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bunnycd
Does anyone know how can you tell the difference between a Porcelain and ceramic tile?
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doug boardley
if you search on threads started by doug boardley, I did a thread on it (about 6-12 months ago)
S
spelga
Porcelain v. ceramic:
1. Ceramic is inferior to porcelain in that the pattern is on the surface not throughout the entire tile. When a ceramic tile chips, you see the underlaying clay. No so with porcelain.
2. Ceramic is good for walls, bad for floors.
3. Ceramic is easy to work with, porcelain is a *****.
4. But both now cost much the same.
1. Ceramic is inferior to porcelain in that the pattern is on the surface not throughout the entire tile. When a ceramic tile chips, you see the underlaying clay. No so with porcelain.
2. Ceramic is good for walls, bad for floors.
3. Ceramic is easy to work with, porcelain is a *****.
4. But both now cost much the same.
T
The D
T
The D
This is not my words it was taken from the net some time ago.
Porcelain or Ceramic Tile?
What's the difference?
In my many years of installing and selling tile, I am continually asked about the difference between porcelain and ceramic tile.
After some extensive research, I have found that there only two organizations that have attempted to define standards to rate tile. One is The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the other one is The Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI).
I was surprised to find out that these organizations do not recognize the terms "porcelain" or "ceramic" when referring to tile. It seems that manufacturers and salespeople have promoted these terms themselves to guide customers on their purchases of tile.
Tile is rated on it's ability to withstand water penetration and it's resistance to abrasion.....period!
A definition used by these organizations is:
*Tile is a surfacing unit that is made from clay or a mixture of clay and other ceramic materials, called the body of the tile ( the bisque ), having either a glazed face fired to a temperature to sufficiently produce specific hardness, density, or physical characteristics.
The first rating developed by The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a procedure to test for the permeability to water: it consists of boiling the tile in water and measuring its gain in weight from the original dry state.
Four ratings have resulted from their studies and are classified as such:
• non-vitreous - tile with water absorption of more than 7.0 percent.
• semi-vitreous - tile with water absorption of more than 3.0 percent, but not more than 7.0 percent.
• vitreous - tile with water absorption of more than 0.5 percent, but not more than 3.0 percent.
• impervious - tile with water absorption of 0.5 percent or less.
This means that the hardest tiles (sometimes referred as "porcelain"), are the ones fired at a very high temperature to achieve the impervious rating. These tiles will be the most durable and easiest to clean simply because of the hardness.
The second rating, developed by The Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI), is the standard for abrasion or wear of the tile. These are basic categories but are valuable when selecting tile in a retail environment.
They are as follows:
1. walls only no foot traffic
2. residential, low traffic
3. all residential, medium commercial (interior only)
4. heavy commercial
5. extra heavy commercial (interior or exterior)
As you can see this is all very ambiguous. So how do you tell one from the other when you go shopping for tile? I will try to clear this up as much as I can for you.
Let me first say that all tile doesn't have to be impervious or porcelain to be good quality tile. Some ceramics can be rated 4 with an absorption rate of 2% and still function fine in a residential setting. These tiles are still manufactured because of design considerations. There are many designs available in vitreous (ceramic) tiles that cannot be reproduced by the high firing process necessary in impervious ( porcelain ) tiles.
However, if you are installing tile outdoors a frost-proof tile is necessary. These are only the very hardest and least absorbent tiles. The impervious ( porcelain ) tiles fit into this category and are fine to put outdoors.
I have seen some vitreous ( ceramic ) tiles that can be applied outdoors but they are becoming very few in number.
Some tell tale signs to look for to determine an impervious (porcelain) tile:
• look for the little specs on the "bisque" porcelain
• "full-bodied" porcelains will have the color going all the way through the tile
• look for a stamp called "Porcellanato" on the back or on the carton (this is the Italian word for porcelain)
• if the stamp says monocoturra it is not porcelain
• the color of the clay body (bisque) is lighter in color
I would like to sum up with my view of what makes a porcelain or ceramic tile and provide you with some application parameters.
Porcelain tiles:
They are fired at a very high temperature enabling a high solids content. Some porcelains are full-bodied meaning the color of the tile tile is solid throughout.
Other porcelains are: a porcelain bisque with an altered surface appearance or a porcelain body that has been glazed. For a tile to be considered impervious (porcelain) by ANSI standards it must have an absorption rate of less than 0.5%.
The low absorption rate makes porcelain up to 6 times more frost resistant than a vitreous tile. Therefore outdoor applications are possible.
Porcelain also has superior chip resistance making it stronger and more durable in most cases than granite. Applications in high traffic areas or kitchen countertops are no problem at all.
Many porcelains offer the appearance of natural stone without the maintenance.
Needless to say, this is why porcelain has become very popular in recent years.
Ceramic tiles:
Ceramic tiles are characterized by a dark red or terra cotta back with a fine glaze over them. They are fired at a lower temperature which means they can be more brittle and contain only a surface glaze.
However, there are many good quality ceramics with PEI ratings of 3 or 4 that can provide excellent durability. They will have a higher absorption rate so be careful not to use them outdoors.
From a design perspective though, you may want to choose ceramic because many designs and colors that are not available in porcelain tiles are available in ceramic tiles.
The main advantage of ceramic tile is that it is easy to cut and handle. Score and break cutting boards are normally sufficient. This makes ceramic the choice for bathroom walls or kitchen backsplashes.
For example: If you were installing tile in an upstairs bathroom, you would not need to walk up and down steps to make every cut on a wetsaw.
Hope this has helped to clear some of the mystery.
Porcelain or Ceramic Tile?
What's the difference?
In my many years of installing and selling tile, I am continually asked about the difference between porcelain and ceramic tile.
After some extensive research, I have found that there only two organizations that have attempted to define standards to rate tile. One is The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the other one is The Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI).
I was surprised to find out that these organizations do not recognize the terms "porcelain" or "ceramic" when referring to tile. It seems that manufacturers and salespeople have promoted these terms themselves to guide customers on their purchases of tile.
Tile is rated on it's ability to withstand water penetration and it's resistance to abrasion.....period!
A definition used by these organizations is:
*Tile is a surfacing unit that is made from clay or a mixture of clay and other ceramic materials, called the body of the tile ( the bisque ), having either a glazed face fired to a temperature to sufficiently produce specific hardness, density, or physical characteristics.
The first rating developed by The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a procedure to test for the permeability to water: it consists of boiling the tile in water and measuring its gain in weight from the original dry state.
Four ratings have resulted from their studies and are classified as such:
• non-vitreous - tile with water absorption of more than 7.0 percent.
• semi-vitreous - tile with water absorption of more than 3.0 percent, but not more than 7.0 percent.
• vitreous - tile with water absorption of more than 0.5 percent, but not more than 3.0 percent.
• impervious - tile with water absorption of 0.5 percent or less.
This means that the hardest tiles (sometimes referred as "porcelain"), are the ones fired at a very high temperature to achieve the impervious rating. These tiles will be the most durable and easiest to clean simply because of the hardness.
The second rating, developed by The Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI), is the standard for abrasion or wear of the tile. These are basic categories but are valuable when selecting tile in a retail environment.
They are as follows:
1. walls only no foot traffic
2. residential, low traffic
3. all residential, medium commercial (interior only)
4. heavy commercial
5. extra heavy commercial (interior or exterior)
As you can see this is all very ambiguous. So how do you tell one from the other when you go shopping for tile? I will try to clear this up as much as I can for you.
Let me first say that all tile doesn't have to be impervious or porcelain to be good quality tile. Some ceramics can be rated 4 with an absorption rate of 2% and still function fine in a residential setting. These tiles are still manufactured because of design considerations. There are many designs available in vitreous (ceramic) tiles that cannot be reproduced by the high firing process necessary in impervious ( porcelain ) tiles.
However, if you are installing tile outdoors a frost-proof tile is necessary. These are only the very hardest and least absorbent tiles. The impervious ( porcelain ) tiles fit into this category and are fine to put outdoors.
I have seen some vitreous ( ceramic ) tiles that can be applied outdoors but they are becoming very few in number.
Some tell tale signs to look for to determine an impervious (porcelain) tile:
• look for the little specs on the "bisque" porcelain
• "full-bodied" porcelains will have the color going all the way through the tile
• look for a stamp called "Porcellanato" on the back or on the carton (this is the Italian word for porcelain)
• if the stamp says monocoturra it is not porcelain
• the color of the clay body (bisque) is lighter in color
I would like to sum up with my view of what makes a porcelain or ceramic tile and provide you with some application parameters.
Porcelain tiles:
They are fired at a very high temperature enabling a high solids content. Some porcelains are full-bodied meaning the color of the tile tile is solid throughout.
Other porcelains are: a porcelain bisque with an altered surface appearance or a porcelain body that has been glazed. For a tile to be considered impervious (porcelain) by ANSI standards it must have an absorption rate of less than 0.5%.
The low absorption rate makes porcelain up to 6 times more frost resistant than a vitreous tile. Therefore outdoor applications are possible.
Porcelain also has superior chip resistance making it stronger and more durable in most cases than granite. Applications in high traffic areas or kitchen countertops are no problem at all.
Many porcelains offer the appearance of natural stone without the maintenance.
Needless to say, this is why porcelain has become very popular in recent years.
Ceramic tiles:
Ceramic tiles are characterized by a dark red or terra cotta back with a fine glaze over them. They are fired at a lower temperature which means they can be more brittle and contain only a surface glaze.
However, there are many good quality ceramics with PEI ratings of 3 or 4 that can provide excellent durability. They will have a higher absorption rate so be careful not to use them outdoors.
From a design perspective though, you may want to choose ceramic because many designs and colors that are not available in porcelain tiles are available in ceramic tiles.
The main advantage of ceramic tile is that it is easy to cut and handle. Score and break cutting boards are normally sufficient. This makes ceramic the choice for bathroom walls or kitchen backsplashes.
For example: If you were installing tile in an upstairs bathroom, you would not need to walk up and down steps to make every cut on a wetsaw.
Hope this has helped to clear some of the mystery.
Last edited by a moderator:
B
bunnycd
Thanks so much for the advice, I now know what type my tile is that I am searching for.
W
White Room
Bloody hell Deano had to come up for air halfway thru that:lol::lol:
B
brian c
very informative Deano.
whats wrong with the water test then?AND TRYING TO CUT A fully vitrified porcelain on a rail cutter with smashing it to bits.:lol🙁generalising before i get lynched)
whats wrong with the water test then?AND TRYING TO CUT A fully vitrified porcelain on a rail cutter with smashing it to bits.:lol🙁generalising before i get lynched)
D
doug boardley
here's the link to the one I did Bunny
http://www.tilersforums.com/tiling-forum/20267-porcelain-ceramic-whats-difference.html
http://www.tilersforums.com/tiling-forum/20267-porcelain-ceramic-whats-difference.html
