Wall Tile

If you want low maintenance tiles to use in heavy traffic areas, consider vitrified porcelain tiles. They are manufactured with silica and clay, and this process gives its name to the tiles, vitrification. This process will make them very non-porous and quite hard. Thus, this tile may have advantages over marble and other stone types, since they are porous and need more care. Tile that has been vitrified resists abrasion, and is nearly maintenance-free. That's why it works so well in areas that see a lot of traffic.

Vitrified tiles also have another advantage over similar flooring types. The designs on porcelain tiles are printed with soluble salts or pigments that penetrate the surface, and this places the designs permanently into the tiles. The firmness of the tile and its abrasion-resistance mean that this design will be virtually permanent. One drawback to laying vitrified tile, that would be its small variety of colors available, as compared to stone tiles.

Vitrification causes tile that doesn't noticeably expand or contract with moisture and temperature changes. Other surfaces like wood will more likely have this happen throughout the seasons. So, vitrified tile is more easily used for an application with no joints. You can opt to create gaps yourself using spacers, and fill that area with grout, for a full-on tile appearance. This can give the tiles a chance to react to extreme environmental changes, although they don't really need too much “give”.

Porcelain floor tiles need very little maintenance, although you may want to sweep them off as needed. There are steps that will keep them looking great for years ahead. If used on entryway floors, a mat on top of your tiles can keep down the amount of dust that foot traffic can carry in. This is true for wood and stone as well as vitrified tiles. Avoid using harsh cleaners on your floor. A damp mop will be suitable to clean your tile, since it is hard to the touch and non-porous.

You may want to set up a cleaning routine for the joints in the grout, a couple times or more each year. Scrape out cracked, powdery or loose joints at these times, and fill the area with newer grout, it will help to keep your grouted joints in good condition. Vitrified tile is a showy and elegant type of flooring tile, and it can last for many years if you take proper care of it.

When you use vitrified tile, you can safely lay it in areas that see a lot of water, as well as on pathways, entryways or in individual rooms. You can use this tile in high traffic areas, where it will stand up to lots of abuse. You can easily clean and maintain it, too. If you lay this type of tile on wet surface areas like bathroom floors or backsplashes, be sure to use a standard mix of grout and not ready-made types. Under normal weather and traffic conditions, vitrified porcelain tiles will help to give your home many years of beauty, and you many years of enjoyment.