Guest Blogger: How to Choose Between Ceramic and Porcelain Tile

Guest Blogger #313, Entry #877, January 4, 2012

Are you having difficulties choosing between ceramic and porcelain tiles for your floor? Maybe you’re wondering if the more expensive ceramic tiles are worth the extra investment.

You’ll likely be surprised to learn that both ceramic and porcelain can be made from the same material, with the difference being what temperature the tiles are heated to and for how long they are heated.

Ceramic tiles are made of a mixture of natural materials and clay, which are colored with special coloring agents and fired in an oven. On the other hand, porcelain tiles, which are also produced from clay, are heated to a higher temperature than ceramics.

Select the tile and application perfect for your needs

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Durability

As clay is heated water is forced out of the tile. Clay that is fired for longer and at a higher temperature has less water. The less water, the more durable and impervious to staining the tile becomes.

Ceramic tiles have a tendency to chip when heavy objects are dropped on them. Porcelain tiles however, are more resistant to chipping and cracking. That doesn’t mean that they are indestructible but that they are more likely to sustain accidental abuse.

Appropriate Uses For Each Tile

Porcelain tends to wear better under heavy traffic. That’s why you’re more likely to see porcelain tile in high traffic areas of commercial buildings.

Porcelain and ceramic tile are both an excellent choice for kitchens and bathrooms. Choosing an unglazed tile may be a better option for bathrooms or for other floors that tend to get wet as you’ll be less likely to slip on an unglazed tile.

Installation

Both tiles are fairly easy to install. The hard part with installing floor tiles, especially larger tiles, is getting the layout right. Inexperience often leads to small slivers of tiles being used on the last row to fill the remaining gap.

Porcelain or Ceramic, which is best for your home?

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It’s my opinion that laying ceramic and porcelain floor tiles should be left to the professionals. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to tear out the floor tiles you installed to reinstall them again.

Affordability

Porcelain tile are substantially more expensive than ceramics. For a small bathroom the extra investment may not amount o much but if you’re doing a larger area the extra cost of porcelain can add up to several hundreds of dollars.

Is the extra cost of porcelain worth the investment?

I do believe that in for interior tile floors the extra expense is worth the investment. For a few hundred dollars you’re going to get a lot more mileage out of your tiles. The installation is much more expensive than the material so why not buy a tile that will last a lifetime so that you only have to pay for installation once?

The author of this article, Lucas Jenkins, has lot’s of budget remodeling ideas for your home. Ideas like shopping kitchen appliance set sales will save you money while reading: What is cabinet refacing?, will help you to make the most of your existing kitchen.

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.