Ceramic Tile

• Ceramic tile is made up of clay that is fashioned and glazed, then fired to become hard. It is the most commonly used tile and comes in an almost unlimited choice of sizes, colors, finishes, shapes and designs, making it suitable for any home decor. Ceramic tile comes in prices that range from pennies a tile for small basic tile up to pricing that rivals granite and marble, so it can fit into any budget.
  
  

Features

• Ceramic tile is easy to install and can be done by the average do-it-yourselfer with fairly good results. It is easy to cut and many styles come with matching trim and finish pieces that can make the installation job even easier. It is non-porous, so it won't absorb water or moisture and only requires sweeping and an occasional damp-mopping to look its best. Ceramic tile can be scratched and chipped, but is very hard and resists most normal wear and tear. Since the glaze only colors the surface, chipped tile can show the natural clay underneath. However, individual tiles can be replaced when damaged. The glaze will eventually wear off, but not until after the homeowner gets decades of use.
  
  

Slate Tile

• Slate tiles are made of a thin layer of slate that has been hewn from a larger rock. Slate is a commonly used backsplash material, but has become more popular for flooring as the use of natural materials has increased. It comes in a natural variety of earth tones, both light and dark, and is typically mixed during installation to enhance the natural variation from tile to tile and within each tile. Slate is a natural stone, so it is a more expensive option, but it is the least expensive of the natural stones. Slate can be installed to have a nearly seamless look. Its character, which is its appeal, might not make it suitable for every decor.
  
  

Features

• Slate is best installed by a professional and is a very challenging project for the do-it-yourselfer. Even in its thinnest forms, slate flooring is heavy, so it is better suited for ground floor use or in homes with heavier subfloors. Slate is highly resistant to moisture and bacteria, though a few types must be sealed for best results. It is durable enough to have been used as roofing material and resists scratches. Since it is the same finish all the way through and usually comes with a rougher-hewn finish, chips are less noticeable. It is easy to maintain by sweeping and occasional damp-mopping.
  
  

Considerations

• Although slate is more expensive on the whole, certain styles of ceramic tile can be even more expensive. In fact, pricing per tile for ceramic tile with a slate-like finish can be more expensive than slate tile itself. However, the installation cost for slate is often higher. They both have their appeal, though the wider selection of finishes of ceramic tile permits homeowners to create the exact look they want. That said, slate does have a unique richness and depth that ceramic tile cannot match.