Ceramic and Porcelain Tiles - What's the difference?

Ceramic tiles are made from clay and are normally red bodied or white bodied, with a glaze applied to the top surface. The glaze is the part of the tile that you will see when the tile has been fitted and can have varying finishes such as gloss, matt or silk. Red bodied tiles are the least expensive of the two types while the white bodied is the better quality, hence the higher price. Ceramic tiles are particularly suitable for interior walls in areas such as bathrooms where they will not but subject to wear and tear issues to the same degree as in other areas. They are also often used in non-domestic commercial projects mainly due to the cost savings made by the developers. In recent years the size of ceramic wall tiles has increased dramatically with formats of over 1 metre in length now available. Ceramic tiles are also split into two distinct categories, wall tiles and floor tiles. Under no circumstances can the wall tiles be used on floors. Unlike porcelain tiles, ceramic floor tiles are normally only available in small formats usually 33 x 33cm or such like. This is because the material is not really suited to floor use but can be it used in areas of light traffic such as a domestic bathroom. They are not normally suitable for exterior use as they can absorb water, which makes them susceptible to cracking if subject to freezing temperatures.

Many people have only heard of porcelain in terms of porcelain crockery and have the impression that it is delicate and will be easily damaged. This could not be further from the truth as porcelain tiles are extremely tough, scratch resistant and frost resistant. This means that porcelain tiles can be used internally and externally for a multitude of applications. The same tiles can be used on both floor and wall and most porcelain tiles are suitable for any normal domestic application. General categories are white bodied, coloured bodied and through bodied. White bodied porcelain tiles have a glaze applied which gives the tile it’s outward appearance. If the tile is scratched then the underlying white body will show through. With a coloured bodied tile, the body of the tile is a very similar if not identical colour to the glaze itself. This means in the unlikely event of scratching the scratch would be far less noticeable. With a through bodied tile the tile is made from the same material throughout and will can have a polished, semi-polished or matt finish.

If you are in any doubt about the suitability of a tile ask your retailer for information regarding it’s recommended usage. This will take into account qualities such as the hardness, the toughness of the glaze or tile, frost resistance, heat resistance, scratch resistance etc. If they cannot provide this information then you could be taking a risk. The more information you have, the more informed your choice will be.