Tobias Roberts
Ceramic Tile Floors
Floor tiles are made from either ceramic or porcelain materials. Ceramic tile is durable, spill-resistant, dent-resistant, and easy to clean. It's particularly popular for kitchen and bathroom floors.
Look for local manufacturers of tile flooring, if available, to reduce the impact of shipping. Consider what kind of grout to use to hold the tiles in place. Cement-based grout is made with Portland cement, which takes a lot of energy to produce but is easy to work with and has zero VOC emissions. Epoxy-based grout is more water-resistant but can emit VOCs when curing.
Even though it takes quite a bit of energy to produce, ceramic tile lasts a long time. It has low impact for maintenance, no volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, and is easy to keep clean with natural cleaning products and simple equipment. After years of use, if they are no longer needed, tiles can be reused, re-purposed, or returned to the earth.
Ceramic tile has been a medium for artistic expression for at least 6,000 years, with tiles used to decorate walls in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. In a later era, one of the most renowned works of tile art is the Ishtar Gate, which is the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It was built around 575 BCE, with golden dragons and aurochs (bulls) standing out from a sea of blue tiles.