Vitreous Glass Tile

There has been an ongoing debate about vitreous tile. Some people are adamant that Italian brands are the only vitreous to use while others love the Asian brands. So what is the difference? Allow me to explain from my point of view.

Let me start by saying that I have used every brand of vitreous that I know of. This includes the Italian and the Asian. I love some but hate others.

A lot of the Asian tiles come from the same factory but US companies brand them differently. All Italian tile is now made in China and India. So basically, it is all Asian tile. What matters is the process.

The main characteristic of vitreous is the speckling of the glass. It is no secret that the fewer the speckles the better quality the tile. This is also a common sense deal. Glass has fracture points and tends to break along those fracture lines. This is why cutting glass tile can take practice, you have to learn how to manipulate the fracture points. So take those natural fracture lines and add in this speckling and now you have even more places that the glass wants to break. So few specks better cutting. Of course if you are using them whole then you don't have to worry about anything but the color.

The speckling is the quartz that didn't get melted during fabrication. "Italian" tile is created using higher temperatures and heating the glass mixture longer so that the quartz can dissolve. There are many of the "Asian" brands that are just like the "Italian" brands when it comes to speckling though. I will admit there are a couple of lines of vitreous out there that completely crumble with even the thought of cutting them. You will learn on your own which ones I am talking about.

Also remember that occasionally a dyelot will come in that is not very good. Every tile seems to break too easily or crumble when you cut it. This happens with all brands. Just let the seller know so they can contact their factory. Glass is unpredictable sometimes. One tile may cut fine while the next 5 may break wrong.

So now that we know about the speckling let's talk price. The "Italian" tile is about double the price of the "Asian" tile. This is because they do heat the glass longer and this will cost more in manufacturing costs but you are also paying for the brand name. Keep in mind that the higher the price of the glass tile doesn't mean that it is better quality. I have many designers that are amazed that some of my glass is identical to the popular Italian tile but at half the price. Also be aware that the lower the price doesn't necessarily mean bad tile. Like many other companies, we keep our prices low because we import directly.

I heard someone say recently during a vitreous glass debate that you really shouldn't worry about where the tile is made but rather find a line that you really like and can afford. Who cares where the factory is, as long as it has the colors you want at a good price.

Now for my shameless advertisement:

I love the Art Tile Collection (MatrixColor) because it is a reasonable price and cuts very well. I have only had one complaint since I started carrying this line of tile. Everyone I work with loves the look of it and agrees that it cuts well. Of course this is the line that I sell so obviously I love it!