It's important to know about the quality of tiles before buying some, and here are some factors to check them.
Tiles quality
The raw materials of ceramics are clay, bentonite, feldspar, and kaolin, which exist in mines with different purity.
The higher the percentage of sodium bentonite, the stronger this material is.
In feldspar, the lower the percentage of iron and its compounds in this material, the better and whiter the ceramic will be delivered to you.
The amount of iron in this mineral prevents it from getting colored.
It also gives you a uniform color and clear glaze.
The main feldspars used in the tile and ceramic industry are sodic and potassic.
Alkaline materials in these feldspars help ceramics to have a lower firing temperature and produce better quality.
Kaolin is a mineral material that is white in color and has suitable pigments for color coating.
The best kaolin has about 20% impurities, therefore, to increase its purity, they implement different forms, including calcined kaolin, water-washed kaolin, unheated, powdered, granulated, and filler kaolin.
The method of heating and casting ceramics is also very important.
Ceramics with good and slow firing makes water vapor doesn’t stay in its layers, which makes it stronger and more ready for coloring.
The higher the quality of the raw materials used in the production of ceramics, and the more these high-purity materials are processed and pressed slowly and with high precision in the production process, the more durable ceramics we will have.
The final color and body of the ceramic are also graded in transparency and uniformity depending on the readiness of the body to accept colors or glaze.
Floor tiles quality check
You can check and understand the quality of ceramic by checking it while buying.
The first thing to check is whether the ceramic is perfectly square or rectangular.
The tolerance of ceramics should not be more than 1 mm in length and width and more than 3 mm in thickness.
Also, the ceramic should be strong enough to show good resistance against breaking and cracking.
The edges of the ceramic tiles on each side should be completely smooth and sharp and not sharp.
Also, be sure to place the tile on a flat surface and check its edges and bottom for curvature and warping.
The glaze of tiles and ceramics should be uniform and there should be no cracks or cuts in the glaze or paint.
Pale or unpainted spots among the tiles are a sign of their low quality.
The minimum thickness of ceramic tiles is 5 mm and should not be less than this value.
To test the resistance of ceramic to water, put it in a water container for 24 hours, and after that, its weight should not exceed 10% of its dry weight.
Ceramics should be free of cracks, dents, stains, holes, and cavities, and should also be anti-scratch.
Also, ceramics should be tested and checked for the chemical resistance of the glaze against corrosives.
