Tiles add an elegant touch and are easy to clean and maintain. Thanks to the wide variety of colours, sizes and textures available, you can match the ideal tiles to virtually any room.
This is the most popular and widely used type of tile for most floor and wall
applications.
Many finishes (matt, gloss, satin/sheen, patterns, slip-resistant surfaces, etc.)
can be achieved during the glazing process by adding specific ingredients either
onto or into the glaze.
Currently, only imported products are available on the South African market.
These tiles are extremely dense with a low degree of water absorption. They are
hard wearing, and thus more expensive than Monocuttura Ceramic Tiles.
There are three categories of porcelain tiles:
- Full body unglazed – where the colours are obtained by dispersing mineral oxides throughout the bisque. Suitable for heavy traffic areas and industrial applications.
- Polished porcelain – as above, but the surface is “polished” to create a gloss appearance.
- Glazed porcelain – the tile is glazed to obtain specific finishes/effects.
Note: When purchasing porcelain tiles, due to the density of bisque a better
quality (higher bond strength) of adhesive is required for laying of tiles.
Porcelain tiles, due to their density and low water absorption properties, are
suitable for areas in sub-zero temperatures.
Often loosely referred to as Terra Cotta (meaning Earth Fired), these can be
glazed but are generally produced as a rustic, slip-resistant floor covering.
Today ceramic tile manufacturers copy the look of Terra Cotta tiles in glazed
form, which does not require the regular maintenance of unglazed clay tiles or
sealant application and thus are easier to clean and maintain.
These are mined and cut to size. Natural stones, slates and sandstones come out of the ground and are 100% natural, so no two tiles or colours will be identical.
