How Durable Is a Porcelain Floor Tile?

Featured Image: Canyon Brown 12 x 24 (Wall) & 24 x 24 (Floor) Porcelain Living Room Tile from Arizona Tile

Want the look of wood, natural stone, cement, or hand-painted tiles? Porcelain tile is offered in a wide range of colors and styles, is easy to clean, and is aesthetically pleasing. Porcelain offers many floor tile options from traditional to textured to patterned, giving you the opportunity to upgrade your home with the perfectly selected floor tile. Before choosing a style, it’s important to check in on its durability.

In general, porcelain tile is very durable but let’s take a more detailed look at the material’s characteristics to find out why it holds up to the toughest abuse.

Durability Characteristics of Porcelain Tile

Made of a mix of clay, sand, feldspar and sometimes other minerals, porcelain is an incredibly versatile manmade material and has several interesting and important characteristics:

• Once the pattern is applied, the tiles are glazed to form a protective surface, then fired at extreme temperatures, which fuses the glaze to the body of the tile, and makes it harder and more dense that other tile products, as well as scratch-resistant.
• Porcelain is non-porous (which means it’s easy to clean and it doesn’t harbor dirt or bacteria) and with its low absorption rating (less than 0.5%) making it water-resistant, it can be used for interior and exterior applications.
• Porcelain has a very high resistance to thermal shock, which means it can sustain a dramatic temperature change without cracking.

All of these features give you some idea about the toughness of porcelain. But how strong is it, exactly? Various tests have been carried out to answer this very question.

Porcelain is characterized by very high bending strength – the ability to resist deformation or breakage under load. That’s a result of the high firing temperature (often higher than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit) that makes the clay particles in its composition fuse together. The process produces a very dense, tough, non-porous material.

The bending strength of porcelain is set at anywhere between 35 and 50 N/mm². In comparison, the bending strength of wood is about 50 N/mm², and concrete is about 50 to 200 N/mm² (for ultra-high strength concrete).

Image: Aequa Tur 8 x 32 Porcelain Bathroom Floor Tile from Arizona Tile

The Benefits of Porcelain for Indoor Use

Beautiful large-format tile like our Marvel porcelain is a wonderful choice for indoor floor applications.

The most important benefits of porcelain tile for indoor flooring include:

• There are lots of beautiful designs and varieties to choose from, including tiles that concrete and natural stone.
• Minimal maintenance requirements: porcelain is non-porous, stain-resistant, crack-resistant, and water-resistant
• It’s perfect for high-traffic areas because it’s resistant to wear and breakage
• An excellent price-to-quality ratio and a good return on investment because of its durability

Image: Bio Attitude Almond 8 x 48 Wood-Look Porcelain Tile from Arizona Tile

The Benefits of Porcelain for Outdoor Use

Incredibly versatile, porcelain is also a great choice for outdoor and even commercial uses. Our Bio Attitude series of glazed porcelain floor tile looks rustic and natural. It also reduces the risk of bacterial growth and it can’t be damaged by moisture (perfect for poolside and garden applications).

Image: Canyon Ivory Large Format Indoor & Outdoor Porcelain Tile from Arizona Tile

Canyon is another beautiful porcelain creation perfect for outdoor and commercial installations.

A few great reasons why porcelain tile will add value to your outdoor areas include:

• Frost-proof and weather-resistant, it can withstand atmospheric changes and harsher climates
• Scratch and chip-resistant because of the material’s dense composition
• Some porcelain floor tile has an R11 Anti-Slip coating, making them ideal for use outdoors and in wet areas
• A wide range of designs that will complement any outdoor application
• Low maintenance options that can be easily cleaned

Image: Marvel Black Atlantis Polished Porcelain Kitchen Floor Tile from Arizona Tile

Make the Most of Porcelain Floor Tile in Each Room

The uses of porcelain tile in each room are numerous. Let’s examine a few potential applications across the home:

Kitchen

For what is typically the busiest room in the house, durable tile for the kitchen floor is a must. Porcelain delivers toughness, while also being elegant and modern. The scratch and moisture-resistant properties increase the practical appeal of kitchen porcelain tile floors. Because it’s very strong and crack-resistant, porcelain is a good option for withstanding the daily wear and tear experienced in a kitchen.

Bathroom

Durable tile flooring negates the negative effects of moisture in the bathroom. You can rest assured that your porcelain tile will remain crack-free and hygienic with regular cleaning. For the best results, choose a slip-resistant tile, such as any of the options offered with the surface.

Entryways

The entryway is a high-traffic area. It’s also the part of the house that sees a lot of mud and dirt. The water resistance and easy maintenance of porcelain tile make it a perfect choice for a part of the home that needs to be cleaned regularly.

Porcelain tile is also a great idea for stairs and even for the living room for a clean aesthetic and ease of maintenance. Large families, especially those with kids or pets, will appreciate the practical appeal and the durability.

Image: Marvel Statuario Supremo Porcelain Floor Tile from Arizona Tile

Commercial Applications of Porcelain Tile

The durability of porcelain is a wonderful characteristic that makes it great for high-traffic areas. Waiting rooms, locker rooms, entryways, poolside areas, and even offices benefit from its unique properties. Because it’s so easy to clean and sanitize, porcelain will make it easy for any commercial establishment to meet health requirements for a public business space.

With multiple design options available, porcelain tile is also an amazing choice that can fit nearly every interior design concept – from retro chic to industrial and even post-modern.

A Wide Selection of Luxurious Porcelain Floor Tile Awaits You

So incredibly versatile, porcelain tile ranks as one of the top product classes across all our product lines. With our extensive selection of high-quality, attractive porcelain tile for your indoor and outdoor projects, we can help you bring your design vision to reality.

Our Just Imagine Tile Visualizer gives you the ability to view our many tile options in various room settings, helping you make your design decision.  Plus, our website provides all the information needed for all of our tiles, including sizes, testing data and more.

Visit one of our Arizona Tile showroom locations throughout the western US to explore the extensive range of porcelain flooring products available.

As always, contact our helpful and knowledgeable team if you have questions about a particular type of porcelain tile, or any of our products. We are always happy to answer your questions and help guide you to the perfect flooring material for your home or business.