New in Green Building is an Ancient Material

(ARA) - From solar powered hot water heaters to "hardwood" floors made from fast-renewing sources, home buyers and homeowners are driving the green building movement. Consumer demand for green homes has more builders and designers than ever before looking to create homes that are good for the environment and the occupants' health.

While many modern solutions to decades-old environmental concerns rely on leading edge technology, green-minded homeowners are finding a fit with a time-tested product that has been around for 4,000 years: ceramic tile. The ancient Egyptians used ceramic tile in their homes and pyramids. Like ancient civilizations, modern homeowners prize ceramic tile for its beauty, versatility and the prestige it lends their homes. But they are attracted by its environmental sensibility as well.

If you're considering ceramic tile for your home improvement or home building project, keep these points in mind:

* Improvements in grouting and installation systems now make tile one of the most hygienic building materials. Mold, mildew, fungus and bacteria cannot grow on ceramic tile, which is made of chemically inert materials.

* Ceramic tile's durability, water resistance and "cleanability" made it ubiquitous in American homes for decades. Now, however, ceramics are finding their way into other spaces where healthful building materials are especially important, such as playrooms, nurseries and bedrooms.

* Because ceramic tile doesn't harbor pet dander, dust or mold the way carpets or rugs do, it's a good choice for people suffering from chronic breathing ailments, allergies and asthma.

* Naturally resistant to ultraviolet rays, ceramic tiles resist corrosion, acid and fire. It's possible to find centuries old tile installations throughout European structures that look as good today as they did when they were first installed.

* Ceramic tile manufacturers have kept pace with current consumer tastes and demands for new technologies. Tile of Spain branded manufacturers have introduced brilliant new imagery technologies so homeowners can create traditional, rustic country, European country and transitional style spaces, as well as contemporary interiors.

* Today's ceramic tile is not the staid, white "hospital style" tile you might remember from your grandmother's kitchen or your grade school lavatory. Modern ceramics can have the texture of tumbled stone, honed limestone or even wood grains. Tile, however, is generally cheaper to install, wears better, is easier to clean and maintain, and has less environmental impact than many of the materials it now mimics in appearance.

* Products like Ecotech by Porcelanosa are designed not just to minimize environmental impact, but to improve the quality of life for a home's occupants. Not only are the tiles produced using methods intended to minimize the environmental impact of the production process, they are designed to create a healthful atmosphere through comfort, cleanliness and visual appeal.

To learn more, visit www.spaintiles.info.

Courtesy of ARAcontent