Porcelain Tiles

Glazed and through-body porcelain

Porcelain tile comes in two constructions. Most stone look porcelain is glazed: the pattern is printed in a glaze fused to the surface of the body, which is how a tile can show the veining of a particular marble. A through-body or color-body tile is colored through its thickness, so a chip on the edge shows a tone close to the face. The difference matters most in heavy foot traffic, where a chipped glazed tile can show a contrasting body underneath.

Indoor porcelain tile in this collection is bonded in place on floors and walls. The thick outdoor pavers made from the same material are a different product, laid on pedestals, gravel or sand, and they are listed on the porcelain pavers page.

Stone looks

Marble look is the largest group in the collection, followed by travertine, limestone, concrete and slate looks, with wood, resin, fabric and terrazzo looks in smaller numbers. Porcelain takes stone looks well because a printed glaze can reproduce veining and cloud at any size, including formats far larger than most quarried tile.

Marble look porcelain is a common choice for kitchens and bathrooms where the look of marble is wanted on a surface that takes in almost no water and is far less reactive to acids such as citrus and vinegar than calcite stone.

Matte finishes

Matte accounts for the large majority of finishes, with polished next, then a dedicated anti slip group and glossy, then lappato. The split follows the looks porcelain is chasing. A matte surface reads as limestone or travertine, because those stones are not shiny, while polished and lappato surfaces go with the marble looks, where a reflection is what the original has. Lappato is a partial polish that leaves a soft sheen with some texture still showing.

The 12 by 24 porcelain tile

The most common size in the collection is 12 by 24 inches. Close behind it sits the 24 by 48 large format, then 12 by 12 and 24 by 24, with long planks such as 8 by 40 and 8 by 48 further back.

Size changes how a tile behaves on the floor. The tile standards allow a long piece more bow along its length than a small one, and industry guidance for long rectangular tile limits the offset between rows to about a third of the length, which is why large format porcelain is often seen in a one-third offset instead of a brick pattern. Larger tiles also mean fewer grout joints, and a flatter substrate becomes more important as the piece grows.

Shade variation

Porcelain carries a V rating for how much the pieces of one range vary: V1 is uniform, V2 slight, V3 moderate and V4 substantial. V3 is the most common rating in the collection, with smaller groups at V2 and V4.

A V3 stone look tile varies on purpose, because quarried limestone and travertine vary, and a floor of identical pieces reads as printed. V1 suits a plain concrete or solid color look; V3 and V4 suit a floor meant to read as stone.

Water, stains and grout

Because the body absorbs 0.5 percent or less, a spill on porcelain sits on the surface, and porcelain tile is generally left unsealed. The porous part of a porcelain floor is the grout. Cement grout is commonly sealed, while epoxy and many urethane grouts are not, and the grout maker's requirement is the one that applies.

Porcelain or quarried stone

Porcelain and natural stone are made for different priorities. Porcelain is made to a written specification, so size, color range and absorption are set before the tile leaves the kiln, and a second order is likely to sit close to the first. Natural stone is cut from a block, each piece carries its own pattern through its full thickness, and the surface can be honed or polished again years later. Buyers who want that individuality and a renewable surface often look at natural stone tiles; buyers who want consistency and low absorption tend to stay with porcelain.

Makers in the collection

The collection draws mainly on MSI Surfaces, Landmark Ceramics and Apollo Tile. Several Landmark Ceramics series, such as Trail, Infinity and Essence, come as both field tile and mosaic under one series name, so a bathroom floor and a shower niche can be chosen from one family.

Trim and edges

A porcelain floor or wall still needs finished edges at doorways, niches and outside corners. Bullnose for a number of ranges sits in this collection, made in the same body as the field tile, while bases and other profiles are on the porcelain moldings page. The flooring trim page sets out which profile answers which edge.