Porcelain tiles have become all the rage with regards to home interiors, and it is no wonder why – they are durable, hard-wearing and offer a beautifully sleek and upmarket aesthetic. Jasmin Kraneveldt from Bathroom Bizarre offers some tips and advice for those looking to invest in porcelain tiles.
What makes porcelain tiles special?
With their smooth, shiny surface, minimal grout lines, comparatively large format and elegant colour palette – polished porcelain tiles represent the top-end of wall and floor coverings that are minimalist, luxurious, sophisticated and sensuous.
However, Jasmin notes that apart from their beautiful aesthetics, another quality that that really sets porcelain tiles apart from their ceramic counterparts is their supreme durability and the fact that they are resilient to tremendous wear and tear: “Porcelain tiles are composed of highly refined and purified clay that is shaped through a dry pressing process, which is then fired at extremely high temperatures. The end result is a fully vitrified tile that is harder, stronger and more durable than even natural stone.”
Porcelain tiles are also rectified (cut to size) after the firing or baking process, so the size of the tile is always consistent and exact. Jasmin explains: “This means that smaller spacing between the tiles can be used when they are laid, as opposed to ceramic tiles where each bisq is baked and there is shrinkage due to the cooling process – as such larger spacing is required for ceramic tiles.
Porcelain tiles also boast an extremely low water-absorption rate of less than 0,5%, says Jasmin: “This quality makes them hygienic and easy to clean, as they are impervious to acids, alkalis, strong detergents and solvents. It also makes them resistant to extreme weather conditions, frost and really cold temperatures.” Natural porcelain tiles are also chip and scratch-resistant.
Different types of porcelain tiles
As porcelain tiles have increasingly gained in popularity, so has their technology evolved and developed. Today, there are four main different types of porcelain tiles, including:
Polished porcelain tiles: Once these tiles have been fired, they undergo a rigorous polishing process using soluble salts, so that the tile is finely honed and smoothed until it bears an impressive high-gloss sheen, in much the same way marble, granite and other natural stones are polished. The process also gives them an impressive level of slip-resistance for such a high-gloss tile. Although these tiles look like they have been coated, it is important to understand that this is not always the case. The polishing process cuts through some of the porcelain clay particles, exposing their inner core.
Glazed porcelain tiles: These tiles boast a porcelain body with a factory-applied glaze that creates an extremely dense and non-porous finish. It also allows for the ability to apply various printed patterns onto the tiles for more variations with regards to colour and texture. Different manufacturers use various techniques to glaze porcelain tiles, however, once a porcelain tile has been glazed, it will last the lifetime of the tile and no further treatment will be required as the tile can be considered as non-porous, stain and slip-resistant. This makes them exceptionally easy to clean and maintain and ideal for all kinds of residential floor and wall applications.
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