Creating a healthy environment is more important than ever before. Materials in areas where we spend significant time on a daily basis have the potential to affect our health both positively and negatively.
Ceramic-based materials are appreciated for their absence of harmful chemicals, easy maintenance, and the ability to promote cleanliness and hygiene. Every type of ceramic tile, including porcelain tile, quarry tile, wall tile, and pressed pavers, share all these benefits of ceramic tile:
- Eco-friendly maintenance: No harsh chemicals are necessary for cleaning! Wiping with some soap and water is all that’s needed to clean up most messes.
- Bacteria-resistant: Ceramic tile is inhospitable to the growth of bacteria and other microbes such as mold.
- Antimicrobial: Ceramic tile options are available that can suppress and even destroy harmful microorganisms, such as mold, fungi, bacteria, and viruses.
- Allergen-free: The high firing temperature of ceramic tile — generally more than 2000°F — burns off all organic compounds. Plus, ceramic’s nonporous surface doesn’t allow allergens in the environment such as dust, dirt, and pollen to penetrate.
- No volatile organic compounds (VOCs): VOCs are harmful gases that cause various health concerns and are emitted by virtually all nonceramic flooring types.
- No formaldehyde: Certain levels of formaldehyde can irritate asthma and other respiratory disorders, but ceramic tile does not contain formaldehyde.
- No polyvinyl chloride (PVC): PVC is a resin found in vinyl flooring that contains phthalates and organotin, both a concern among health experts.
- No plastic: The health and environmental concerns associated with plastic aren’t an issue for ceramic tile.
- Fire-resistant and nontoxic: Ceramic tile doesn’t melt, burn, or emit any toxic fumes when exposed to fire.
- Naturally occurring materials: Ceramic tile is a healthy choice for both you and the environment. The natural clays and other materials used to make ceramic tile are plentiful and are often sourced within 500 miles of manufacturing.
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Slip-resistant: Options are available that are classified for a wide range of appropriate uses in dry, wet, indoor, outdoor, and oil/grease conditions.
Healthy Outdoor Living Spaces
Ceramic tile is one of the most eco-friendly design choices for outdoor living spaces, allowing you to build alongside nature without causing nature any harm. This starts with the fact that ceramic tile introduces no harmful materials or toxins into the earth — no plastic-based materials, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or formaldehyde.
Energy & Life Cycle Cost Savings
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Exceptional Life-Cycle Cost = Best Value
Ceramic tile has an exceptional life cycle. See the life-cycle cost study below for data on how ceramic tile outperforms other floor finishes in cost per square foot over time. Ceramic tile has been the preferred choice around the world for centuries for its timeless beauty and durability. -
Regional Manufacturing and Raw Materials
With tile manufacturers in many regions of North America, tile and installation products made with local raw materials are widely available, greatly reducing the energy consumption and emissions of long-distance shipping. In many cases, the raw materials are mined within 500 miles of both the manufacturing facility and the job site. Plus, the clays and other materials used to make tile are plentiful. -
Lower Energy Needs
Tile can reduce the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling because of its exceptional thermal mass. Additionally, ceramic tile is an ideal choice for ventilated façade projects. A ventilated tile façade can reduce a building’s energy consumption by 20% to 30% due to the natural chimney effect it creates between the structure and the cladding. Hot air is evacuated in summer, and insulation is more effective in winter. -
Reduced Heat Island Effect
Using light-colored tiles instead of traditional paving materials can lower an area’s heat absorption, or heat island effect. Green buildings in urban areas in particular are required to reduce the potential heat island effect. -
Recycled Content and Waste Reclamation
Many factories are effectively closed-loop facilities with zero waste, high levels of recycling, and efficient resource management. Also, ceramic tile finishes are among the few surfaces that can be salvaged in a major renovation and typically qualify for clean fill use.
Life Cycle Cost Analysis
Because a tile installation will last as long as the building it’s installed in, its environmental impacts are minimal when compared to other surface coverings that would have to be replaced numerous times over the life of the building. This also means that tile costs less per square foot over the long haul, whereas carpet, vinyl, and other floor coverings are significantly more expensive due to their replacement, maintenance, and refinishing requirements.
A study by Emily Lorenz, PE, F-ACI, an independent cost consultant, analyzed the life-cycle costs of various flooring options, including tile, hardwood, laminate, carpet, vinyl, and other popular choices. After appraising initial installation costs, replacement costs where relevant, and custodial maintenance expenses, for each option over its entire life cycle, the study found tile to be the most affordable flooring type. In fact, all types of tile cost less than $0.99 per square foot per year while poured epoxy, VCT, and sheet vinyl flooring were the most expensive over the life of a building.
Ceramic Tile’s Low Environmental Footprint
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) illustrate how ceramic tile delivers both performance and transparency in terms of sustainability, whether your project is residential or commercial.
EPDs for North American-made ceramic tiles, mortars, and grouts all report very low 75-year environmental impacts per installed square meter. In fact, when the EPD for North American-made ceramic tile is compared to the generic EPDs for other types of flooring, developed under the same product category rules and using the same building service life, North American-made ceramic tile has the lowest overall environmental impact across all impact categories.
This includes the lowest (GWP) and the lowest Fossil Fuel Resource Depletion. GWP is the key factor used to determine a product’s embodied carbon. When compared to UL Certified EPDs for other types of flooring developed under the 2018 North American Flooring Product Category Rule, UL 10010-7, ceramic tile has the lowest 75-year GWP value, meaning it also has the lowest cradle to grave embodied carbon.
Over 85% of North American ceramic tiles are covered by the industry-wide ceramic tile EPD.
Simply stated, the industry-wide EPD is a report of the environmental footprint of the North American ceramic tile industry. The environmental impacts reported by the EPD are significantly lower than those reported by EPDs for flooring composed of plastic-based materials, such as luxury vinyl tiles and planks. In particular, a direct comparison to publicly available UL-Certified industry-wide EPDs for vinyl tile and rigid core board reveals the following:
- Vinyl tile’s 75-year GWP and fossil fuel resource depletion are two and three times higher, respectively, than ceramic tile’s GWP.
- Rigid core board’s 75-year GWP and fossil fuel resource depletion are three and five times higher, respectively, than ceramic tile’s fossil fuel resource depletion.
Regarding embodied carbon, it is important to consider a product’s cradle to grave GWP. A cradle-to-grave GWP assesses each stage of a product’s life cycle— production, construction, use, maintenance, refurbishment and replacement, and end of life.
Compared to other flooring products that need to be replaced more frequently, ceramic tile’s long life means it is both cost-effective and a smart choice for reducing embodied carbon, as well as other negative environmental impacts, including resource use, and demolition waste.
Global Warming Potential
Fossil Fuel Resource Depletion
Source: WhyTile.comWhere to Buy Tile
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