What is the difference between Porcelain and Ceramic
Tile
Courtesy of the Tile Council of North America
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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