Porcelain Tiles As Flooring Option—Its Pros And Cons

Porcelain is perceived to be a flooring material of extremely high quality. It is also very hard, beautiful to look at, has a glaze which adds to the beauty of the room and can be effectively used to create many different designs.

But before taking the final plunge and zeroing on porcelain tiles as the best flooring alternative, it is always better to candidly know the advantages and disadvantages it presents.

Advantages or pros of porcelain tiles

• Durability: Porcelain tiles are fired a temperatures which are much higher than those used to fire ordinary ceramic tiles. The clay mixture used to make these tiles is also much more refined. These factors result in porcelain tiles being denser and consequently sport a harder finish which makes them extremely durable.
• Hygiene: Porcelain tiles are non-porous and have surfaces which can be easily cleaned thereby making them much more hygienic and conducive to the growth of a healthy environment at home.

Unaffected by weather: The process and nature of the materials used to make the porcelain tiles enables these tiles to withstand all the elements of weather. Hence they are unaffected by water, moisture and dampness, do not crack due to temperature differences of the weather, are resistant to fading from the influence of the sun etc. They are also stain resistant and fireproof enough to seem absolutely invincible.

• Versatility: Porcelain tiles have qualities which make it an ideal flooring option for all rooms. Hence they can be used in the bathrooms, the kitchen, the living rooms, hallways, bedrooms and in some cases even outdoors to enable a seamless transformation from the outside to the inside of the house.
• Maintenance free: These tiles are absolutely maintenance free and can be cleaned regularly by sweeping and mopping accompanied by an additional vacuuming. Thus these tiles are an absolutely hassle free flooring alternative.

Disadvantages or cons of porcelain tiles

• Density: The density of porcelain tiles is both a boon and a curse. It is a boon because it accounts for its longevity and it is a curse because the density makes porcelain tiles extremely hard. This makes it difficult to cut using DIY tools and thus a DIY installation of porcelain tiles can cause some hassle.
• Weight: Porcelain tiles are also quite heavy and this can make its installation quite a laborious, time-consuming and difficult process. The weight of these tiles also acts as a hindrance to its installation as flooring option for the upper storeys unless and until these storeys are specifically built to handle the extra weight of the tiles.

Cost: Porcelain tiles are a relatively costly option and combined with the fact that the cost of its installation can also be somewhat high; the whole process can put quite a strain on the budget. Hence this needs to be taken into account and the budget worked out accordingly.

While advantages and disadvantages are an inherent part of each and every type of flooring option available today, some options have advantages which have long standing implications while others have disadvantages which are not apparent initially but give problems later on. Porcelain tiles have no such problems and have advantages which are, in fact, long standing enough to be passed down generations.