Tile FAQ

Choosing the right tile involves more than selecting a color or style. Performance, installation requirements, maintenance, budget, and the conditions inside your home can all affect which option makes the most sense. Color Interiors Design Center has served homeowners, builders, and designers throughout Montgomery County and the Greater Houston area since 1972. Our Project Managers help customers compare products, understand tradeoffs, coordinate measurements and ordering, and move from selection through professional installation. Tile can be used on floors, shower walls, tub surrounds, backsplashes, fireplaces, feature walls, and exterior-rated applications. Material type, size, layout, substrate preparation, waterproofing, and grout all affect the finished project. Browse our tile selection.

Brands Commonly Offered

Shaw, Marazzi, Daltile, American Olean, Glazzio, Emser, Farmhouse Stone, Rickert, Happy Floors, MSI, and Arizona Tile. Availability varies by showroom and collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Selections include porcelain, ceramic, mosaics, decorative tile, glass, stone, and specialty products from multiple manufacturers.

Porcelain generally has lower water absorption and a denser body. Ceramic can be an excellent wall or floor choice when rated for the intended use.

Not automatically. The correct tile depends on location, traffic, water exposure, size, desired look, and performance rating.

Only when the manufacturer rates it for floor use. Some decorative and wall products are not designed to handle floor traffic.

Often yes, provided the substrate, weight, setting materials, and installation details are appropriate.

Cracks can result from substrate movement, slab cracks, insufficient preparation, structural movement, improper installation, impact, or lack of movement accommodation.

It increases risk. Crack-isolation or uncoupling systems may be considered depending on the condition, but no system can guarantee that structural movement will never affect the finish.

It is a tile underlayment designed to help manage movement between the substrate and tile assembly and can provide additional installation benefits depending on the system.

Yes. Tile and grout are finish materials; the shower assembly needs an appropriate waterproofing system behind or directly beneath the tile surface.

Standard grout is not a complete waterproofing system. Shower waterproofing must be handled by the approved assembly.

The best grout depends on joint size, tile type, stain expectations, location, cleaning, and desired appearance. Cementitious, high-performance, and other grout technologies each have tradeoffs.

Some grouts may benefit from or require sealing while others are designed not to. Follow the grout manufacturer’s instructions.

Water ratio, curing, lighting, tile color, job conditions, cleaning, and product type can affect appearance.

They require very flat substrates, careful layout, appropriate mortar coverage, handling, and lippage control. Larger does not mean fewer installation considerations.

Lippage is the height difference between adjacent tile edges. Tile warpage, substrate flatness, layout, grout joint width, and installation technique all affect it.

Yes, but drainage, slope, waterproofing, cuts, niche details, and floor requirements must be planned carefully.

Small mosaics are common because they conform to slope and provide more grout joints for traction. The tile should be rated for the application.

It can be, especially when wet. Consider finish, DCOF or other slip-resistance information, location, and household needs.

Sometimes, but only if the existing tile is sound, well bonded, clean, sufficiently flat, and compatible with the selected setting system.

A shower requires an approved wet-area substrate and waterproofing system. Ordinary drywall alone is not a complete shower assembly.

Tile can vary by dye lot, shade, caliber, printing, and natural material characteristics. All cartons should be reviewed and blended as appropriate during installation.

Rectified tile is mechanically finished to tighter dimensional tolerances, which can support narrower grout joints when the tile and installation conditions allow.

Only use tile and setting materials rated for the specific exterior exposure, climate, substrate, and freeze/thaw conditions where applicable.

For most floor installations, Color Interiors generally plans for approximately 10% additional material for cuts, layout, waste, and attic stock. For wall applications such as backsplashes and shower walls, we generally plan for approximately 20%. Patterns, unusually shaped rooms, specialty products, or manufacturer requirements can change the quantity. Your Project Manager will calculate the amount for the specific project.

Color Interiors generally plans approximately 20% for wall applications to account for cuts, corners, niches, layout, patterning, and attic stock. Complex patterns or specialty products may require more.

Yes. Herringbone, diagonal layouts, bookmatching, centered patterns, large veining, mosaics, and specialty layouts often require additional material.

Use cleaners appropriate for the tile, grout, and sealer. Natural stone and some specialty finishes require different chemistry than porcelain or ceramic.

Tile is durable, water-tolerant, design-flexible, and well suited to bathrooms, kitchens, entries, and many flooring applications. Comfort, grout maintenance, substrate conditions, and design should be considered.

Visit Color Interiors in Conroe, Magnolia, or The Woodlands/Spring. A Project Manager can help coordinate floor tile, shower tile, mosaics, trim, grout, countertops, and other finish selections.

Yes. Your Project Manager can coordinate quantities, layout discussions, materials, scheduling, and professional installation for flooring, backsplashes, showers, and other tile applications.

Need Help Choosing Tile?

Seeing tile options in person and comparing them side by side can make the decision much easier. Visit Color Interiors Design Center in Conroe, Magnolia, or The Woodlands/Spring to meet with a Project Manager, explore samples, and discuss your project. We can help with product selection, measurements, ordering, project coordination, and professional installation throughout Montgomery County and the Greater Houston area.

Family-owned and locally operated since 1972.

Book A Consultation