-pleasing effect to the room.

When it comes to cost, the price range for wall tile is as wide as the tile styles offered. For those of you watching your budget, you can find wall tile priced between $1.00 and $5.00 per square foot. For those who have more to spend wall tile can be as costly as $25.00 to $50.00 per square foot and more.

In the end, no matter what your final decision is, wall tile will produce a dramatic effect that will elate a vision of enduring magnificence to any room in your home.