Porcelain or ceramic tiles: Which should I choose for my home?

We explore the pros and cons of both materials

Replicating cement encaustic tile, these durable 20cm x 20cm 9mm thick porcelain tiles are suited to walls, floors, indoors, outdoors, bathrooms, kitchens, hallways, and outside porches. €84 per square metre, suppliers include adoretile.com

So, you’re putting up or putting down some tile. There’s a blizzard of excitement surrounding colour and scale, luxuriant new textures and look-a-likes products in quartz-rich faux marbles, leathers, precious metals and even fabrics. Having walked kilometres of showrooms, flipped hundreds of sample boards and sleuthed our way around Houzz and Instagram, we then hit the wall. Porcelain or ceramic? What’s the difference? Is ceramic simply cheaper and less desirable?

The truth is, both materials can deliver exquisite kitchens, bathrooms, halls and extensive rectified flooring solutions, but they do have their individual merits. Don’t panic. Once you have a tile rated to where it’s going, and properly installed, you’re not going to smash it out with your shampoo bottle while shrieking out some ABBA under the rainfall shower. All tile should be water and slip-resistant where needed, durable and suited to the situation and substrate (wall or floor material and treatments) where it’s being installed. After that, the choice is yours.

3. These tiles are not ceramic or porcelain types but Spanish cement. They are durable and easy to cut but need very good sealing. Ensure you know the materials before you install to any surface. Bert and May Canola Yellow Otura Tile, €9 per tile. bertandmay.com for suppliers

It’s quite possible, you will find a tile range that sweeps you off your feet, only to stall at finding it’s not the aspirational material you had hoped for. Some buyers use the terms porcelain and ceramic interchangeably and have no idea of the differences. Confused? The truth is – porcelain is a highly specific form of ceramic. For the lay person, trotting the aisles, both ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles have the same glazed finish and relative heft in the hand. The difference is how the material is made, how it’s fired, and finally how water-repellent it is as a result. As it’s receiving so much love from buyers, let’s start with porcelain.

Porcelain

Pros: Porcelain tile is made of a very fine, white kaolin clay, feldspar and sand. Fired at very high temperatures of up to 1,200⁰C, it’s dense, strong, and has a glaze made up of liquefied glass. Because the tiny grains of material from which it is based are closer together, it’s less absorbent than standard ceramic tile (around 0.5% less porous - so not incredibly different). This makes it a great choice for situations with standing, pooling water like wet rooms and edging swimming pools. In terms of durability, the top face of porcelain has a high-definition (HD) design that is taken right to the edge of the tile. This will last as long as the tile does. They are the perfect choice for high footfall areas like halls and corridors which demand the high Porcelain Enamel Institute ratings of PEI4 and PEI5, intended to take the slings and arrows of domestic life. Porcelain flooring can cross the threshold running from inside to out due to its renowned frost resistance. It’s no longer confined to less busy patterns and a few colours, and the latest inkjet printing technology delivers eye-watering artistry that can imitate everything from fossil-rich limestone to lime-washed wood in a smooth, refined finish.

Cons: Porcelain is harder and heavier than ceramic tile (9mm up). It’s therefore just that bit more difficult to cut and install without a dedicated skill set. Chances are, if you are straying into your first tile project, the amount of breakage you will experience cutting porcelain tile will be higher than vouching for standard ceramic tile. Ensure you have that essential 10% contingency included in your order. It is tough once down, but more brittle when you are handling it, or when edges are “lipping” in a badly installed rectified tile. Uneven porcelain floor tiles can lead to chipping. If you drop something heavy on a porcelain floor it’s not indestructible. My rattling washing machine shoved my tile around and delivered two heart-breaking hairline cracks.

Because porcelain is heavier, hung on walls the substrates must be up to the weight. In theory, skim-coated plaster can hold around 20kg per metre and prepared plasterboard around 32kg per metre. Porcelain tile is a prestige material, generally more expensive than standard ceramic, and you should expect to pay around 50% more for it by the metre depending on the brand and range. That said – tile suppliers seem to be in an endless spin of seasonal sales, year-round, so assume nothing. The grouting on any porcelain tile must be sealed after installation. Alternatives: Real stone or concrete (poured or sectional)

Ceramic

Pros: Don’t’ dismiss ceramic tile as not up to the job. Ceramic tile as we know it is made in a mixture of red, white or brown clay and the particles used to make it are bigger than the file kaolin used in porcelain ceramics. If you look at a broken ceramic tile against a porcelain one, the section will look and feel coarser and rougher.

Strong, durable and resistant to dirt and water, a suitably rated choice together with a perfect installation can deliver a superb wall or floor that will last for many years with the odd repair and just a refresh to your grouting. Because we have favoured it for decades, the option in ceramic tile is dazzling, and it can be found glazed or un-glazed in a dusty matt finish (not to be confused with Moroccan cement tiles). Like porcelain tile, ceramic tile is now created using sophisticated inkjet print technology creating both colour and texture variation not possible with the old silk-screen and “rotocolour” methods. The graphics on quality ceramic tile are HD, and far superior to those of ten or fifteen years ago, easily replicating stone and other natural materials.

Ceramic, being less dense, is lighter and easier to cut. If you’re having a go, and don’t have a wet saw with a diamond blade, ceramic tile can be handled with a reasonable tile-cutter off-the-shelf from any DIY outlet, but expect to struggle through the complex cuts like radiator pipe positions. Your bathroom and bedroom floor are relatively low footfall areas, making ceramic an appropriate, affordable choice, and they are ideal for finishing walls in a standard bathroom or shower with the right tanking and grout choice.

Cons: Flooring with ceramic, it’s generally recommended to stick to those low traffic flow areas. Every product is rated for hardness and durability, so drill down on the specs. This does not mean that ceramic tile is a compromise elsewhere, and it can last decades in pristine condition, especially on walls. Iconic Spanish maker Porcelanosa, points out that - “the undercarriage of the space shuttle was clad in ceramics to help it withstand its descent to earth through the atmosphere.”

Ceramic, un-glazed stone style tiles can scratch, scuff and wear compared to porcelain in say a busy, narrow hallway. Porcelain is more complex to install on walls but once in, it is less prone to chips and cracking than ceramic if hit hard. With wider grout lines often favoured with ceramic, ensure your grout has good antibacterial and mould growth credentials. Buy your tiles in one batch for colour consistency, and don’t leave powerful cleaning products on their surface for long periods as this could fade out or damage the pattern and colour. Remember that un-glazed ceramic flooring must be sealed to protect it against staining and water damage. An experienced supplier will guide your selection and offer detailed installation advice, including their recommendation for adhesives, grout and sealants for a glittering final finish. Alternatives: Glass wall tiling and encaustic tiling (cement) for flooring and walls.