Ceramic vs Porcelain Tiles | Everything you need to know!

Ceramic and porcelain tiles are the two most popular floor and wall tiles for residential and commercial construction. In this video, we’re going to clear up the issue by discussing their composition, quality, price and performance.

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:35 Ingredients
1:42 How it's made
2:46 Properties
3:53 Sponsorship
4:32 Appearance
6:11 Cost
6:49 Conclusion

The first and most important is clay which is formed by the weathering of igneous rock. Clay minerals have layered crystalline structures. They develop plasticity when wet, but become hard, brittle and non-plastic when dried or heated. This property of clay allows tiles to be formed into different shapes.
One type of clay mineral used for tiles is kaolinite. Rocks rich in kaolinite are called kaolin or white clay or china clay. Red kaolinite contains iron oxides. Ball clay is used to improve elasticity and strength. Another type of clay used is talc.
The next ingredient is a filler like quartz, alumina or zirconia. These give tiles mechanical strength and shape.
The third ingredient is feldspars. These are called aluminosilicates which contain aluminum, silicon and oxygen in addition to sodium, potassium or calcium. Some examples of feldspars are Albite, Orthoclase and Anorthite. Feldspars act as fluxing agents to reduce the melting temperature and fuse all the materials together.

The raw ingredients are ground into a fine powder and then mixed in specific proportions by weight. They mixed with water to form a slurry.
This is fed into an atomizer that dries the slurry and forms a fine powder. The powder is poured into a mold and pressed into tiles. It is then dried to reduce the moisture content. Designs and colors are printed on top of the tile and then liquid glass or glaze is sprayed on it. Finally, the tiles are fired in a kiln

Porcelain tile is made of a finer clay and has a higher percentage of kaolinite which makes it stronger. Porcelain tile is also pressed up to 100,000 lbs per sq in, much higher than ceramic tile.

In the kiln, water evaporates and the clay particles get hot enough to stick together. This process called sintering. Firing the tiles also changes silica into glass which flows into the gaps between the clay particles, sealing them up. This process is called vitrification. Porcelain tile is heated to 2400F or 1300C. Ceramic tile is heated to 2000F or 1100C.

The Porcelain Enamel Institute or PEI rating determines the hardness of the top glaze and traffic level that a tile flooring can endure. Ceramic tiles have a rating between 0 and 3. Porcelain tiles have a rating between 3 and 5. T

Now let’s look at the cross section of these tiles. This Traffic Master ceramic tile that I bought from Home Depot is lighter and less dense. It is made of a red clay with a picture printed on the top surface. When chipped, it reveals the red color underneath. This Marazzi porcelain tile is denser and a little heavier. It is made of a greyish white clay with a picture printed on the top surface.

One of the clearest differences between ceramic and porcelain is its water absorption rate. Ceramic tiles have a rate of 2% to 20%, while porcelain is almost impervious to water with a low rate of 0.5%. This Traffic Master tile is 82 cents per sqft while this Marazzi Tile is $1.89 per sq ft. But, that doesn’t mean that ceramic tile is always inferior.

As manufacturing processes continue to improve, it is getting very difficult to tell the difference between ceramic and porcelain tile. Also, installation is very, very important. If you don’t use a cleavage membrane like a Schluter system, even expensive porcelain tiles can crack. I made a video on that a while back if you want to check it out later. If installed properly, tiles can last you a very long time. They are inert, non-toxic products that don’t contain any harmful chemicals and don’t off-gas.
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#ceramic #porcelain #tile #differences

[emeraldhorizon]

I love this channel! I’m not in the construction or architecture business but Belinda is a great speaker and makes learning this info so easy.

[jstephan]

As an Engineer I really appreciated the scientific explanation, demonstration of manufacturing processes as well as the simplified mechanical manipulations of the product. Thank you for the well thought out presentation.

[milanmedek]

Somewhere at the back of my head, I was thinking about the difference for years, but I was lazy to search it. I'm glad to hear the detailed explanation from you.

[Fix_It_Again_Tony]

I love the no nonsense "here are the facts" format of your videos.

[GlockSurvival-cs]

thank you your video was really useful and very comprehensible way of explaining things in a short video, peace upon you thank you very much!

[jerryngobese]

Ahhhh.... Belinda the engineer breath of fresh air ... I'm here to learn

[whiteknightcat]

Great job, clear and concise. And I like how you're adding bits of humor to your videos now.

[Deagan]

Excellent video! On the topic of flooring, I would appreciate another detailing floor sealants for commercial/residential use!

I never understood why public bathrooms accumulate so much grime, when they could just seal everything up for easy cleanup?

[j.d.]

Excellent video. I installed an old American Olean porcelain tile.. It was matte. Tile was through and through, as you mentioned. It's in a kitchen / dining area and takes a beating. It has held up quite nicely. Thank you for your insight on both of these products.

[SamIAm]

I'm looking at changing the flooring in my office, so I'm paying super close attention to these last few videos, and love this channel, in general!

[philip]

Love how topics are explained on this channel. Thanks for your detailed and fun videos Belinda.

[saraorella]

Great explanation of these two products.

[HesderOleh]

I really wish I would have found this channel before I got my house designed and built, but at least I am able to share it with other friends who are going through that process.

[rdapigleo]

Cutting or drilling ceramic or porcelain will create respirable dust if not wet. I recommend using wet processes, cleaning up the sludge before it dries and discarding it, to avoid silicosis risks. I noticed you were wearing proper PPE Belinda, and I think if people were doing a lot of cutting/drilling, they might need to control the dust more. Localised ventilation is also an option, using an extraction setup.

[ndChanceAtLife]

Another quality unbiased analysis.
Thank you!

[ohasis]

Your research and consequent delivery is both informative and appreciated.

[mrgallbladder]

Thanks for doing the research. I've learned a lot. I always thought they were just two different materials and a matter of preference.

[aeronmeta]

I bought porcelain tiles for my patio on a whim, and thought that maybe I should have bought ceramic, but thank god I saw your video. It is literally the best video I have seen on the difference. I feel like an expert now. Thumbs up! I wonder what type of tile would be best for an outdoor foot pool/bird bath? I'll see if you have a video for which tiles are best for sunlight and rain. Thanks. Thumbs way up!

[am--nv]

Wow I feel I have a new super power now, as I was so blank about tiles. Thx Belinda!!!

[lenjames]

Well done Belinda. The information has cleared a few questions I had between the two products . Now the the difficult job of picking the right color and pattern for my bath project.