Porcelain tiles on the floor

Repair is often a headache and the problem of choosing interior design, materials for decoration and flooring. I really want the flooring to be durable, beautiful and not wear out for a long time. Porcelain tiles on the kitchen floor are a great choice. It has a huge number of advantages, among which the most important ones are stability, durability, as well as a wide range of styles, textures and colors. In the article we will review types of porcelain stoneware, its characteristics, with the help of which you can easily decide on the choice of flooring for your kitchen.

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Unlike tiles.

Many people believe that ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles are the same thing, but they are not.

Porcelain tiles in terms of performance and composition are similar to tiles, but they are made in a completely different way. It is made from natural clay, which is subjected to high temperatures of about 1300 degrees. At the same time, a press weighs 400 tons. It is because of this hardening that the material becomes very durable, withstands the effects of temperature extremes and any liquids.

Also the difference from ordinary porcelain tile is the degree of painting. Tiles are painted only on top, and porcelain tiles over the entire thickness.

Important! This structure makes small chips invisible and retains an attractive appearance of the floor.

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Advantages and disadvantages

You can use porcelain stoneware for the floor in the kitchen, thanks to these advantages:

• Strength. Tiles with a thickness of 9 mm can withstand a load of 200 kg per 1 square. cm.
• Moisture resistance. Does not absorb moisture at all.
• High resistance to physical, chemical, mechanical effects.
• Antistatic - does not attract dust, which simplifies the cleaning process.
• Durability - can last about 100 years with appropriate care.
• Fire resistance.
• Acceptable price.
• The widest selection of textures, images and colors.

In general, it will be the right choice to lay porcelain tile on the floor - it lasts a long time and looks great.

Despite the large number of advantages, there are disadvantages:

• The coating is cold, but you can solve this problem by installing a warm floor.
• May be slippery glossy tiles.
• It may fade over time or the image may be erased.
• Cutting when laying is difficult.

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Types of coverage

Before you figure out which porcelain tile to choose for the kitchen floor, consider what types of porcelain it is, depending on the surface properties:

• Technical - endowed with the qualities of granite. This is a cheap look, but at the same time practical, durable.
• Matt This tile is non-gloss, but moisture resistant, solid.
• Polished - glitters, it looks very beautiful, but its functional properties are lower, because the polishing process changes the structure of the material, it becomes porous.
• Sanded - shines like polished, but unsuitable for harsh conditions.
• Embossed - very similar in its roughness to natural stone.
• Satin - glistens, retains all the properties of porcelain stoneware, because the composition that gives shine is applied immediately before firing.
• Glazed - coated with special glaze, which makes it possible to create any texture, color.

Important! A paint layer of this kind may wear off over time. It is not recommended for use in crowded places.

• Textured. Different textures form in the process of its manufacture.The surface of such porcelain tiles is non-slip.

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Nuances when choosing

Choosing porcelain tiles for the floor in the kitchen, you need to pay attention to its technical characteristics, and not be guided only by the design plan.

What you should pay attention to when choosing:

• Strength. The minimum indicator of wear resistance PEI-3.
• The reverse side of the tile should have squares with edges no more than 20 mm, and recesses of a maximum of 3 mm.
• Caliber. For the kitchen, the caliber is 0.1 and 0.2 or 0.8 and 0.9.
• The presence of defects, even edges and whether the tiles are the same size between each other.

You can see such signs on the package:

• Foot - this indicates the purpose of porcelain stoneware for the floor.
• Palm - for the walls.
• Flames with numbers 1 or 2 - this is the number of firing.
• The foot on the painted surface indicates that the material is with increased strength.

Important! If two identical signs are shown nearby, then this means that this quality is doubled.

Which porcelain tiles to choose for the kitchen floor:

• Experts recommend choosing matte porcelain tile. It has all the necessary advantages for use in this room - wear-resistant, durable, non-slip, washable by any means.
• You can also apply the technical appearance, but it does not look so attractive, and the color choice is minimal.
• The textured material also looks beautiful - wear-resistant, beautiful, but has some difficulties when cleaning the surface due to texture.
• It can also be used as a flooring with satin tiles, which are endowed with anti-slip properties, but they can not withstand heavy loads.

Important! This type of porcelain tile is suitable for creating drawing elements on the floor or for decoration.

It is not recommended to use glazed or polished porcelain tiles for the floor in the kitchen. They are slippery, easily scratched, and the glaze erases over time.

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Options and Combinations

Porcelain tiles for the kitchen floor - options and combinations:

• The original way of laying this flooring will visually make the kitchen wider and the ceilings higher.
• For a small kitchen, choose a light tile, and for a large one, a dark one will do.
• Instead of skirting, also lay this tile.

The widest assortment of such tiles is presented on the building materials market, not only in different colors, but also imitating natural materials, leather, marble, stone. There is also a stylization for parquet or wood, this tile gives the kitchen an individuality.

Choosing porcelain tiles for the floor in the kitchen, you can choose any color scheme that suits the interior of the room. Most popular:

• Monocolor is a polished or opaque monophonic porcelain tile.

Important! Use one or two to three colors to create striking combinations of cladding.

• The color of natural marble or granite stones. This is a tile that is stylized as natural stones.
• Salt pepper. Monocolor tiles with specks of light and dark shades. Very large color scheme.
• Texture tile with images of leather, wood, abstraction or stone.

Important! You can lay porcelain tiles on the kitchen floor in any way - both standard and rhombus, Christmas tree, ladder, diagonally and others. It all depends on your imagination.

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Stock footage

Porcelain tile is a luxury tile. Porcelain tiles for the kitchen floor - This is a great option, because this material not only gives the room chic and shine, but also has unique technical characteristics. Equip the kitchen to your liking.