In today's tiling market there are so many new tiles and uses for these tiles. I am going to try to go over these types and their uses.
Porcelain: The majority of tile produced today in the market is made up of porcelain which is ceramic that is double fired in the kiln meaning its heated then cooled and then heated or fired again. This results in a hard and extremely durable material. This tile can take a beating but it's harder to cut and requires a more latex modified thinset to be installed because of its low water absorption.
Ceramic: Nowadays most of the wall tiles are made of ceramic mainly 3x6, 4x4s 8x12s and most rectangular wall tiles. Ceramic in my opinion is being phased out. Its a quality material if purchased from the right tile shop. This material is easier to cut, overall durable in strength and better suited for walls, and doesn't require as good of a thinset as a premium porcelain tile, also tends to absorb more water then porcelain.
Stone: Stone is an awesome tile to install but due to it being extremely weak in most cases excluding granite, it requires a super sturdy floor or wall in order to be installed. Stone also requires a tile setter who is familiar in installing stone and a solid floor deflection wise. Stone requires a premium latex modified thinset to be installed. It can require high maintenance and may not be subject to certain cleaners. The list of stone can be a mile long but right now the popular ones include - marble, granite, onyx, limestone, travertine, slate, tumbled marble just to name a few. If your area is subject to high foot traffic I would avoid the softer more easily scratched stones like marble. In my opinion stone is best suited for backslashes, powder rooms and wainscoting.
Glass Tile: A new trendy type of tile, extremely modern in design but requires a top notch installer who is familiar with glass installs, there is no room for error with a glass installation let alone any tile installation. Glass requires a special thinset, special cutting tools, and special grouts in some cases. Glass can be awesome when installed but is extremely pricey but well worth the extra dollar when done correctly. Glass is best suited for backsplashes and shower walls and all other vertical tile work .
Metal/Other tiles: These can consist of copper, brass, aluminum or any other metal. Mainly used as an accent in wall or floor work. There are metal tiles out mainly mosaics, these require special setting materials and saws to cut the material. There are also coconut shell tiles and leather tiles and wood tiles, these tiles are no intended to be grouted and are mainly used in back splashes. There are also tiles made of resins or synthetic tile they can range from chairails to inserts and to pencil strips. They usually have a rough backing to promote adhesion.
This is just a touch on some of the fancy tiles that are in production. Only time will tell us what is next in the tile field.
