In this materialistic world, we want our dwelling in a modern and elegant style. Perhaps the most commonly used flooring material is tile and it comes in different types. These include ceramics, porcelain, natural stones and glass when used in the home; they offer a ravishing style which pleases the eyes. The characteristics of these materials vary from each other.
Ceramic Tiles:
Ceramic tiles are fired clay products. The raw material for making ceramic tiles differs in different countries. For example in UK, it is made from white clay while in Spain hard red clay is used.
As a first step, clays and feldspars are mixed next they are transformed into clay dusts and are pressed at a temperature of about 1200C to produce the final output.Main advantage is that these materials are easily washable, thereby saving a lot of hard work in cleaning of floor. The disadvantage is that they absorb a significant amount of water like a sponge.
Ceramic tiles are available in various shapes and designs. These categories of tiles also have a tendency to resist continuous use. Excellent thermal properties are one of the salient features of ceramic tiles. These tiles have the capacity to heat up faster and to make it in a fast manner in under flooring process. Due to activities in production batch, slight change in texture occurs.
Porcelain Tiles:
It is the hardest of all the varieties of the tiles available. These products are used in floors, walls etc. they are available in two forms, glazed and unglazed. Though hardest, they also contain some undesirable properties. When an unglazed variety is maintained properly, its life span can be as high as 1000 years.
Porcelain tiles have all the qualities of porcelain material differing only in the raw material used. For manufacturing porcelain china clay is used along with some impurities. Then these are pressed at higher pressure and are heated at about 1250 -1300C. Due to this unusually high temperature, porcelain is more impact, stain and frost resistant.
Of the several advantages of glazed model, one is that they have a significant effect and frost resistance. This feature makes Porcelain tiles a wise option for flooring material. The thermal characteristic of porcelain material is that they heat up in a slow, manner while the delivery of heat is at a constant rate. Also, the water absorbing rate is extremely small and makes it water repellent. Thus, this type of material is of immense use in a flooding area.
Glazed wall and floor tiles:
Glazed wall type is designed for walls alone. These tiles are suitable only for internal use. Glazed tiles can be installed and cleaned easily. Glazed floor types are used in walls and floors. These are available in different designs. Glazed tiles are impact and scratch resistant and are easily washable. External texture can also be added but, it makes cleaning harder. The glaze is subjected to weariness.
Quarry and stone:
Quarry is prepared from clay and is used in flooring and paving. These are robust and have a long life. Query and stone are little porous, limited in shapes and sizes and staining can occur if sealing is not done properly. Stone type requires proper maintenance and sealing. It can be fractured and is used in timber floors.
Glass tiles:
In this type, variety of designs can be made. Due to slippery nature they are used only in walls.
Before going for flooring complete analysis should be done, to select appropriate tile for home. Glass tiles will assist in giving our dream home a calm and elegant effect.
No comments:
Post a Comment