glazed porcelain tiles

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marko56

Am looking at some glazed porcelain tiles for my kitchen floor - what are they like for wear and tear compared with ceramic and are they more difficult to lay in terms of cutting etc.
 
A lot tougher than ceramic to cut, would use a single part flexible adhesive though and flexi grout. Your sure there not polished
 
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definetely glazed porcelain - am laying on screeded floor with UFH - any tips or problems I may encounter - will a wet diamond cutter be adequate ?
 
certainly more durable than ceramic, what type of ufh have you installed? if an electric heat mat best to screed over mat with a flexible self levelling compound to avoid damaging mat. If a piped system no need to bother with slc. As for cutting, they are a damn site harder to cut than ceramic, but all straight cuts use a manual cutter, for notches and L shaped cuts would probably use an angle grinder unless you have access to a good wet cutter with a good blade for cutting porcelain. Good luck Doug:santa_cheesy:
 
Fantastic for kitchen floors. Bullet Proof when laid. Difficult to scratch with appliances like fridge and cooker moving. Wont scuff with dogs, kids or high heels. Material for life.

Easy to install IF you have the right equipment. Diamond blade for a wetsaw or hard scoring jewel for hand tile snapper.

Need holes for radiator pipes? Then dont forget your drill kits (which we do!) check us out.

Want to see some sexy photos of porcelain tiles laid in kitchen?

CHECK THIS SITE - SUPERB !

Ceramic tile is a mixture of clays and other natural materials. The special clays are mined from the earth, shaped, colored and than fired in kilns. Traditional ceramic tile can be naturally colored and left unglazed like terra cotta, or they can feature colored or highly designed surfaces which can be glazed (finished with a glass surface) either in a high gloss or matte finish. Most ceramic tile has either a white or red body coloration underneath the glazed, colored top layer.

Porcelain tile is a newer form of ceramic tile and extremly popular among homeowners. Porcelain tiles are composed of fine porcelain clays and fired at much higher temperatures than ceramic tiles. This process makes porcelain tile more dense, less porous, much harder and less prone to moisture and stain absorption than ceramic tiles. For these reasons, most porcelain tiles are suitable for both indoor and outdoor installations. Porcelain tiles are also harder to cut due to their density and hardness.

Unglazed porcelain tile is homogenous in terms of its through-body coloration. The color goes all the way through from top to bottom, so scratches or dings are less obvious and has better slip-resistance. Glazed porcelain tiles (meaning a glazing top top of the tile surface) may or may not have the same coloration from top to bottom because of the top glazed layer. Glazed porcelain tiles help seal the microscopic pores thus are easier to maintain than unglazed tiles. Because porcelain can be made to resemble stone, it is sometimes a better choice than Mother Nature’s natural products simply because it’s less porous and less prone to cracking.
However, not all ceramic or porcelain tiles are suitable for all areas. Tile products generally (although not all, due to the growing choice of imports) are wear-rated from low to high. Most manufacturers worldwide do meet international standards. Because all tiles are not rated for taking floor traffic, it's important for consumers to select a tile appropriate for their project.
Regardless of whether you choose ceramic tile or porcelain tile for your decorating project you will find both types of tiles offer a variety of shapes and sizes in field tiles as well as some border and accent tiles. This will give you an almost unlimited amount of decorating options by mixing and matching different field tile sizes and shapes along with borders and accent tiles to really add pizazz and charm to your decor.


Rectified tile needs to be explained, because it is becoming more popular. Rectified tile is often described incorrectly and is confusing for tile buyers, it is simply tile that has been grinded or sawed after firing to acheive a more exact tile size. Many tiles will vary slightly in size after being fired (both porcelain and ceramic tiles it is up to 1.5% variation) . By sawing or grinding the tiles after firing the manufacturer hopes to minimize the size variations from tile to tile. Although, at this time there are no set ANSI standards set for what the minimun variations are allowed for rectified tiles, it is strictly up to the tile manufacturer.
 
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