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We hope you will find information here that will help you better understand tile and stone, and some of the choices you will be making when adding tile or stone to your home. We hope this blog will provide quality information and we ask for your comments or any questions you would have about what is posted. Please feel free to ask for things that you would like to see us address. This is not a how-to site but rather a more indepth look at the qualities of various types of materials and processes that may be used in design and installation work with stone and tile. Thank you for viewing this blog. For more information, please visit my website at http://www.creativetile-designs.com/

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Ceramic Tile vs. Porcelain Tile: Part 2

Non-porcelain tile is easier to work with


Non-porcelain tiles are made primarily of clay mixed with minerals and water. The material is then fired to solidify the tiles into a bisque form. This process creates tile that isn’t as hard as porcelain, so it can be worked more easily with basic snap cutters and nippers instead of a wet saw.  A sealer and a glaze are applied to the surface of nonporcelain tile to create color and texture before the tile receives a second firing.
Even though damage to nonporcelain tiles is more noticeable than with some porcelain tile, they can be purchased in grades that are perfectly suited for high-contact areas like kitchen counters and floors.
Non-porcelain tile’s main weakness is that it has a water-absorption rate of greater than 0.5%. As a result, the tile doesn’t perform nearly as well as unglazed porcelain tile in outdoor freeze/thaw environments.

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