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Is there a difference
between porcelain tiles and ceramic tiles?
Porcelain tiles are also ceramic tiles. Rather, the
question should be, "What are the differences between
porcelain tiles and non-porcelain tiles?"
What are the differences
between porcelain tiles and non-porcelain tiles?
Porcelain tiles are typically made with "porcelain"
clays that have specific properties. Typically, these
tiles are dense and by definition, they have water absorption
of 0.5% or less. Non-porcelain tiles have water absorption
greater than 0.5%.
Because porcelain tiles have a low water absorption,
they are usually frost resistant - although, not always.
To know if a tile is frost resistant, you should check
the manufacturer's literature.
There are also many non-porcelain tiles that can be
used in freeze thaw environments and that are manufactured
with properties similar to porcelain tiles.
There are both glazed and unglazed porcelain tiles
- it is important to know the difference, as the glazed
variety is usually a little easier to clean. Typically,
glazed porcelain tiles have filled in microscopic holes
that could be present in the unglazed tile. On the other
hand, unglazed porcelains may have better slip resistance.
Non-porcelain tiles cover a wide range of properties
- typically they are glazed (although unglazed quarry
tile is the exception) and the glaze layer can be extremely
durable. However, as there are differences from one
glaze to another, it is important to check if the tile
has been tested and to make sure the glaze hardness
is suitable for your application.
In general, non-porcelain tiles are easier to bond
to the floor and usually easier to cut. Porcelain tiles
are harder to bond and harder to cut. While this can
be relevant to the tile installer, it generally makes
little difference to the end-user, so long as the installer
uses the right materials.
What is a through-body
porcelain tile?
Some people refer to unglazed porcelain tile as "through
body" - i.e. the color on the top goes all the
way through. Even in extreme applications, these tiles
tend not to show wear as the porcelain is quite durable
(harder than granite) and the color goes all the way
through.
Many glazed porcelains also have extremely good durability.
Although the color in the glaze layer may be different
from the body, the surface is usually sufficiently resistant
to abrasion to not show wear in typical applications.
How is glaze resistance to
abrasion determined?
Since 1999, U.S. and European manufacturers have been
using the same testing method for determining glaze
wear resistance - with a value of 4 (on a scale from
0 to 5) being good for almost all applications except
the most abrasive and dirty environments. However, lower
ratings are also fine depending on where the tile will
be used and how much traffic and outside dirt (especially
sand, because it is abrasive) will be present.
A rating of 4 can be achieved if there is no visible
wear (under test conditions) after 2100, 6000 or 12000
revolutions of the test equipment. A value of three
can be achieved by passing 750 or 1500 revolutions.
Usually the product specifications will indicate which
value was passed when the testing was done (for example,
one tile might be rated Class 3, passing 1500 revolutions,
another tile could be Class 3, passing only 750 revolutions).
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