CTaSC

What is important is to select a tile that is chip resistant so when logs and other equipment are dropped on them they don't chip.  Of course it is important that the tile is installed correctly and that there are no voids under the tile to make it resistant to dropping items on it.

It is also important that the tile is easy to maintain.  If it is porous then it can be stained by smoke and it can be more difficult keeping clean.

Using a either a glazed ceramic tile, or dense unglazed ceramic tile or a dense natural stone can work.  To keep it stain resistant use a tile that is either impervious or vitreous to moisture, which is also normally an indication it will have a denser body and be more chip resistant.  A glaze tile is normally impervious in the glaze on the surface, but the body of the tile could be more absorbing.  Porcelain tiles had clay bodies that are impervious.  Granite, slate, and quartzite are very dense stones that can perform well.  Be sure to seal the tile and grout afterwards to make it more stain resistant and easier to maintain.  Above all, make sure it is installed correctly because it will not perform any better than how well it is installed. Good luck.
stone can work.  To keep it stain resistant use a tile that is either impervious or vitreous to moisture, which is also normally an indication it will have a denser body and be more chip resistant.  A glaze tile is normally impervious in the glaze on the surface, but the body of the tile could be more absorbing.  Porcelain tiles had clay bodies that are impervious.  Granite, slate, and quartzite are very dense stones that can perform well.  Be sure to seal the tile and grout afterwards to make it more stain resistant and easier to maintain.  Above all, make sure it is installed correctly because it will not perform any better than how well it is installed. Good luck.

Not all porcelains are created equal, so you should get a data sheet from the manufacturer of the porcelain tile indicating it is suitable for your Buffalo, NY conditions.  You can have it tested in a laboratory to verify its performance. Technically a porcelain tile should have an absorption rate of 0.5% or less, which makes it impervious by definition, but you should still test it to verify.

Green marbles normally are a serpentine marble and they tend to be moisture sensitive and may require an epoxy adhesive for bonding to the counter top substrate. 

Better to use a granite or soap stone for counter tops.

All stones are different to some degree so you can test them to see how sensitive they are to various foods and liquids.  Good luck.
 

You can have it custom fabricated with most any quality stone in any thickness or you can take a thinner 12x12 inch or whatever size tile stone and cut it down to fit at the job by the installers.  You can bullnose or polish the edges for a more finished look or not.

The tile assembly is further passive solar effective if it is being installed with cementitious adhesives and if the subfloor is cementitious.  So to bond directly to wood or to have a plastic interlocking back will limit the passive solar capabilities.  If it is installed over a cementitious backer board or over a concrete slap it can store more heat.  Good luck.
 

As you have noticed the smoother the surface the easier it is to clean, but the more slippery it is.  Since the tile isn't being walked on slip resistance isn't a concern.  On the other hand the more texture the tile the more slip resistant and the more effort required to clean it and keep it clean.

Since there are different degrees of smoothness and texture then respectively the maintenance varies to a different degree.  So ultimately it is up to you in terms of what aesthetic look you want to achieve and what trade offs you are willing to accept.
 

More porous stones subjected to salt water can result in the water migrating to its surface and evaporating leaving the resultant salt residue that expands and can cause spalling within the stone surface.  Travertine is a more porous stone, so I would not recommend it being submerged at the waterline.  Even if it is not submerged but relatively close to the pool edge, water can migrate to other areas near the pool particularly if there are voids under the stone.

Some more porous limestones could be problem too.  A true granite or quartzitic sandstone might work, but there are stones sold as granite or sandstone that are not true granites or quartzitic sandstones. It is possible to install the various stones in such a way utilizing waterproof membranes and water stops that could protect the stones from the migrating salt water, but you would need to hire a qualified consultant as our company to accomplish that.  Good Luck.
 

You should place slip resistant mats on the porch when icy or wet.  You could put salt on the surface of the tile to keep ice from forming, but it might harm the tile, depending on the type of tile it is.
 

Floors are generally more slippery when wet or when dirty.  If you keep the floor dry and clean it will be safer. 

If you are primarily more interested in having a smooth and less maintenance floor, then use floor rugs at potential wet areas such as entrances, kitchens and bathrooms.  Some grout and tile sealers will help make the floor more slip resistant to some degree.  If you are more concerned about having a floor that is more slip resistant, then use a tile that has a slip resistant texture, but not too textured to cause excessive maintenance.  Putting an appropriate tile and grout sealer over the textured tile will help minimize its tendency to pick up dirt and will be easier to maintain.  Good Luck.
 

The ASTM C1028 test is not valid for polished surfaces.  It gives a false reading that does not represent its propensity for slipping.

Considering that the floor could get wet due to a spill, I would let the owner or architect determine if the polish tile is suitable for the application or not based on their interpretation of the ADA recommendations.
 

If they are all floor tiles it probably isn't a big concern if the hardness of their glaze and body are different, as long as they are not significantly different.  If they are more recently made floor tiles they are probably all vitreous or impervious type of tiles.  I assume they are all glazed floor tiles.  Unglazed floor tiles would not be a concern even if they have different harnesses, because they are all designed to be more durable.

Old Italian button-back glazed floor tiles could be a concern because those tiles had very porous bodies that were not as hard and they tended to be more prone to chipping.  The rule was if the hardness of the glaze was more than 2 calibrations different than the hardness of the body that it would tend to be prone to chipping.  You can use a Mohs Hardness kit that uses different minerals to determine the hardness of a tile body or glaze by scratching it with the mineral.  You can have a testing laboratory do it, but it will cost $150 or so for each tile you test.

A simple qualitative test to perform would be to put a dimes amount of water on the back of the tile and if it readily absorbs then it is a softer tile.  If it sits there and doesn't absorb right away then it would be a harder tile.

Good luck!

For your protection you are better off working through a distributor who can stand behind the product and is located in the USA.  Plus having a good quality showroom to work out of will help you better visualize and design a special room.

There are tests to determine how stain and chemical resistant a glaze surface will be, which I think is probably the most important factor for a restaurant use in terms of making sure it is hygienic and easy to keep clean.  The glaze on this type of tile is normally not real durable and will tend to chip and wear.  There are hardness tests that can be performed, but I would expect the values to be low. 

The tile has been used in restaurants before and gives a nice traditional Mexican look, and as it wears it adds to the character of the tile. 

Good Luck,

Testing Background:  The ASTM C1028 Static Coefficient of Friction test has been the norm for testing slip resistance in the Canadian and USA ceramic tile and stone industry for many years.  Most agencies call out codes and recommendations based on this test.  Manufacturers use this test to imply the slip resistance of their tiles.  The test had been withdrawn from ASTM testing standards, although it was eventually renewed.  It has been reported by various testing laboratories and the Ceramic Tile Institute of America (CTIOA) that the C 1028 testing is unreliable in determining if a ceramic tile or stone surface will have a tendency to be slippery or not.  The CTIOA is now recommending the allegedly more reliable Tortus Dynamic Test or the British Pendulum Test for the field testing of tile to determine if they have a tendency to be slippery or not.  The Tile Council of America of North America (TCNA) recommends the use of the ASTM C1028 test to determine the coefficient of friction and has verbally stated that the ASTM C1028 test is only a measure of the texture of the tile, and does not suggest whether it will be slippery or not.  For these reasons we recommend testing the flooring with both test methods.
 
ASTM C1028 Testing Summary:  Test method ASTM C1028 “Standard Test Method for Determine the Static Coefficient of Friction.  Generally speaking minimum value is 0.60 for wet surfaces and 0.80 on ramp surfaces:

Surtronic Testing Summary:  Test method using the Surtronic 10 digital profilometer used to measure the potential for hydroplaning.  A reading below 10 microns is interpreted as likely having an unacceptable potential for hydroplaning:

Tortus Tribometer Testing Summary:  Test method using the Tortus Tribometer to measure the dynamic coefficient of friction replicating someone in motion at walking speed, which is a better indicator of the slip potential of a floor than is static friction.  The minimum safety standard for this test is 0.50 average whether wet or dry. Reading was based on both a hard rubber material that is close to the rubber on the bottom of typical dress shoes, and based on a soft rubber that simulates a much softer shoe sole typical of athletic shoes:

Keep in mind that slip resistancy on a floor is substantially affected by how clean it is kept.  Dirty floors will cause a slip resistant surface to be more slipperly.  Generally speaking the more textured the surface the more slip resistant it will be, but also the more textured the surface the more difficult it will be to clean and to keep clean.  It is recommended that entrances of buildings have at least 15 foot mat walk-off areas in all directions inside the building from the door entrance to allow shoe bottoms to adequately dry before contacting a dry surface.

CTaSC does provide installation specification services, quality control services during the installation, and inspection and testing services for projects.

Good Luck,

Whether the tile is designated as a floor or wall tile it should be considered slip resistant for inside showers and general public areas. It should have a COF rating of .6 or greater when wet.  There are no codes that I'm aware of for slip resistance outside of the shower area for the bathroom floor.

Ceramic tile surfaces vary in the degree of slip resistance and there are trade-offs.  The more texture the tile surface has the more slip resistant the more readily it gets dirty, the more difficult it is to clean and the more frequent you have to clean it.  The smaller the tile with many more grout joints will help make it more slip resistant to some degree, but can not be measured.

On the other had the smoother the surface of the tile the more slippery it will be, the less it will pick up dirt, the easier it will be to clean and the less frequent you have to clean it.  People will often go with this selection and use area rugs for step-offs to dry off to keep the floor dry.

Travertine is a type of limestone sedimentary natural stone that is more porous and softer but can perform very well for residential applications. It is necessary to fill the holes so dirt doesn't collect, and seal the travertine to minimize staining.  Some travertines have less holes and are more dense than others.

Porcelain Ceramic Tile is a clay based material that is very durable and can exceed the physical properties of granite.  It is impervious but can stain, but it can have a glaze surface to make it more stain resistant.  With the current technology it can do a good job of imitating at natural stone look.

Good Luck!

Either one should not be affected by household heat, but be sure to check out the manufacturer's written recommendations and limitations.  The ceramic tiles are fired at about 1200 degrees F or more and the metal tiles are probably made at relatively high temperatures.

Metal glazes have been known to be easy to scratch and might me sensitive to acidic material.  The metal tiles have been known to scratch and dent since they are hollow inside.

Again be sure you have the manufacturer's recommendations and limitations in writing and only use the product according to their recommendations.

Good Luck!

Other quality companies from other countries do make good products, and they are using Italian equipment and normally have hired Italian technicians to assist them.