Glazed Porcelain Stoneware | Advantages | Porcelain vs. Ceramic Tile

Aug 2023

The Glazed porcelain stoneware is made up of clay and the tiles are formed by conducting intense manufacturing processes such as firing. After the manufacturing process, that shiny, glossy finish of glazed porcelain stoneware is achieved. The glazed porcelain stoneware is the result of extensive vitrification so that the tiles are free from any kind of moisture for getting a nonslip floor.

The fact these glazed porcelain stoneware come up with an extensive range of colors and styles is good enough as a reason as to how convenient it is for an individual to choose a specific tile that matches their requirements criteria.

Porcelain Floor Tiles

The type of flooring that is constructed from clay-based ceramic tile and is durable enough is termed porcelain floor tiles. Another remarkable criterion of porcelain floor tiles is that they have an extremely low water absorption rate. It is less than 0.5 percent which means these tiles can also be installed when it comes to both the indoor and the outdoor flooring process. One can always use these tiles both in residential as well as commercial buildings.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Besides cleaning the floor with plain water, the following are common approaches for cleaning the porcelain tile:-

Using a soft broom

An effective and simple approach is to just pick up a soft broom so that it can collect all the dust and dirt. Apart from this, a simple nylon brush can also be used to get rid of dirt. The simple procedure is to first pour lukewarm hot water on the dirt area and then follow up by rubbing.

Mopping the floor and wiping the tile

Now, all that is left is to mop the floor gently until there is no stain or dirt anymore. After mopping is done, it is recommended to just rinse the floor again with plain clean water and then follow up by using a decent cloth to wipe the tile so that there is no water to penetrate the grout of the porcelain slab tiles.

Porcelain vs. Ceramic Tile

Out of many comparisons that could have been potentially drawn between porcelain and ceramic tiles, a few of them are mentioned below;-

The glaze

In terms of porcelain, the tiles are comparatively more impervious as they undergo a surface glazing treatment. On the contrary, selective Lavish Ceramic tile forms are not glazed.

Water and heat resistance

When it comes to outdoor locations, porcelain is the right choice as compared to ceramic ones. This is because; porcelain tiles are quite heavier, and denser whereas ceramic ones are moisture infiltration. Furthermore, in terms of heat resistance, both the porcelain, as well as the ceramic tiles take the prize as both of them have terrific heat resistance.

Durability

The fact that porcelain tiles are denser, makes them much less porous than those ceramic tiles. This means that ceramic tiles will break easily as compared to porcelain tiles thus in terms of durability, porcelain tiles are the better choice. Thus, in the question of ‘Is porcelain tile porous’, the answer is no, these tiles are non-porous.

Tips for Laying Floor Tiles

The following are the tips when it comes to layering floor tiles:-

Underlayment

It is referred to as putting on the substrate’s top to begin the tiling process by preparing it first. Here, substrate means ground irrespective of whether it is made up of cement or plywood. The most common underlayment is the cement board. However, for wet areas, mainly waterproof underlayment is preferred.

Adhesives

One of the many adhesives that is also a grout is epoxy and it is used in the application of resin backing. For dry areas, it is recommended to opt for mastic.

Premixed can also be used as adhesives as they prevent the mixing and measuring thereby ensuring a faster installation process. However, it comes with certain limitations as it can be used in selective areas only which is why it is utterly important to read the label to make sure that it is being applied in the appropriate place.

Tools

The tools that are used here are trowels, sponges, float, cutting tools, tape, utility knives, spacers, and such.

Sealer

In terms of sealers, there are grout sealers and stone sealers. One can also use natural sealers to render the dry look.

Advantages of Porcelain Tiles

The Below is some of the many advantages of porcelain tiles:-

Wide range variety

When one chooses porcelain tiles for the flooring, that individual is exposed to a very wide range of variety that will suit the contemporary of his space. Furthermore, the tiles can be made to look like another type of flooring such as marble, slate, limestone, and so on.

Moisture resistant

Since porcelain is quite dense and is non-porous to a very good level as compared to other tiles, people who live in extreme climate conditions often go for this kind of tile. Thus, porcelain comes with high moisture and water resistance features.

Apt for a high-traffic area

The fact that porcelain tiles are excellent and resistant to any kind of breakage and are also pet friendly, many people often for these tiles. These commercial nonslip floor tiles can be installed where high traffic is expected.

Technical features of Porcelain Tiles

The following are some of the many technical features of porcelain tiles:-

Surface finishing

Porcelain tiles come with many surface finishes such as structured, flashed, lapped, polished, matt, natural, and more.

Bending resistance

The maximum resistance when applied at the three points to observe to which extent the tile can go without breaking is known as bending resistance

Water absorption

The maximum moisture that the porcelain or any type of tile can absorb is termed water absorption.

Conclusion

The primary factor that attracts the customer to buy these tiles are the fact that the porcelain floor tiles are resistant to stain. In the meantime, the floor tiles do a terrific job of offering protection against all kinds of potential fire damage. These are all the information that was there to know about glazed porcelain stoneware.