porcelain tile is a proper tile for bathroom flooring, Porcelain and tile are cousins, both are made of clay and hardened by firing or firing.
Bathroom Porcelain introduction
The difference is the clay and the manufacturing process - the tiles are fired at temperatures as high as 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit resulting in very hard tiles.
Tiles and tiles are used for floors, countertops, and walls in the home, but in moisture-prone areas such as kitchens and bathrooms, porcelain is preferred.
Porcelain is also an option around the pool.
Adding tiles can add value to a home.
The first step in choosing a tile is to match the tile to the objective.
Floor and countertop tiles should be spill and stain resistant, and floor tiles should not slip.
The American National Standards Institute and the American Society for Testing and Materials test tiles for hardness, fluid absorption, chemical resistance, and other factors and issue usage ratings.
Bathroom Porcelain features
There are five levels of abrasion resistance or tile abrasion resistance.
Class 1 is not recommended for flooring or heavy use.
Levels 2 and 3 are suitable for light to moderate traffic, such as kitchens and bathrooms, with little or no scratching dirt.
Level 4 is most common in homes with medium to high traffic, such as heavily trafficked entryways, hallways, and kitchens.
Class 5, high, for heavy traffic and commercial use.
Porcelain can be glazed or unglazed.
Unglazed tiles are strong and have a uniform color throughout the tile, which retains its color even when the surface is worn.
Unglazed is available in a variety of finishes, from raw to polished.
Bathroom Porcelain advantages
Glazed porcelain has a protective coating over the dense body of the tile and can be produced in a variety of colors or decorative designs.
Glazes can be glossy or matte.
Tiles in kitchens, bathrooms, or other floors subject to moisture, or porcelain used in and around swimming pools, should be non-absorbent so that water and other liquids cannot penetrate and stain them.
These tiles must be "non-slip" with a surface "coefficient of friction" of 0.06 or greater.
It is a measure of the effort required to move an object across a tile.
Color and design are obviously important as the tiles will last a long time and to effect a change the tiles will need to be replaced.
Both glazed and unglazed porcelain comes in a variety of colors, and glazed porcelain often has decorative trim or decorations.
Size is also a factor; floor tiles are usually larger, counter tiles are smaller, and wall tiles can be any size.
Tiles also come in a variety of shapes and can be arranged in patterns.
Porcelain tile for flooring
different types of porcelain tile are used for flooring.
porcelain and ceramic floor tiles are similar, there are some important differences you should be aware of when shopping for floors.
Both are made of clay and fired in a kiln, but the clay used to make the tiles is more refined and pure than the clay used to make them.
Tile makers also fire porcelain at higher temperatures.
Due to these differences, porcelain is much more fragile than ceramic tiles.
Porcelain is also more resistant to stains, scratches and moisture than ceramic.
Porcelain is more likely to be a translucent product than ceramic.
This means that the porcelain is always the same color, making it easier to blend the scratches with the floor.
However, tiles are often one color on the surface and a different color underneath, making scratches more visible.
When buying floor tiles, you will generally come across three types.
One is unglazed tiles.
Created by placing dry clay in a mold and firing, unglazed tiles offer a more rustic look and a lightly textured matte finish for slip resistance.
You can install and use some unglazed tiles as is, but other tiles must be sealed after installation to prevent them from absorbing stains.
More popular are glazed tiles, which are covered with liquid glass after the first firing, and then fired again.
Glazed tiles are available in matte, semi-gloss and gloss finishes.