What Is Glazed Porcelain Tile

These floor tiles are very heavy very dense and expensive.

What is glazed porcelain tile.

The finish of porcelain is smoother than that of ceramic. Although glazed ceramic and porcelain tile are a little less robust in terms of density and thickness than their unglazed counterpart they allow for a wider range of styles and colors. Glazed tiles also tend to be more resistant to staining as they re protected by a non porous layer of liquid glass. Turn over a piece of loose tile.

Glazed tiles by comparison will remain non absorbent for a lifetime. Glazed ceramic and porcelain tile. Due to the extreme density of particles that the vitrification causes water and other liquids in turn have a more difficult time penetrating the surface. Understanding the different tiles available and how the manufacturing process impacts the tile s durability is crucial in choosing the right tile for the right project.

Glazed tile is a type of ceramic tile to which a glaze has been applied. Unglazed floor tiles specialist unglazed matt porcelain floor tiles are often selected for commercial spaces which expect heavy footfall for example in hotel lobbies airports etc. Commercial vs residential use. Ceramic tile is fired at lower temperatures generally no more than 1 650 degrees fahrenheit.

Hard objects heavy cookware or tools for example striking or falling on porcelain tiles may chip them. Glazed porcelain tile is more costly than other kinds of ceramic tile and certainly is more expensive than vinyl. Ceramic tile often has a glazed surface coloring so chips may reveal a different color underneath. After the glaze is painted or sprayed on the tile is fired at high temperatures causing a chemical reaction which makes the glaze vitrify essentially turning into glass.

Ceramic tile can be slightly more prone to water infiltration than is porcelain tile though these differences are fairly minimal if the ceramic tile is glazed. Glazed porcelain although sometimes used for flooring is also more slippery than other kinds of porcelain tile. Both glazed and unglazed porcelain tile is made through pressing and tightly firing clay silica and other natural materials at very high temperatures. The unglazed surface of ceramic tile will feel coarse.

It comes in glazed and unglazed formats but the difference doesn t affect the overall structural integrity of the material merely the color and surface style. The finer grain of porcelain will be smooth to the touch. Porcelain tile achieves this by using clays with finer particles fired at a higher temperature which creates a harder less porous surface than can be achieved by standard ceramic tiles this inherent versatility gives.