Polished Vitrified Tiles Versus Ceramic Tiles

If you’re looking for new tiles for your home, you should look into the wide variety of polished vitrified tiles on the market. Because of their durability, cost-effectiveness, and availability in a wide range of designs, these tiles have become a popular choice among homeowners, contractors, and builders for use on walls, floors, and specialized applications.

What Are Vitrified Tiles?

Ceramic tiles are similar to vitrified tiles or vitrified floor tiles. They do, however, contain silica and clay. During the vitrification process, silica and clay melt and merge to form a glass-like element within each tile, allowing it to retain its original gloss even after many years of use.

These tiles come in a variety of shapes, designs, and colors, making them an appealing alternative to natural stones such as marble or granite.

Different varieties of vitrified tiles:

It is critical to understand the various types of vitrified tiles before selecting the best-vitrified tiles for flooring. The qualities and types of vitrified tiles are defined by different manufacturing techniques and procedures. There are three types of vitrified tiles in general:

  1. Glazed Vitrified Tiles

Glazed vitrified tiles have a glazed surface and are manufactured using digital technology to achieve a wide range of patterns and appearances on the tile, such as designs that mimic wood, bamboo, marble, and so on. Because the glaze layer imprinted on these tiles is typically less than 1 millimeter thick, they are only suitable for low to moderate-traffic areas.

2. Full Body Vitrified Tiles

Full-body vitrified tiles have a consistent color throughout their thickness. This is due to the pigment combination being added at the start of the manufacturing process to achieve a homogeneous color that is uniform throughout the tiles.

As a result, these tiles will not discolor or fade over time. Because of this feature, full-body vitrified tiles are best suited for high-traffic areas because scratches are barely noticeable. These tiles are the most expensive in terms of performance. On the surface, glazed and full-body vitrified tiles may appear identical; therefore, before purchasing these vitrified tiles for your home, it is critical to review their technical parameters.

  • Double Charged Vitrified Tiles

Two different pigment tones are used during the manufacturing process of double-charged vitrified tiles. The press imprints a 3-4 mm thick layer of a dual-colored design on these tiles. The best feature of double-charged vitrified tiles is that they are extremely durable, require little to no maintenance, and are suitable for high-traffic areas.

How Do You Pick Vitrified Floor Tiles?

Here are some criteria to consider when selecting the best-vitrified tiles for flooring: Choose a well-known brand to ensure quality. Check the technical specifications

– Make sure the tiles absorb no more than 0.1% of their weight in water, as tiles with lower water absorption are tougher and last longer. Choose the appropriate tile size based on the area or design of the home as shared by the architect/interior designer

– Choose larger tiles for the living room or bathrooms to add dimension to the space. Choose a suitable pattern and color.

– Keep in mind the theme of your home and choose light colors to give your space a spacious appearance. Determine the number of tiles.

– Calculate and purchase at least 10-15% more to be safe.

Where Should Vitrified Tiles Be Installed?

Vitrified tiles are ideal for use as bathroom or room flooring or as a kitchen backsplash. The vitrification process hardens and weatherproofs the tiles, making them suitable for use in both indoor and outdoor environments. Furthermore, because they can withstand pressure, these tiles can be installed on the roof or in the garden.

How to Put Down Vitrified Tiles

vitrified tiles have less than 0.1% porosity, they will not bond well with traditional cement-based applications. Additional application will result in tile de-bonding and lippage due to a lack of bonding between the tiles and the substrate.

To avoid this, it is recommended that tile adhesives with added polymer content be used to facilitate bonding between the two surfaces and avoid the aforementioned disadvantages.

How to Care for Vitrified Tiles

The inherent properties of vitrified tiles make them stain resistant. As a result, these tiles require only water and basic cleaning solutions to clean and maintain. The inherent properties of vitrified tiles make them stain resistant. As a result, these tiles require only water and basic cleaning solutions to clean and maintain.

The charge of vitrified tiles

The price of vitrified tile flooring is largely determined by the design and brand you select. The cost of flooring (including tile, other materials, and labor) ranges from around Rs 200 per square foot to Rs 300 per square foot. Nonetheless, because they are man-made, these tiles are less expensive than marble.

Moreover, Marble is more expensive than vitrified tiles because it is a naturally occurring material. The cost of flooring will also vary depending on the grade, color rarity, and so on. Indian marble flooring typically costs around Rs 250 per square foot (including material, labor, and cutting and polishing charges), whereas Italian marble can cost anywhere between Rs 650 and Rs 1000 per square foot.