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Difference Between Porcelain, Ceramic, and Glazed Ceramic Tiles

15 years ago

We are going to replace our patio and arbor with a four-season room. As we want this room to feel as open and carefree as possible (like the old brick patio and arbor being removed), I want flooring that will be tough.

We plan to use tile over concrete slab. Are there differences in durability between porcelain, ceramic, and glazed ceramic tiles or other things to be considered? Also, do I need to be worried about some tile surfaces being more slippery than others in case something is spilled or someone comes in with damp shoes? Lastly, is there a particular type of grout sealer that is preferred? I appreciate your thoughts and advice, especially if you have such a room.

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Comments (4)

gigabit
15 years ago
I can explain it to you, but I think the link to the website below does a better job than I would for you. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Ceramic tile vs Porcelain tiles
brenda_md
Original Author
15 years ago
gigabit, thanks for the response. The website is quite informative. I am sure many people think this was a silly question, but I have no experience with tiles (excluding my kitchen backsplash) as I grew with wood floors and the house my husband and I built also has wood floors. Actually, when talking to the salespersons on the tile differences, they really cannot give good information either. Thanks again!
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Ceramic usually has a red/brown body, porcelain is either white, tinted to match the glaze [though considerably lighter in tone], or color body/color through. Porcelain is stronger, but for 90% of residential use, ceramic is plenty strong-- consider that glazed tile is the last surviving remnant of many ancient civilizations, and that you can buy ceramics from the time of the Roman empire on Ebay for a few bucks. A couple cautions: if your kids are waaay out of control, the porcelain could be better in that it resists cracks. But if it's properly set and supported, they'ed haved to drop a shot put or the like to crack regular ceramic. I like porcelain for kitchens in case someone drops a very heavy skillet or similar, though. And in the bath, the color body porcelains tend to offer better traction. Look for the CoF numbers on the tile you like [if you can't find it, ask the salesman to track it down]. CoF is Coficient of Friction, and measures grippiness. Higher is better. Try sliding your foot accross a sample, both wet and dry, and never use a tile in a wet location that is at all slippery-- the EMTs won't care about your lovely tile while sliding your naked tush on a gurney because you've taken a tumble.
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All porcelain is ceramic....but not all ceramic is porcelain. The difference is that porcelain is "fired" at a higher temperature. Having said that.....ANY ceramic OR porcelain is just fine for residential applications. Don't stress over it. MOST of the tiles you will find, even at HD are porcelain. Again, find what you want and don't worry about it.
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Thanks everyone! I'm usually a believer of "you get what you pay for" so that's why I'm a little worried about buying the cheap tile. However, it's the perfect color - I can't find another one that coordinates as well as the cheap one! It's either the cheap ceramic subway or white dolomite marble in 2" x 6". We'll have dark, distressed wood floors, white cabs with vintage finish, raven caesarstone on the perimeter and cambria torquay on the island. Our family room and kitchen are one big, long rectangle so they need to coordinate. Our family room has mostly cool colors - blue, gray, white and espresso. Any thoughts??
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dgormish, I did use P&L Motif for my kitchen backsplash. I thought I had some earlier photos, but didn't find them. Here's a recent photo. The watercolor field tile, W78, is an almond color. It looks grayish in this picture because of the natural light this time of year in Los Angeles - "June gloom." P&L uses a different color chart for their Motif tiles than for their watercolors, so it took some effort to find a good color match between the field tile and the Motif. I had planned to include a liner between the Motif tiles and the framing tiles, but tile installer said I didn't need it. When he did the installation, he said something didn't quite line up and that he needed to add a liner. He asked if I had extra material from my countertop. So, the extra liner around the framing is Mont Blanc quartzite, from a remnant of my countertop.
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detroitmi
15 years ago
Well,the difference between Porcelan and Glazed Ceramic tile is ,Porcelan is solid while cutting it,it last longer,and the surface is rough. The Glazed ceramic it is softer and cracks and chips easier , the surface is Glazed and slipery. So ,in your case you'd go for Porcelan

Here is a link that might be useful: Tile Jobs
harmon_2008
15 years ago
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.

Glazed porcelain has a body made of the porcelain material and then a glaze is applied over the surface much like a regular ceramic tile
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.

For other information you can check this site Ciciliot

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