guv wrote:
Ive decided to lay tiles in our hallway, downstairs loo, kitchen and
utility room all in the same tile design.

I have been looking at Porcelain tiles, purely because they are meant
to be much tougher and less likely to crack if something was every
dropped on them.

Having looked in a few tile shops, I note the huge variation in prices
(as expected), but also that porcelain is very much more expensive
than ceramics.

With this in mind, I was intriuged by something I spotted on ebay:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?I2381620E

I have contacted the seller (who has a shop on ebay, shop in Epsom and
warehouse in Gravesend) and he has sent me a sample of the tile shown
in that link and a few others.

One thing that struck me, was they seemed slightly thinner than I had
expected (probably about 7 or 8 mm) and surprisingly light. (Having
said that, the samples were only small peices, not full tiles.)

Looking on the back of the tiles, they were ridged, like I would
expect on ceramics. Is that normal? All the porcelain tiles I have
seen, look like they could be laid either way round! (Though there
probably is a correct side - thats just a quick observation!)

The tiles also seem to originate from China.

Does it look like I should avoid these? (I have to say, I like the
price)

I dont want to regret a purchase, but Im guessing as long as they lay
ok and behave themselves once down, whats likely to go wrong?

A dilema! I'm fully aware of the "get what you pay for" ideal,
but.......



I think the answer lies in what is meant by porcelain.

To me porcelain is a fine delicate ceramic,usually white, from which
dainty and fragile teas sets are made. And possibly toilets and basins.
And is totally unsuitable as a flooring.

Ceramic, is a material used because its tough and strong and goes in the
business end of jet engines ;-)

Then there is terra cotta, earthenware, brick, quary tiles, natural
stone tiles, and so on ad nauseam.

Before you even get to the galze, which is 99.99% of the wear capability
of the tile.

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

I think the answer lies in what is meant by porcelain.

To me porcelain is a fine delicate ceramic,usually white, from which
dainty and fragile teas sets are made. And possibly toilets and basins.
And is totally unsuitable as a flooring.

Ceramic, is a material used because its tough and strong and goes in the
business end of jet engines ;-)

Then there is terra cotta, earthenware, brick, quary tiles, natural
stone tiles, and so on ad nauseam.

Before you even get to the galze, which is 99.99% of the wear capability
of the tile.


Ah, but porcelain tiles are quite well defined, they are quite different
from glazed ceramic tiles.

With a ceramic tile, you have a baked-clay body, with a thin vitreous
layer on top. With porcelain tiles, they are fully vitrified - there is
no top glaze. They are also totally non-porous.

As for the OP - that price is amazing. If they are really porcelain
(easy enough to tell if you have samples) snap it up. We paid around
£30/sqm for similar tiles in blue.


--
Grunff

Grunff wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

I think the answer lies in what is meant by porcelain.

To me porcelain is a fine delicate ceramic,usually white, from which
dainty and fragile teas sets are made. And possibly toilets and
basins. And is totally unsuitable as a flooring.

Ceramic, is a material used because its tough and strong and goes in
the business end of jet engines ;-)

Then there is terra cotta, earthenware, brick, quary tiles, natural
stone tiles, and so on ad nauseam.

Before you even get to the galze, which is 99.99% of the wear
capability of the tile.


Ah, but porcelain tiles are quite well defined, they are quite different
from glazed ceramic tiles.

With a ceramic tile, you have a baked-clay body, with a thin vitreous
layer on top. With porcelain tiles, they are fully vitrified - there is
no top glaze. They are also totally non-porous.


I wonder why they call them porcelain then. Never seen nor heard of
anything like that apart from quarry tiles.

Ah, Wikipedia has a decent enough blurb..

....."Through-body porcelain tile, is as the name implies does not
involve a glaze or a layering of different products together to create a
tile. The surface, and the interior of the tile is the exact same
material. Much as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, tile is
only as strong as its weakest component, which is why porcelain tile is
used in many applications, where glazed tile would not be able to hold
up to the local conditions (impact, frost).

Italy is the birthplace of modern porcelain tile production, but today
is produced in many countries, including China, Turkey, Argentina, and
Spain.

Porcelain and ceramic are essentially the same product, the difference
being the end result out of the kilns. The two defining characteristics
for tile are water absorption, and abrasion. By definition by ANSI to be
classified as porcelain tile, the product must be 99.95% non-porous (or
better)."






As for the OP - that price is amazing. If they are really porcelain
(easy enough to tell if you have samples) snap it up. We paid around
£30/sqm for similar tiles in blue.