Tile  > About Porcelain Tile

About Porcelain Tile

Good quality porcelain is undoubtedly the most maintenance-free flooring material available today.  There is a broad range of types of porcelain based on the various manufacturing processes, with varying surface textures, glazes and porosity.  Surface texture that replicates stone or other textured effects is applied with presses prior to firing of the tile.  Production processes that utilize a number of different presses or combinations of presses create the most random and hence natural looking tiles.  So natural, in fact, that many times the viewer thinks they are looking at natural stone, when they are really seeing glazed porcelain tile.

Through-body porcelain is manufactured as one monolithic tile without surface glazes or finishes and is characterized by the color pigments being consistent throughout the body of the tile.  Originally, the aesthetic look was limited to speckled, ‘salt & pepper’ effects.  More recent developments in the production process have made it possible to mix together various color pigments so that random swirls and veins of color, similar to natural effects, can be produced.  

Double-pressed porcelain is manufactured with two layers of porcelain pressed together and then fired.  The top layer is approximately 1mm thick and is pressed to the base porcelain layer under high pressure.  This top layer is comprised of porcelain clays randomly infused with various color pigments that create an infinite range of color combinations and patterns and hence can approach the variety of natural stones.  This bonded porcelain ‘sandwich’ is then fired.

Another method of creating random color and shading characteristics is to apply soluble chemical salts to a through-body porcelain bisque prior to firing.  Applied using multiple silk screens, spray machines or brushes, the overall aesthetic effect can be quite varied.  Suspended in an aqueous solution, these metal salts penetrate into the unfired tile body.  After the tile body dries, the tile is fired during which time the metal oxide salts react with the porcelain body resulting in various colors.   This type of porcelain is considered unglazed since the salts are not a monolithic glaze.

Recently, the technology for producing glazed porcelain has come into wider use.  This is not dissimilar to glazed ceramics in that there is a full color spectrum available.  However, there are many advantages over a glazed ceramic: 1) porcelain is a higher quality clay than ceramic, 2) the porcelain particle size is extremely fine, 3) the tile is pressed under very high pressure, 4) porcelain is fired at a higher temperature for a longer period of time.  The resulting tile and glaze are harder and more wear-resistant.  Glazed porcelain has the lowest surface absorption of all porcelain because of the glass-like vitrified finish to the tile.

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Located near the historic square in downtown McKinney, our showroom features many options for your floors, from a complete line of hardwood flooring products to the natural beauty of marble, granite, and travertine.  Ceramic and porcelain tile rounds out the breathtaking options for upgrading and beautifying your home. You can get wonderful ideas for flooring your home, and plan your next project with our experienced staff.  We welcome you to our showroom, or to take advantage of a free in-home estimate by calling (972) 562-8610.

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