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There are many different types of tiles on the market today. Most people want the best tile floor they can afford, and they also want it to look good and last for many years. When choosing a tile floor, cleaning and maintenance issues should also be considered. Many people want the natural beauty of stone and are willing to deal with the increased cleaning and maintenance issues that come with it. Other people like the consistent look of ceramic and porcelain and don’t want to deal with some of the problems that come with a stone tile floor. Ceramic and porcelain tiles seem like the most sensible floors, which are easier to clean and maintain. In theory, the specifications of porcelain tiles make them significantly better than ceramic tiles. The technical data shows that porcelain tiles are harder and scratch-resistant than ceramic tiles.
Porcelain should be denser and less porous than ceramics.
Many people like the idea of having a porcelain tile through the body, where the entire porcelain tile is exactly the same color and texture as the surface. Porcelain comes in many shapes, sizes and beautiful designs.
All these features seem to make porcelain the clear choice in terms of quality, durability and ease of cleaning and maintenance. In reality, the truth may be very different. Porcelain tile specifications are never checked or tested, so any manufacturer can claim that their tiles are porcelain. Tile manufacturers can claim to make porcelain tiles without testing them. In many cases, porcelain-labeled tiles do not have the characteristics that make them high-quality tiles.
Porcelain tiles sold in home improvement stores
and discount tile stores can have many quality problems. In many cases these discs are cheap imports that are significantly inferior due to many quality control issues. Unwitting people think they are buying quality tiles that are better than ceramic, when in fact they are very cheap. These cheap tiles can have many quality and durability issues and can be very difficult to clean and maintain.
Some of the most common problems that cheap porcelain tiles can have are:
Cheap porcelain tiles can actually be very porous and difficult to clean. They absorb all kinds of dirt, spills and impurities. This type of porous tile begins to show dirty spots, especially in high-use areas and in the middle of the floor where people walk. Before long, your floor will look ugly, and these types of deep-set stains are very difficult to clean. Sealing these porous sheets can often help, but it can be expensive and time-consuming, especially for a product that you think is tight and would be easy to clean and maintain.
Cheap porcelain tiles can be difficult to install correctly. Cheap tiles may look beautiful on the surface, but they may not cut cleanly with a tile saw and the edges may break. Also, if the tiles are porous, it will be difficult to remove excess grout. Grout mist can get into the tiles and make them look significantly different after installation than before installation.
Cheap discs can have quality control issues.
Often people choose their sample board and order it. When the shipment arrives, they may differ significantly from the ones originally ordered. Often colors and textures may vary from sample to sample. At other times, the surface may have scratches or other defects that make it look ugly. Once the shipment arrives at your doorstep, it can be very difficult to return and ship them. Sometimes quality control issues are not detected until the boards are installed, in which case the manufacturer will never accept returns for already installed boards despite their problems.
There are certain types of porcelain slabs tiles that are made of high quality and have much better properties than ceramic tiles. You should always only buy quality branded tiles from quality tile stores to ensure that you are getting a truly quality product.
Ask lots of questions at the tile store and ask to see
as many samples as possible before you buy. Remember that you often pay more for porcelain than for regular ceramic tiles. In many cases, especially interior tiling, ceramic tiles work just as well for much less.
However, not everyone could afford porcelain, so potters tried to find its composition in order to reproduce it, or at least produce cheaper simulations for the middle class. Ingredients such as clay, frit, soapstone and lime are known to have been used in previous experiments.
