Porcelain Tile That Looks Like Concrete vs. Painted Concrete

Concrete tile can be an appealing flooring option for many homeowners, due to its relatively low price, durability, and stylish, contemporary look. However, there are some drawbacks to using cement in your home. As an alternative, you might consider installing concrete lookalike tiles made from porcelain, which delivers the same modern style with a few additional advantages.

Porcelain tile that looks like concrete has the same easy maintenance and quality characteristics of any porcelain tile product. Let’s take a look at how concrete-look porcelain stacks up to the real deal.

Painted Concrete

• Requires sealing: For best results, concrete flooring should be sealed or waxed every 6-12 months depending on the level of traffic in the room.
• Porous: Unsealed concrete is porous and absorbent, meaning it will soak up spills and stains readily unless the sealant is properly applied and regularly maintained.
• Pattern/color can wear off: Unlike porcelain tile, the pattern or color of concrete tiles is applied after the curing process. As a result, it can wear off over time, and chips and cracks in the surface will be more visible.
• Fragile before installation: While concrete tiles are generally durable once installed, they can be fragile and prone to cracks and breaks prior to installation.

Concrete-Look Porcelain Tile

• Doesn’t need to be sealed: Porcelain is made up of 50% feldspar and is fired at extremely high temperatures, making it much harder and denser than other tile products. As a result, it does not need to be sealed like natural stone, and maintenance is as easy as regular sweeping and mopping.
• Stain-resistant: Due to its hardness and non-porous nature, porcelain is exceptionally stain-resistant. Its low water absorption rating (less than 0.5%) also makes it ideal for use in interior and exterior applications as well as high-traffic and commercial areas.
• Pattern won’t wear off: The color in a porcelain tile goes all the way through, which means the pattern won’t wear away with time. This also means that small scratches and chips, if they do happen, are much less noticeable than they would be otherwise.
• Easier installation: In many ways, porcelain tile can be easier to install than concrete. Porcelain tiles come in a standard thickness of 10mm, making them thinner than concrete, but they also tend to be less fragile when handling before installation.

If you like the modern, industrial look of concrete flooring but would prefer a material that’s easier to maintain, porcelain tile that looks like concrete may be the perfect option for you.

See what your cement look porcelain tile can look like with the Just Imagine Visualizer from Arizona Tile.