Ceramic VS Porcelain
All tiles are created equal, right? Not quite. Porcelain and ceramic tiles may belong to the same family, but they are two slightly different products. One may be more advantageous than the other depending on where you are installing it, and nowadays, it’s hard to distinguish which product is porcelain and which is ceramic.
Both porcelain and ceramic tiles are low-maintenance, practical, stylish and versatile. With a host of designs, including tiles that replicate wood and other materials – they are perfect for anyone looking to create a stunning space with minimum effort.
In general, porcelain tiles are much denser, more durable and are able to withstand more day-to-day wear and tear than ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles are lighter and easier to cut – they are also more cost effective than porcelain tiles.
Porcelain tiles are manufactured in the same way as ceramic tiles, but are composed of a more refined material and fired at a higher temperature making them denser, less porous and more durable. They are possibly one of the most versatile types of floor tiles, as they can be manufactured to replicate other materials – like concrete or stone. Wood has to be the most on-trend effect for porcelain tiles right now and, they are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. The bonus is that, porcelain is maintenance free and durable, very often these tiles are more resilient than the materials they mimic.
Ceramic tiles are a mixture of clays and other natural materials, and come in many shapes, colours and textures. The special clays are mined from the earth, shaped, coloured and then fire in kilns. Ceramic tiles are less expensive than porcelain, but tend to be manufactured with fewer straight edges and square corners, which means that grout lines need to be thicker, resulting in a more linear finish. Most ceramic tiles mostly have a red body, which is referred to as bisque or biscuit.
Rectified is another word that is often mentioned when it comes to tiles. Rectified tiles have been mechanically processed to ensure that all the tiles are uniform in size and are perfectly square – this meaning that the tiles can be placed much closer, resulting in fewer grout lines.
