Have you ever seen large designer walls with modern prints and a very fine matte/glossy finish? If yes, it was most probably made using large ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles are one of the most popular and widely used tiles for flooring, but these are great for your walls as well. Ceramic tiles can be seen in almost every house or industrial building these days and there are some reasons that everyone prefers them over other tiles.
Types of Ceramic Tiles
Ceramic tiles can be majorly classified into two types based on their preparation methods and places where they are suitable to use:
1. Non-Vitrified: Non-vitrified tiles are heated to high temperatures of around 800 degrees Celsius to make them strong and indestructible. These have a matte or non-glossy finish and are lightweight, which makes them convenient for walls and kitchen/bathroom floors.
2. Vitrified: Vitrified tiles are baked at even higher temperatures of up to 1200 degrees Celsius. The process leads to a homogeneous glass-like structure throughout the tile’s body. These tiles have low porosity and sturdier, stone-like bodies. The tiles are often polished to remove small surface anomalies making them stain resistant.
Vitrified ceramic tiles can further be classified as:
- Glazed Vitrified: These tiles have some prints over them, making them the best option for flooring living rooms, hotel rooms, etc.
- Double Charged Vitrified: The patterns on these tiles are created by fusing the desired colours directly onto the tile’s body. The coloured surface of the tile will be polished to achieve the desired surface finish and make it stain resistant.
- Full-Bodied Vitrified: These tiles are least affected by wear & tear as the damage cannot be seen easily. Therefore, these are best for public places with regular footfall.
Why Ceramic Tiles?
Here are some biggest advantages of ceramic tiles that make them the best option for your floors as well as walls:
1. Variety of Designs and Patterns
You can find ceramic tiles in a wide range of designs, sizes, shapes, and patterns that are suitable for different places. From large-sized tiles for countertops, staircases, and industrial floors, to small designer tiles for kitchen and bathroom walls, ceramic tiles are designed to suit every place.
You can give your living rooms and bedrooms the best look with glazed vitrified tiles. However, for kitchen and bathroom floors, non-vitrified tiles with a better grip and anti-slip properties are a great option. To give your walls a unique modern look, you can go for designer non-vitrified tiles that are lighter in weight.
2. Durable
As ceramic tiles are compressed at extremely high temperatures to make them dense, these are much stronger than other materials that are used for flooring. The vitrified as well as non-vitrified tiles are durable enough to withstand heavy weights regularly and can last for decades without getting damaged.
3. Scratch and Stain Resistant
The vitrified, non-vitrified, as well as full-bodied vitrified tiles, are prepared to be highly resistant to stains and scratches. Getting tough stains on your floors or wall tiles can be a nightmare for you, but with ceramic tiles, you can minimize this risk. You can also avoid getting scratches on the tiles when coarse-grained things collide with them.
4. Long-Lasting Finish
Ceramics is a virtually unchanging material that remains the same always. Therefore, the colour and shine of ceramic tiles don’t fade with time. The finish and the overall look of your floors or walls can remain the same for years with ceramic tiles if you don’t let the layer of dust sit over it.
The vitrified tiles with glossy surfaces give you the most long-lasting finish, whereas the non-vitrified ones might fade if placed on outdoor floors/walls. But when used indoors, all the types of ceramic tiles remain unchanged.
5. Easy Maintenance
The top glaze of ceramic tiles can resist stains and scratches due to its hardness and non-porous surface. You can wipe these tiles clean using a microfibre cloth soaked in detergent and warm water. Even if cleaning is required for hard stains, you can use aggressive detergents and hard plastic brushes.
Other than cleanliness, there is nothing much to be concerned about when it comes to the maintenance of these tiles. Ceramic tiles are durable enough to bear heavy loads, so you can stay away from the worries of getting the tiles broken and replacing them again & again.
6. Heat & Fire Resistant
The non-vitrified ceramic tiles are heat and fire-resistant. This property makes these tiles the most suitable option for kitchen walls. However, vitrified ceramic tiles are better than non-vitrified tiles in handling thermal shock. Thermal shock refers to high-temperature variations while under pressure from a heavy object.
Vitrified tiles can handle thermal shock well and are recommended for outdoor usage where this risk is high. Other than outdoor flooring, polished vitrified tiles are recommended as kitchen countertops.
For instance, Porselano tiles from H&R Johnson, which are glazed vitrified tiles, sustain zero damage from the defined thermal shock test for the tiles.
7. Eco-Friendly
Another advantage of using ceramic tiles is that they are environmentally friendly. These tiles can be recycled and reused, so there is no wastage even if some tiles are broken. Your health is also taken care of as these tiles do not produce any toxic ingredients when exposed to direct flames.
8. Affordable
Compared to other types of tiles or flooring materials, ceramic tiles are cheaper and offer better durability. Ceramic tiles compare especially superior to natural tiling materials like wood and stone.
So, you can reduce the overall cost of building or renovating your homes by using ceramic tiles. The maintenance cost is also low for ceramic tiles.
Select Appropriate Ceramic Tiles
Also, you can choose ceramic tiles with appropriate qualities for various space requirements. For instance:
- Double-charged tiles for medium to high footfall, indoor applications
- Ceramic or glazed vitrified tiles for the home floor
- Matt finish anti-skid tiles for the bathroom and kitchen floors
Considering all the benefits of ceramic tiles, you should now understand why tiles are the best interior option. However, you also need to choose the right ones for the right places for the best results.
The porcelain tiles are a range of GVTs that offer some of the most amazing patterns and almost all kinds of natural replications. So why worry about deforesting for wood flooring when you can install wood-lookalike planks with longer life and easier maintenance?
