Should I choose Porcelain or Ceramic Tiles?

Porcelain tiles and ceramic tiles are similar in a lot of ways. For example, they are both highly durable, easy to maintain, and long-lasting. Some cannot easily tell the difference if you are just browsing online. 

However, when you plan to install porcelain or ceramic tiles in your home, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons before making the big decision. In this article, we want to help you analyze different aspects to figure out the most appropriate tiles for your needs. 

 

Where to install the tiles?

It is important to know that porcelain tiles are heavier than ceramic tiles, so people prefer to use them on the floors, especially in damp locations like your bathroom or kitchen. Porcelain tiles are almost impervious to water compared to ceramic tiles that are more porous and often have a higher water absorption rate. The best example is that a customer can install ceramic tiles on the wall and the porcelain tiles on the floor in a bathroom. 

In addition, you might also need to avoid ceramic tiles in high-traffic areas which are subject to daily scratches as ceramic tiles are not as tough as porcelain ones. On the other hand, ceramic tiles are a good choice for your backslash decor as they are lightweight and flexible in designs which will be explained later. 

 

Decide your budget

No matter how much porcelain and ceramic tiles look alike, their prices differ a lot. Porcelain is made using a mixture of finer clay packed at higher pressures, enabling it to be dense, smooth and impervious to water. As a result, porcelain tiles are inevitably more expensive than ceramic tiles. Before you further explore the different styles and designs of tiles, you need to check your budget and properly allocate your home improvement fund to tiles and other parts. 

 

Design Options

There is no doubt that ceramic tiles have more design options than porcelain tiles. When you’re trying to achieve a specific look, ceramic tiles give you more control than other flooring solutions do. You can find any colors you need in ceramic tiles, and you can even combine different ceramic tiles to form a complex and unique look in your room. 

 

Cost of Installation

Unlike ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles are too heavy to be installed by amateurs, which means you will need to hire professional installers to do the job for you. In other words,  you will need to decide the nature of your project beforehand. If you plan to renovate your home in a DIY way, you probably don’t want to choose porcelain tiles. 

 

Maintenance Frequency

As we have mentioned before, porcelain tiles are highly water-resistant, which is not the only benefit you can have. They are also stain-resistant, hard to break, easy to clean and can hold up well over a long time. You can hardly break or crack the porcelain tiles, and they are the best option for high traffic areas. 

 

So if you have a large family and you expect to use the floor tiles really often, you probably need to invest in high-quality porcelain tiles to save you the maintenance time in the long run. 

It depends on your personal needs in choosing between porcelain and ceramic tiles, which both have their advantages and disadvantages. In addition to carefully considering the above perspectives, you can also consult with a tile expert at Flooring Liquidators to help you browse the non-exhaustive collection of tiles as well as provide the installation advice after your purchase. Please feel free to browse our online tile store. More importantly, you can easily find a Flooring Liquidator store close to you as we have 14 locations in Southern Ontario. 

To see is to believe, and you will have a better idea after seeing the exquisite tiles in the store. If you need any other advice about flooring options, feel free to contact us.