Metal tile is the better choice for a backsplash, an accent wall or a shower wall when you want shine. Ceramic or porcelain tile is the better choice for floors, shower floors and big walls on a budget. In a lot of the rooms we tile, the best answer is both: ceramic or porcelain for the field, and metal where the eye lands.
For a kitchen backsplash, either one works. Metal gives a reflective, modern or industrial finish at a higher price per square foot, while glazed ceramic gives you far more colors and shapes than metal for less.
For a floor, choose ceramic or porcelain. The metal tile we carry is rated for walls only, so a metal look underfoot comes from a metallic-look porcelain rated for floors.
In a shower, metal can go on the walls but not the floor. Put porcelain with a wet slip rating of 0.42 or higher underfoot, and keep metal tile away from pools and hot tubs.
On an accent wall, metal tile does its best work. Its 3-D mosaics and aged-metal liners are made to be looked at, and a small area keeps the cost down.
If you are tiling it yourself, ceramic is the easier tile. Metal needs a gentler grout and a blade that cuts metal, and it does not forgive a scratch.
Here is where each tile belongs, project by project.
| Project | Metal tile | Ceramic or porcelain |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen backsplash | Yes, for shine | Yes, most colors and shapes |
| Accent or feature wall | Yes, its best use | Yes |
| Bathroom and shower walls | Yes, coated lines | Yes |
| Shower floor | No | Porcelain rated for wet floors |
| Kitchen, bath or entry floor | No | Yes |
| Metal look on a floor | No | Metallic-look porcelain |
What is metal tile?
Metal tile is tile with a face of real metal, such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper or tin, or of a resin finished to look like metal. It comes as small mosaics on mesh sheets, as 3-D wall tiles, and as thin liners and decorative strips. Our metal tile collection has all three. Most of it carries a protective coating from the factory, which is what lets it shrug off stains and go into a wet spot like a backsplash or a shower wall.
Several different products share the name, and they are not rated for the same places. A "copper" tile may not be copper at all. Our Structure mosaic in Copper, for one, is brushed aluminum with a copper color. The label and the spec sheet tell you which kind you are holding and where it can go.
| On the label | What it is | Rated for | What we carry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal | Brushed aluminum face, mesh-mounted | Walls and backsplashes | Structure mosaics |
| Metal resin | Resin with an aged metal finish | Walls and accents | Armor liners |
| Cast metal | Cast 3-D tile, factory coated | Interior walls, shower walls | GeoMetal 3-D tile |
| Metallic-look porcelain | Porcelain made to look like metal | Floors, walls, shower floors | Ironcraft porcelain |
Can you use metal tile on a floor?
No, not the decorative metal tile we carry. Daltile marks its Armor and Structure metal tile "not floor," and Marazzi calls GeoMetal a wall tile and marks it the same way. Some sellers online say metal tile works on floors. The rating that counts is the one from the maker of the tile you buy, and for these lines it says walls.
Why metal tile belongs on the wall
Decorative metal tile is built for a surface nobody walks on. Many metal tiles have raised 3-D patterns, and a raised edge underfoot is a trip hazard. High-gloss faces get slick when they are wet. And shoes grind grit into a floor all day, which can damage a finish that was designed for a backsplash.
The same rule holds across tile. Floor tile can generally go on a wall, but wall tile cannot always go on a floor, and many glass mosaics and high-gloss wall tiles stay on the wall for the same reasons as metal.
How to tell where a tile can go
Tile makers publish usage ratings on their product pages and spec sheets, often as small icons with a line through the uses that do not apply. Before you fall for a tile, check these ratings on its sheet:
- Floor, and shower floor
- Wall, countertop and exterior use
- The wet DCOF number, for any floor that gets wet
- The wear class, for glazed ceramic and porcelain on a floor
Tile that looks like metal on a floor
If you want a metal look underfoot, choose a metallic-look porcelain rated for floors. You get the steel-gray, oxidized-iron or brushed-metal look on a dense tile that takes foot traffic and water. In our porcelain tile, Ironcraft looks like bare concrete streaked with oxidized metal. Daltile rates it for floors, walls, countertops and shower floors.
Before a metal-look porcelain goes into a kitchen, bathroom or entry, check its slip rating. A floor that gets wet should carry a wet DCOF of 0.42 or higher, the tile industry's standard for level indoor floors that are walked on when wet. DCOF stands for dynamic coefficient of friction, which measures how much grip a wet shoe gets. In an entry that takes snow and slush all winter, that number matters more than the finish.
A basement floor needs one more thing. Tile over a concrete slab should go down on a crack-isolation membrane, so the slab can move a little without cracking the tile.
Getting an industrial look with tile
An industrial room is easiest to build in two layers. Put a concrete-look tile or Ironcraft on the floor, where the tile has to work hard. Then put real metal on the wall, where it can shine. That might be a brushed-aluminum Structure mosaic behind a bar, a band of Armor liners across a backsplash, or stainless penny rounds in a coffee nook.
Two metal tones in one room look planned, while three tend to fight each other. A gray or charcoal grout ties metal and porcelain together better than bright white does.
Metal tile in the bathroom and shower
If you have your heart set on metal in a bathroom, put it on the walls and give the floor to porcelain. Coated metal tile is made for backsplashes, bathroom walls and shower enclosures, and like all metal tile it takes a non-sanded grout. It does not belong near a swimming pool or hot tub, because pool and spa chemicals can damage its protective coating.
For the shower floor, choose a porcelain rated for shower floors with a wet slip rating of 0.42 or higher. Small mosaics help there, since the extra grout lines give your feet more grip. To carry the metal down visually, use a metallic-look porcelain on the floor and let the real metal run up the walls.
Our water is hard, and on a shower wall it dries into mineral spots that show on metal more than on glazed ceramic. A quick squeegee or towel after each shower keeps metal walls clear.
Metal or ceramic tile for a kitchen backsplash
Both hold up well behind a counter, so a backsplash comes down to the look you want and what you want to spend. Metal tile gives the room a reflective, modern or industrial finish. Glazed ceramic tile comes in far more colors, shapes and patterns than metal, and it is the easier of the two to install.
Shine, fingerprints and stainless appliances
Metal tile bounces light around the room, which helps a small kitchen feel bigger. The same shine shows fingerprints and water spots, and a polished face shows them more than a brushed or satin one.
In a kitchen full of stainless appliances, a metal backsplash can be one shiny surface too many. A brushed finish, a darker metal, or a metal band instead of a full wall usually sits better with them. If brightening a small room is the main goal, glass tile does it without the metal, and our guide to using glass tile to brighten small spaces covers where to put it.
Metal and ceramic tile behind the range
Metal and ceramic are both fire-resistant, so either one can go on the wall behind a cooktop. Grease wipes off both faces, and the part of a backsplash that holds grease is the grout. Some metal mosaics can be set with little or no grout, which leaves less joint to stain behind the stove.
Mixing metal accents with ceramic tile
You do not have to choose one or the other. A ceramic or porcelain field with a band of metal liners gets you the shine for a fraction of what an all-metal wall costs. Our Armor liners are made for this: aged-metal resin strips, half an inch or an inch tall and 12 inches long, that run across a field of subway or larger tile. A metal mosaic can also fill just the wall behind the range while ceramic covers the rest.
How metal and ceramic tile compare day to day
Metal tile and ceramic tile are both easy to live with. They differ mainly in what can mark them and in what they need when they are set. Metal cannot take abrasives, and ceramic cannot take a hard knock.
| What you care about | Metal tile | Ceramic tile |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday stains | Resists them (coated) | Resists them (glazed) |
| What can mark it | Scouring pads, sanded grout | A hard blow can chip it |
| Grout | Non-sanded, or sometimes none | Sanded or non-sanded by joint |
| Sealing | None; factory coated | Tile none; grout often sealed |
| Cutting | Wet saw or metal-cutting blade | Wet saw or snap cutter |
Scratches, dents and chips
Coated metal tile resists stains, scratches and dents in normal use, but abrasion is another matter. A scouring pad, steel wool, a gritty cleanser or sanded grout leaves scratches in a metal face that are there for good. Glazed ceramic takes a scrub brush without complaint, though a dropped cast-iron pan can chip a tile near the counter or on a floor.
Keep a few spare tiles from the same batch either way. A chipped ceramic tile or a damaged metal sheet can be cut out and replaced, and a spare from your own lot matches in a way a new order may not.
Cleaning metal tile in hard water
Metal tile needs little more than water, a soft cloth and a dry towel, plus a quick wipe wherever our hard water splashes.
- Wipe with warm water and a microfiber cloth.
- For grease or spots, use a mild detergent or glass cleaner, then rinse.
- Dry it completely, buffing in the direction of the brush or polish lines.
- Wipe splashes by the sink, and dry shower walls, before the water dries on its own.
Do not seal coated metal tile. The coating already does that job, and a sealer on top is not recommended.
Cleaning ceramic tile and its grout
Glazed ceramic tile cleans with a damp sponge or mop and a mild cleaner, and the glaze itself never needs sealing. It is the grout that stains, so a penetrating sealer on cement grout keeps it cleaner longer. A mid-tone grout also hides more than bright white on a busy backsplash or floor.
Installing metal tile vs ceramic tile
Ceramic tile is the easier of the two to install, and metal tile is less difficult than it is unforgiving. The steps are the same for both tiles; the materials and the care are different.
Setting and grouting metal tile
Metal mosaics and 3-D tiles are light and usually come on mesh sheets, so they go up quickly on a clean, flat wall. They set in a latex-additive thinset or, for some lines, a silicone- or urethane-based adhesive, so follow the instructions for the line you buy.
Grout metal tile with a non-sanded grout, because sanded grout can scratch the face as it is worked into the joints, and clear the haze with a soft, damp sponge. GeoMetal calls for a 1/8-inch joint, and its handcrafted 3-D face varies from tile to tile on purpose. For the exposed edges, many metal lines offer matching trim, such as the edge and liner pieces made for GeoMetal.
Cutting metal and ceramic tile
Most metal tile cuts on a standard wet saw or a metal-cutting band saw fitted with a blade made for metal. Cuts around outlets and at the ends of a run take patience, because a slip marks the face and a ragged cut shows. Ceramic tile scores and snaps on a hand cutter for straight cuts and needs a wet saw only for notches and curves.
Doing it yourself or hiring it out
If you have tiled a ceramic backsplash yourself, a small metal accent is a reasonable weekend project. A full metal wall, a shower, or a design that mixes metal with ceramic of a different thickness is where a skilled installer earns the fee. Our installers set both, and we take on full bathroom and kitchen remodeling when the tile is part of a bigger project.
Is metal tile more expensive than ceramic?
Yes. Metal tile costs more per square foot than most ceramic tile, and a plain glazed ceramic is among the least expensive tiles you can buy. Installation can run higher too, because metal takes careful cuts and a gentler grout job.
The way around the price is to put metal where it is seen: a band of liners, the wall behind the range, or a bar front, with ceramic or porcelain doing the rest. We price the tile and the installation together at your free estimate, so you can compare an all-metal wall with a mixed one before you decide.
Should your floor be ceramic or porcelain?
Porcelain is the better floor tile where there is heavy traffic, water or winter slush, and ceramic does the job for less on walls and lighter-traffic floors. Porcelain is a denser kind of ceramic tile, made from finer clay fired at higher heat, and it soaks up almost no water.
What "porcelain" means on the box
Porcelain tile has a defined meaning: tile that absorbs 0.5 percent of its weight in water or less. Not everything sold as porcelain meets that, so look for the PTCA certification mark, which shows the tile was independently tested against the standard. Our guide to ceramic and porcelain tile goes further into how the two are made and where each works best.
Reading the wear class
Glazed ceramic and porcelain carry a wear class from 0 to 5, usually sold as the PEI rating, based on how soon the glaze shows wear in a lab test. The low classes are for walls, and a floor needs one of the higher ones, higher still for a busy kitchen or entry. The lab test is harder on dark glazes than real life is, so a dark tile with a middling class can still wear well.
Metal and ceramic tile at Full Circle Flooring
At Full Circle Flooring, we carry metal tile from Daltile, Marazzi and Maniscalco, including stainless and copper penny rounds, brushed-aluminum 3-D mosaics, cast-metal 3-D wall tile and aged-metal liners. Our ceramic and porcelain tile comes from Daltile and Marazzi too, and from American Olean, Anatolia, Emser, Florida Tile, MSI, Ragno USA, Virginia Tile and more. You will find wood, stone, marble and concrete looks as well as solid colors.
You can see both in our Westfield and Noblesville showrooms. With metal especially, the light in your own kitchen changes how it looks, so a Shop at Home visit lets you hold samples against your cabinets and counters. Our design consultation can help you decide where the metal goes and where the ceramic does.
More questions about metal and ceramic tile
Can metal tile go outside?
No. None of the metal tile we carry is rated for outdoor floors, and GeoMetal is rated for interior use only. For a patio or an outdoor wall, choose a porcelain rated for exterior use.
Can you put metal tile on a countertop?
No, the metal tile we carry is rated for walls, not countertops. If you want a metal look on a work surface, Ironcraft is a porcelain rated for countertops as well as floors.
Does ceramic tile give off VOCs?
No. Fired ceramic tile has zero VOCs and contains no formaldehyde or PVC. The Tile Council of North America makes that claim for the tile itself, so if indoor air is a priority, ask about the mesh backing, the setting materials and any sealer as well.
How long does ceramic tile last?
Ceramic tile lasts for decades; the tile industry's environmental product declaration assumes a 60-year service life. A well-set floor or wall often outlives the style of the room around it.
Pricing your tile project
If you are weighing metal against ceramic for a backsplash, or planning the floor that goes with it, request a free estimate and we will price the tile and the installation for your room.
