Porcelain
tiles are also known as fully vitrified or homogeneous tiles
in some markets. Porcelain tiles are made from a
combination of minerals, rocks and colouring pigments. The minerals
are first ground into a fine powder, the impurities are then
extracted and the remainder is coloured with metal oxides. The
mineral powder and rock grains are then mixed and then pressed
into tiles. The tiles are finally fired in kilns at temperatures
up to 1250°C. No resins or adhesives are added in the process.
Porcelain tiles look like natural stone, but possess physical
qualities that surpass that of natural stone. Characteristics
of such tiles are their high compression resistance, low water
absorption, wear and shock resistance and high level of hardness.
These tiles come either in unpolished or polished finishes.
Unpolished or sometimes also known as matt finishing, refers
to the material in its natural state, without any particular
processing. A polished surface is achieved by grinding the tiles
with a combination of abrasives of different textures, to the
stage where the surface allows light to reflect in and out of
the material in a parallel way, thereby enhancing visible light
and colour and giving the appearance of depth. In the process
of polishing, the tiles
are caliberated. Some suppliers also supply them in honed finishes,
which essentially means that the surface is as smooth as that
of a polished surface, minus the reflective shine.
Common sizes of porcelain tiles are 30x30cm, 40x40cm, 50x50cm,
60x60cm and even 80x80cm. Porcelain tiles are ideal for
both indoor and outdoor use. |
