Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Apr 12, 2012 6:35 pm Can someone please explain the difference between ceramic and porcelain tiles? Our builder includes porcelain tiles on the floor, ceramic on the walls, but we accidentally chose a ceramic floor tile based on aesthetics and will be charged a little less if we do go with this, which would help as we are pushing our budget to the limits. I hear ceramic tiles are not as hard? But do they chip easily in practice? I'm sure I've had ceramic tiles on my floors for years and never thought about it. What is your experience? Re: Ceramic vs Porcelain Tile 2Apr 13, 2012 3:14 pm Ceramic tiles can easily chip but if you have plenty of spares than no big issue, porcelains still chip but the chip is not as visible on polished porcelain true full bodies. In saying that there are procelains with ceramic coatings and they will chip just like ceramics. I love ceramic tiles they are more forgiving in maintenance and the new designs are getting better and better you can not go wrong as with porcelain tiles they can be a nightmare if you get the cheap quality ones. Craig Re: Ceramic vs Porcelain Tile 3Apr 13, 2012 11:01 pm Yay! Good news. It must be the only cheaper option we've selected in our entire build. Re: Ceramic vs Porcelain Tile 4May 25, 2012 3:18 pm I believe porcelain makes life harder for the tiler because they are harder to cut. I think the biggest price difference is based on the edges, whether they are rectified or not. I would think most porcelain is rectified? Re: Ceramic vs Porcelain Tile 5May 26, 2012 2:18 am IMO avoid glazed ceramic tiles ... pretty much anywhere. My understanding is that the glazing is the shiny coating on the outside of the tile, and it gives the tile it's colour. We chose some wall tiles we liked, looked great in the showroom. Installed at home they initially looked great, too. But after a few year's worth of cleaning the shower recess, just the tiniest bit of grout has come off ... and the fact that the tile's made of an orange clay yet has a white glazing is painfully obvious. From a distance it looks like there's an orange mould everywhere, as the orange peeps through the gap between the glazed surface & the grout. As this is on the edge of the tile ... I wonder if our problem is that they're not "rectified"? Looking for advice on whether this variation in tile colour is acceptable. The large tile on the left was used in my main bathroom renovation 1 year ago. My ensuite… 0 5988 Hi Kaiser85, We are building with Firstyle Homes. Our build has just started, slab pour is on Saturday (hopefully!). Their standard range is pretty good. We did our… 1 4956 |