Deciding between porcelain and ceramic can be one of the most important design choices you make, especially when you consider tiling, wall features, and flooring. Whatever your intentions are, you have to be informed from a practical point of view by knowing the difference between the two and which one is more appropriate for your building application. Fortunately, we have just the information you seek. Refer to the following differentiating factors to inform your choice:
Material composition and water absorption
Of course, you may already know that ceramic and porcelain are made of completely two different materials. However, you may not know what the particular differences are, which can impact your choice.
All you have to remember is ceramic is made of a course type of clay, while porcelain is crafted with kaolin clay. It means that their water absorption qualities are not the same since one appears denser than the other.
In particular, porcelain is more resistant to water because of its denser qualities, making it the better choice over ceramics when you need it for outside projects and wet rooms, such as outdoor kitchen remodeling. Ceramics, on the other hand, can soak up water and gradually erodes over time when exposed to the elements. Thus, it would be better for indoor applications. In other words, it really depends on where you want to use these materials.
Installation
Ceramic and porcelain installations come in different forms for a typical construction project. You may want to focus on a particular room, such as bathroom remodeling, while others would have to start from scratch by considering the whole structure. In other words, you may have to look into various installation elements before determining their overall difficulty.
For instance, most construction professionals would gravitate towards using ceramics because they are softer and easier to customize than porcelain. If you have a ceramic tile countertop installation, you can get more pronounced edges and patterns, giving you more aesthetic appeal for a reasonable price than you would for porcelain.
Thus, it would be best to consult with tile contractors to help you compare and contrast installation plans and determine which material is best for you.
Sourcing costs and maintenance expenses
While browsing through different ceramics and porcelain items, you may assume that one is cheaper than the other, especially when you talk about tiles. Conservatively speaking, most suppliers would offer ceramic tiles for as little as 50 cents per square foot, depending on the design and other specifications. Porcelain tiles tend to be more expensive, being three dollars minimum. However, these prices are just baseline determinants for your construction needs.
Remember, what you are after is the more long-term costs on maintenance and repairs, which can be significantly more costly than sourcing and installation. Thus, it would be best to consult construction professionals for estimates, especially since the maintaining costs for both ceramics and porcelain tend to be similar.
Conclusion
As you can see, you cannot simply put porcelain and ceramic against each other. You have to consider all the previously mentioned features based on your needs and preferences. Fortunately, you now have a better understanding of what you may need to go for to build one-of-a-kind projects. Just ensure that you have design experts like us to guide you through the process.
Are you looking for the best tiles in San Rafael and other natural stone materials for your building needs? Contact us at Miconi Marble & Tile. We are your dedicated team of tiling professionals, offering you the inspiration and means to take your next remodeling project or new construction to the next level. Bring your design vision to reality with us today!
