"Paul Franklin" wrote in message
...
On 7 Oct 2004 18:01:47 -0700, (TheCouchCruncher)
wrote:

I'm installing a fireplace if you have been following some of my other
posts.

I had a question about ceramic tile and porcelain tile. I was going to
do marble around the fireplace but the guy at the stove place
suggested using tile with a colored grout. It was a nice look. Also,
he said if you do it right you can easily swap out the tile if you
change the color of the room you can change the tile with little
expense compared to marble. We've looked at them and sure enough they
sell tile that looks a lot like a natural stone product.

My question is what is the major difference between ceramic and
porcelain tile? Is one easier to cut over the other? I was going to
get a diamond blade and put it on my chop saw, would this work? Or
will a little table top 89.99 wet tile saw do better? Or can this tile
be scored and broken like tile? I noticed that the ceramic tile is
like 3/16 thick and the porcelain is more like a ¼ inch thick. My wife
likes one of the porcelain patterns so I think I'm going to be cutting
that thick stuff. Let me know which way to go. Thanks.

Porcelain can be scored and snapped for straight cuts. It's harder on
the scoring wheel and doesn't always snap as cleanly, but it's easily
doable. Wear good eye protection.

Forget about the diamond blade in the chop saw. You don't want that
dust billowing out and the dry cut blade will wear quickly. Spring
for the $90 wet saw. Cuts a little slower perhaps, but no dust and a
nice clean cut. If you are just doing the fireplace, you could rent a
pro wet saw which will cut it like butter, but you will pay half or
more of the $90 cost of the import wet saw for a weekend rental.

Make sure the thinset you buy is labled for porcelain tile; the cheap
stuff usually isn't. A friend of mine had to redo the better part of a
kitchen when the porcelain tiles started popping out of the thinset
because it wasn't labled for porcelain and didn't stick to it well
enough. It has to do with the proportion and type of latex additive.

Good luck with your fireplace.

Paul


they've been using marble around fireplaces for hundreds of years. it's
actually easier to do than tile, since it's so soft. it does stain though,
so you have to be careful with the smoke and glasses of red wine on the
hearth.

whoever told you that you can easily replace tiles to change the color
shouldn't be listened to.

thinset is thinset. add your own admix, it comes in large jugs. there is no
porcelain or ceramic thinsets. porcelain IS ceramic, it's just fired in a
hotter kiln than lowfired ceramics to make it. the thickness of the tile
doesn't have anything to do with ceramic as opposed to porcelain; it's just
the style and/or type of tiles that gives a difference. some ceramic tiles
are very thin (mostly wall tiles).