I guess we will never know what possessed the ancient civilization of Babylon to take dry clay and grind it into powder, mix it with water, form it into shapes and bake it in crude ovens. This was the birth of ceramic tile thousands of years ago. Today ceramic tile is the most used tile among the materials used to make wall tile. Its popularity has not changed for over 4500 years.

Constructed from multiple types of clay, ceramic tile is baked in an oven at high heat and before the process is finished a glaze is applied. 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 the room calls for surfaces that are easily kept up, then wall tile is your solution. 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.

In order to prepare for your wall tiling job, measure your wall surfaces carefully so to be sure you purchase the correct amount of tile to finish your wall tiling project. 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. Recycled glass is another choice to think about. This type of glass tile comes in a variety of colors with sizes and shapes that abound. For those of you who are environmentally conscious, this is the way to go. Because these tiles are on the wall and not on the floor to be walked upon, you have the option to use metal tiles that 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. Because it is quite difficult to cut, porcelain tile can be a bit more work to apply.

If your choice of tile is marble, remember marble tile is extremely porous and will need scheduled maintenance. 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.

For those of you who would like to know about cost, the range in prices is as diverse as the variety of styles. For those of you watching your budget, you can find wall tile priced between $1.00 and $5.00 per square foot. For those willing to pay the price these wall tiles can be as expensive as $25.00 to $50.00 per square foot and more.

And in conclusion, whatever wall tile you pick, the end result will be a timeless expression of wall art sure to please for many years to come.