﻿Ceramic and porcelain tiles are the two most popular floor and wall tiles for residential
and commercial construction. However, there is a lot of confusing information out there
on the similarities and differences between the two. In this video, we’re going to clear up the
issue by discussing their composition, quality, price and performance.
Tiles have been used as decorative art for centuries. The earliest use of tiles can
be found in Egypt, Mesopotamia and China. The word ceramic comes from a Greek word
meaning pottery’s clay, which is what it was first used for. The word porcelain comes from
a French word meaning shell or chinaware. Both of these are made of 3 main ingredients.
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 or hydrated magnesium silicate.
The next ingredient is a filler like quartz or silica or silicon dioxide, 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
So, both ceramic and porcelain tiles are made of clay and fired in a kiln. But every brand
has a slightly different ingredient mix and manufacturing process, so it is very difficult
to summarize the differences between the two. However, 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.
Both ceramic and porcelain tiles can be unglazed or glazed. Unglazed tiles tend to be denser,
thicker, and scratch and slip resistant. Glazed tiles are thinner,
more prone to cracking, but more stain resistant. They are also better on walls than
floors, since the glazing is slippery. 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. This higher temperature allows porcelain tile to develop a denser exterior
that is more durable than ceramic. 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. They should be used for light-traffic areas like homes.
Porcelain tiles have a rating between 3 and 5. They can be used in high-traffic areas like
restaurants, bars, malls, and schools. You can find both floor and wall ceramic and
porcelain tiles. Floor tile is made thicker and harder to withstand foot traffic,
appliances and furniture. It can also have a texture to reduce the risk of slips.
Wall tile tends to be thinner, smoother and more delicate. It’s also slippery when wet.
Before we continue with the properties of ceramic and porcelain tiles, I’d like to introduce the
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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. In the past, porcelain tiles used to be “through body tiles”.
Color ran all the way through, so if the top surface chipped, it wasn’t as noticeable.
Nowadays, most floor and wall tiles have a printed picture, protected by a thin glaze.
If either of these are chipped, you will see the color underneath.
Ceramic tile is easier to cut because it’s not as dense.
I’ve used both a wet saw and a hand held grinder with a diamond tipped blade to cut them.
Porcelain tile can be more difficult to cut because it’s denser.
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%. Because of these percentages, ceramic tile should be used
indoors and for residential applications. Porcelain tile can be used outdoors and
is better for commercial applications. Now for the cost. Ceramic tiles are generally
cheaper than porcelain. 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.
You can find high-end, durable ceramic tiles like Durabody tile by interceramic. It has a much
higher breaking strength than its competitors, and is just as good as some porcelain tile products.
It can be used outdoors and is resistant to frost and stains. It also has high resolution prints
on the surface that mimic stone and wood. As manufacturing processes continue to improve,
it is getting very difficult to tell the difference between ceramic and porcelain
tile. I’d recommend looking at the quality of the print and the texture of the top surface.
The print on this cheaper ceramic tile is pixelated and not very realistic. 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.