Porcelain Tiles
Porcelain tiles are relatively young compared to natural stone and ceramic tiles.
Originally, porcelain tiles were developed for the commercial market providing a hardwearing floor tile. Porcelain tiles are pressed and fired at approximately twice the heat intensity of ceramic tiles. This means they are denser, stronger, less porous, and fundamentally a better option as floor tile where stain and water resistance matter.
Whilst popular as floor tiles, the range of colours and decorative options means they are also growing in popularity as wall tiles.
Types of Porcelain Tiles
The full-body porcelain tile was the original porcelain tile where the colour is all the way through the tile. These have a relatively higher slip resistance and are denser making them especially suitable for high-traffic areas.
Today porcelain tiles also come as glazed and digitally enhanced porcelains predominantly offering a far greater colour and design palette for both residential and commercial properties.
Due to the glazing process, these porcelains also offer greater stain resistance.
Larger format porcelain tiles are also becoming more widely available, providing an amazing choice to builders, architects, interior designers, project managers and homeowners alike.
Ceramic Tiles
Ceramic Tiles can be used as both wall and floor tiles.
These tiles are fired at approximately half the heat intensity of porcelain tiles. Due to the lower temperature during the firing process, deeper glazes can be applied resulting in the availability of more vibrant colours.
Ceramic tiles are low maintenance and easily maintained with regular cleaning making them extremely popular for bathrooms, laundries, and kitchens.
Types of Ceramic Tiles
Ceramic tiles for the floor are usually fired in a single firing where the clay and glaze are fired together resulting in a slightly harder finish.
However, the colouring will not be as deep as a tile that has had a double firing, such as ceramic wall tiles where the glaze can be deeper and colours more vibrant.
If you have questions about which tiles are the best option for each area of your project, then please don’t hesitate to contact our knowledgeable Staff.
