Benefits of Porcelain Tile Flooring by Segment

Choosing the proper flooring for the different rooms in your home can be a daunting task. There are multiple factors that must be considered when doing so. Questions like:

 

●        How much are you willing to spend?

●        Is the room you are flooring in a low or a high traffic area?

●        How durable are each of the options you’re considering?

●        What style or design are you looking for?

 

These are just a few of the questions you must answer. In this article, we will focus on the benefits and the drawbacks of choosing porcelain tile for various segments of your home.

 

Porcelain tile is often considered a “glorified ceramic tile” because it is made from clay and through a similar process of firing the clay at high temperatures to harden it. However, describing porcelain this way downplays the significant advantages it can have over ceramic or other types of tiles. Though the manufacturing process is similar, porcelain is made from much finer and more purified clay that is fired at a higher temperature and with greater pressure than ceramic. This process creates a tile that is stronger, harder and more water-resistant than a ceramic tile.

 

The long-lasting durability of porcelain tile makes it an ideal fit for high-traffic areas of the home, as it can hold up to the everyday stresses of life. Paired with its water-resistant qualities, porcelain tiles can last for decades. These tiles also come in numerous colors, designs, and styles to fit any aesthetic you’re looking to achieve.

 

In this article, we will discuss the benefits of choosing porcelain tile for spaces in your home, including the bathroom, kitchen and garage, along with looking at some of the drawbacks you need to be aware of when making your decision

 

The most important thing to consider when choosing flooring for your bathroom is the material’s ability to prevent water from seeping through to the subfloor and causing damage. Because of this, there is no better flooring option than porcelain tile! Porcelain has a water absorption rate of 0.5% or less, according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ATSM), due to the fine clays and high temperatures used to create it. As long as the grouted seams are adequately maintained, you can rest assured that your home is protected.

 

Porcelain tiles are also ideal for the bathroom because of their versatility in design and appearance. From designs that mimic stone and marble, such as LX Hausys’ TERACANTO collection, to those that come in the colors of a more standard ceramic tile, we guarantee you can find a look that is perfect for your bathroom. Additionally, porcelain tiles are made in a wide range of shapes and sizes that can be used to create mosaics and other designs to give your bathroom a unique look.

 

This type of flooring is also an ideal choice for your bathroom due to its compatibility with underfloor heating, an increasingly popular inclusion in many bathrooms. These tiles are thinner than stone, so they heat up faster and retain the heat.

 

Several of the qualities that make porcelain tiles perfect for your bathroom make them an equally suitable option for your kitchen. The floors of your kitchen are bound to see their fair share of spills, so it’s very important for your floor to be water-resistant. Unlike the bathroom, the floors in your kitchen are more likely to see spills from liquids that will stain them, but because porcelain tile is non-porous, it is extremely resistant to staining. In addition, these floors are very easy to clean and spills can be wiped up.

 

Your kitchen is also a heavy traffic area, so your floor will need to be able to withstand the stresses of weighty objects being dropped on it. The high temperature at which porcelain clay is fired makes these tiles extremely strong to resist being damaged in these events. In the unlikely case that a tile does get chipped or cracked, these tiles will hide it well because they are the same color all the way through the body of the tile.

 

We guarantee you will be able to find the perfect porcelain tile for your kitchen due to the wide range of designs available, including those that mimic wood, a popular flooring option for kitchens.

 

Porcelain tiles are also a popular flooring option for spaces adjoining the home, such as the patio or garage because they can provide a seamless transition from the inside to the outside of your home. They also offer a cleaner, more sophisticated appearance when compared to the more common concrete flooring. Porcelain tiles are also far easier to clean because of their smooth surface, which prevents dust and other grime from collecting in the textures of most garage floors.

 

Their water-resistant qualities make them ideal for standing up to the environmental stressors the floor in your garage will be exposed to. In areas where it gets below freezing during the winter, it is essential that your floor is water-resistant to prevent frost from damaging the floor. In addition, the floor’s compatibility with underfloor heating makes for an ideal way to heat your garage

 

Now that we have discussed all the reasons why porcelain tiles are an excellent flooring solution for your home, we need to discuss some of the drawbacks. The most common reason people shy away from choosing porcelain tiles is due to their high cost when compared to other options, such as similar ceramic tiles, vinyl, or laminate flooring. This is due to the process and materials used to produce porcelain tiles, but also being more labor intensive to install and requiring specialized tools and not being ideal for DIY job. However, over time, porcelain tiles can be far more cost effective. Porcelain tiles have a life expectancy of over 50 years because of their ability to stand up to damage, stains, and the everyday wear of life. By comparison, most other types of flooring only last around 10 to 20 years.

 

Porcelain tiles can also be difficult to repair and require a professional; however, they are extremely durable and will stand up to damage. Even if the floor is damaged, porcelain tiles hide imperfections well because the design and color runs all the way through the tile, unlike ceramic tiles where the design is only on the thin, glazed layer on top of the tile. These tiles also require very little maintenance other than the regular cleaning all floors need and to ensure the grouted seams between tiles are kept in adequate condition to prevent moisture from leaking through.

 

Another common complaint is the coldness of porcelain, especially in the morning. This problem can be solved with the installation of underfloor heating to make it nice and warm during your morning routine.

 

The final drawback to porcelain floors is that they often don’t often increase a home’s overall value the way other flooring options might. However, a beautiful porcelain floor can often be appealing to potential buyers and cause the home to sell faster