Seven Reasons to Use Porcelain Tile
Here are Seven Reasons to Use Porcelain Tile in Your Home
Porcelain tile took the hard surface flooring world by storm in the early 1980’s, and things have not been the same since then. Trust me when we tell you this because I was there. However, much that may date me is fine because it provides the perspective to comment. So here are seven reasons to use porcelain tile in your home.
- It is a fashion-forward statement. Today, the array of colors and styles that the market has to offer is fantastic. Think about whites, browns, beiges, grays, blacks, and multi-colors, just to start. Then contemplate styles that resemble marble, granite, limestone, wood, and more. Of course, you then have a range of sizes from small mosaics to panels with facial dimensions over 24″ by 24″.
- Porcelain tile is extraordinarily hygienic. Due to its physical composition and its method of manufacture, it is virtually impervious to staining and bacterial attack. Things spilled on it wipe up quickly, and even when nasty items are left to sit for a while, they still clean up smartly. Any baked clay material with less than 1% absorption rate is classified as porcelain. Porcelain tiles are pressed and baked with very high-pressure presses and baked at high temperatures. See our collections.
- Porcelain tile is frost resistant. Why is this important? Simple. When using porcelain tile, your design plan can call for the same material in your living room to be carried out of doors to a covered but not climate-controlled area, such as a patio, with no fear of freeze-thaw damage.
- Fire resistance is a given. In the unlikely event of a fire in your home, either big or small, porcelain will almost certainly not burn nor contribute to the fire in other ways such as smoking.
- Slip resistance is a key feature. There are so many finishes to pick from that if you want to focus on skid resistance, you will not be disappointed. Simply make sure your vendor, such as StoneTileDepot.com, is aware that this is a primary concern. Recent advancements in manufacturing developed more abrasive, less slippery surfaces. These surfaces show more friction on high traffic floors. Porcelain pavers for walkways or pool decks are ideal for this.
6. Porcelain tile is especially abrasion-resistant. Simply put in layman’s terms, it will show almost no wear pattern after years of foot traffic. You can rotate paint, soft goods, furniture, lighting, and more around a long-lasting porcelain tile floor.
7. Porcelain tile is affordable. The tremendous efficiencies in the manufacturing of this product make it in reach of almost every homeowner economically.
Trendy factories like Iris, Fiandre, and Apavisa make porcelain tiles that are very large like 48×96 tiles, and 60 “x120” sizes in various thicknesses. These new sizes make tiling showers or bathroom walls in solid pieces. These slabs can cover the entire shower area with two parts. Large-format porcelain tiles are easy to manufacture and easy to carry. There are various thicknesses of these tiles, such as 6mm, 12mm, and now 20mm. Thin tiles can be used on wall applications but not recommended for floors or countertop.
These slabs have multiple faces ( direction and shape of the veins ), and they repeat themselves in every 8th tile or 16th tile. They can also come book-match, or random.
Disadvantages of manufactured tiles
There really are not any main disadvantages other than that is is a man-made product and popular styles get copied by other factories very fast. For this reason, it is hard to tell the difference between many types of porcelain tiles.
How to install porcelain tiles:
It is very easy to install them. You will need a wet saw or tile cutter and a good thin-set. Porcelain factories produce these tiles in batches. Don’t install different lots on the same job.
StoneTileDepot has a beautiful selection of porcelain tile. We want to help by pointing out even more than just a simple seven reasons to use porcelain tile in your home. Please contact us here and thanks very much for reading!