4 Reasons to Pick Porcelain Tiles Over Ceramic for Your Kitchen Floor
There are plenty of decisions to make when you're renovating your kitchen, but the material you choose for the floor is one of the most important. People who fancy tiles often end up struggling to decided between ceramic and porcelain. Here are just four reasons why porcelain tiles are best for your kitchen floor.
1. Porcelain Tires Are More Durable
Porcelain tiles are actually a type of ceramic tile; they are both made using clay that is fired at high temperatures, but slight differences exist between them. Ceramic tiles are made using clay, sand, and minerals. Porcelain tiles use more sand and more refined materials, and they are subject to more pressure and high temperatures during the firing process. As such, porcelain tiles are far denser and tougher than ceramic ones. If you drop a pot or plate, your kitchen floor is less likely to show any damage if you used porcelain instead of ceramic tiles.
2. Porcelain Tiles Offer Low Absorbency
Because porcelain tiles are so much denser than ceramic tiles, they are better able to resist water penetration. This is why porcelain tiles are almost always used over ceramic ones in the shower, and it's worth remembering that your kitchen floor will also have to put up with plenty of moisture. If any moisture leaks through, the subfloor could be damaged, so it only makes sense to choose tiles with the lowest water absorption rate.
3. Porcelain Tiles Are Stain Resistant
Kids walked into the kitchen with muddy shoes? Dropping food while you're bringing a meal to the table? Splashed cooking sauce while you're preparing something? All situations that can see your kitchen floor encountering staining compounds. If you have porcelain tiles, those staining compounds are less likely to create lasting stains. Again, it's down to the density of porcelain – these tiles are far less vulnerable to staining than the more porous surface of ceramic.
4. Porcelain Tiles Are Coloured All the Way Through
Let's say you do chip one of your tiles. If you have ceramic tiles, you'll quickly notice white clay showing beneath the surface. This is because ceramic tiles are coloured by adding a glaze along the upper surface. It keeps costs down, but it means that even a small scratch or chip shows through clearly. In contrast, porcelain tiles are coloured all the way through; in the unlikely event of one sustaining damage, that damage will not be nearly as obvious.
