What brand of floor tiles is the best?

A large part of the reason why many people choose ceramic tiles is convenience. Ceramic tiles are domineering and floors are pretentious, so choose ceramic tiles. Of course, it is also based on targeted choices: the tiles on the kitchen and bathroom floors are required to have good slip resistance and safety; the kitchen wall tiles are not recommended to have too many textures and are easy to take care of; the living room tiles must be high in hardness, wear-resistant and durable, and of course Beautiful. It’s not that many friends don’t like tiles, but they don’t know how to choose tiles. Today, let’s talk about this.

Let’s first talk about the types of ceramic tiles. According to the material, they are divided into three types: porcelain tiles, stoneware tiles (half tiles), and ceramic tiles. To put it simply, those with a water absorption rate of less than 0.5% are porcelain, those with a water absorption rate greater than 10% are ceramics, and those in between are semi-porcelain, also called stoneware bricks.

Stone bricks are further divided into: greater than 0.5% and less than or equal to 3% for porcelain stoneware, greater than 3% and less than or equal to 6% for fine stoneware.

National standard:

3% ≥ water absorption rate of floor tiles ≥ 0.5% is qualified

12% ≥ water absorption rate of wall tiles ≥ 3% is qualified

Ceramic tiles

It is what we commonly call porcelain tiles, also called glazed tiles and glazed tiles. They are further divided into: ordinary porcelain tiles, crystalline porcelain tiles, and candy glaze porcelain tiles. Their bricks are the same, but the difference lies in the glaze applied on the surface. The glaze quality of crystalline porcelain tiles and candy glaze tiles is better than that of ordinary porcelain tiles, and their ability to resist stains and water is also stronger.

Crystalline porcelain tiles add a layer of crystalline facets to ordinary porcelain tiles, so they are brighter, flatter, and heavier.

Candy glaze tiles are ceramic tiles with candy glaze on the surface. The glaze has a texture of fine particles like sugar, with a slight flash-like visual effect.

Candy glazed tiles

Unglazed tiles

As the name suggests, they are unglazed tiles, and the most typical representative is polished tiles. As long as the water absorption rate is less than 0.5%, the polished tiles are also called vitrified tiles, fine bricks and completely vitrified tiles. The principle is that the surface of porcelain bricks is polished. The surface generally adopts screen printing process.

Porcelain polished tiles, a high-end product among unglazed tiles, adopt inkjet infiltration technology and can penetrate into the tiles to a considerable depth. Because it is a new product and new technology, the price is more expensive than ordinary glazed tiles. Porcelain glazed tiles can be said to combine the advantages of polished tiles and glazed tiles: wear resistance, strong color texture, good stain resistance, high gloss, and strong chemical corrosion resistance. Because it is a new product and new technology, the price is more expensive than ordinary glazed tiles.

Full body VS non-full body

Glazed tiles - glazed tiles

As the name suggests, there is a layer of glaze on the surface, just like tea cups and other ceramics, the last process , apply glaze on the brick surface.

According to the different glazes, it is divided into: super flat glaze, soft light tiles, marble tiles, diamond glaze, and full-body marble.

Super flat glaze: also called full flat glaze, high crystal stone, thick polished glaze, pure flat glaze, etc. It is the most common glazed tile.

You can see the detailed "water ripples" from the picture above.

Soft light tiles are ceramic tiles between matte and glossy.

From left to right: matte tiles, soft light tiles, glossy tiles.

Marble tiles are glazed tiles printed with marble patterns.

Diamond glaze (crystalline diamond, diamond, corundum, diamond crystal)

The glaze will form a molecular structure similar to C60 diamond, and the hardness is increased to achieve high wear resistance, which is better than ordinary polished glaze Bricks are more wear-resistant, less likely to scratch, and have better flatness. To put it bluntly, the glaze needs to be thicker and more wear-resistant, and can be cast deeper and flatter.

Warm reminder: After the diamond glazed tiles are laid, they will have four flat sides and a slightly convex effect in the middle (a bit like bread). This can be seen visually and has an impact on the actual use of users. Not big.

Full-body marble tiles

It is an upgraded product of marble tiles whose body and surface colors are basically the same. On the ceramic tile body, the color, texture and function are infinitely close to the qualitative change effect of natural stone rock formations, and the texture is more transparent. Mainly for deep processing when chamfering, edge grinding, grooving, etc., you can see the white or gray rough body inside, which is very inconsistent with the surface effect. Full-body marble tiles are created to improve this problem and make the color and texture of the body consistent with the surface effect.

Glazed tiles - antique tiles

Antique tiles can be divided into: ordinary antique tiles, semi-polished antique tiles, candy glazed antique tiles, metal glazed antique tiles, etc. In fact, they are also made of porcelain Glazed tiles.

Ordinary antique tiles: vitrified tiles + inkjet printing + surface glazing.

Semi-polished antique tiles: After glazing, the surface has different shades, and the protruding part is polished to form a partial bright refractive surface, and a certain design effect can be formed on the graphics and lines of the tiles. That is to solve the shortcoming of insufficient light reflection without excessive light pollution, and at the same time achieve different imitation stone effects.

Candy glaze antique: After a special glaze application process and high-temperature firing, the surface achieves an effect of particles that feel like sugar evenly distributed on the brick surface, which is similar to the candy glaze tiles mentioned above. The surface craftsmanship is the same.

Metallic glazed antique tiles are ceramic tiles with metallic glaze. The surface shows a metallic luster and can show various colors, such as red, yellow, silver, blue, black, etc. The reason for its rich color and metallic luster is that heavy metal elements are added to its glaze formula, such as iron oxide red, aluminum phosphate, etc.

There is also an uncommon pure full-body antique brick. The effect is very close to real natural stone, but the density and performance are better, and the surface is not glazed.

Of course, microcrystalline stone and mosaic are also types of ceramic tiles. I won’t introduce them one by one here.

Now let’s talk about how to identify the quality of ceramic tiles. I believe this is what friends are most concerned about. Let’s talk about it from the following aspects:

1. Appearance

1) Specifications

In terms of specifications, unless it is a brick that is too inferior, there may be long Wide deviation, but generally no problem. Of course, if you are more cautious when choosing bricks, you can bring a tape measure in advance and randomly measure a few bricks when selecting them, just to be on the safe side. Or randomly select a few bricks to splice them together to see if there is any obvious deviation in the final splicing effect.

2) Thickness

This is not nutritious, just take a tape measure and measure it directly.

3) Surface details

The surface of the ceramic tiles has been polished and smooth and delicate when touched by hand. Artificial notches are interspersed in the middle of the brick surface to imitate marble patterns.

4) Splicing comparison

When purchasing bricks, you can randomly select a few bricks to see the splicing effect and whether there is any color difference.

2. Water absorption test

The water absorption rate is linked to the porcelain grade of the ceramic tile. The higher the porcelain quality, the lower the water absorption rate. When selecting ceramic tiles, you can make a simple judgment by dripping water from the back. Generally speaking, it is not recommended to buy living room tiles if water seeps quickly from the back. It is likely that the porcelain quality is not high.

3. Stain resistance test

For living room tiles, stain resistance is a very important indicator. There is a large flow of people, and the probability of dirt on the ground is also high. If it is not convenient to take care of it, it will be very troublesome in the future. Generally, when choosing bricks, you can prepare markers in advance, write and draw lines on the surface of the bricks, and then wipe them with cloth or paper to see if they are easy to wipe clean. To make it more difficult, you can test it with paint. First apply metallic paint (which is harder to wipe off than ordinary paint), let it dry for half an hour and then wipe it to see the effect. If it can be wiped off relatively easily, it means the glaze is still good and very stain-resistant.

4. Hardness test

Hardness is another important indicator of ceramic tiles, which is related to the wear resistance, anti-collision ability and service life of ceramic tiles. The higher the hardness of the tiles, the longer their lifespan will be in theory. When choosing, you can consult the store clerk, who will usually answer questions or conduct tests on the spot.

Here we use brick knocking and drilling to test the hardness of bricks.

Take a small brick and hit the surface of the big brick hard. The corners of the small bricks have been broken, but the surface of the big brick is still intact and smooth, with good hardness.

Use an electric drill to drill a hole on the surface of the tile for about 1 minute, leaving only a small hole that cannot be drilled through. Proving once again that its hardness is quite good.

5. Load-bearing test

To some extent, the load-bearing capacity can also generally represent the quality of the ceramic tiles (it is not the main basis for judgment). During the process of picking bricks, you can put forward load-bearing test requirements: place the bricks diagonally and have 1-2 people (depending on the size of the bricks) step on them to see if the bricks will crack.

6. Brick-throwing

Many businesses will drop bricks on-site in order to prove the quality of the bricks, and the effect is quite explosive. Some friends were very excited after seeing it and decided to buy it.

But in fact, throwing bricks is more of a gimmick and cannot truly reflect the quality of the tiles: the moment a big brick falls to the ground, the air pressure between the brick and the ground will increase rapidly, forming a rising wave. The force, like a hand holding it, protects the brick.

So, unless the quality is too low or the ground is uneven, dropping bricks will generally not cause them to break.

7. Death and Shattering

Having said so much, it’s time to see what the internal cross-section of the brick looks like.

1) The density of the bricks is uniform

For good full-body bricks, the powder used will be very fine, tightly pressed, and the pores will be very small. Each part of the brick has uniform density and strong waterproof and anti-seepage capabilities. For inferior bricks, there will be tiny sand holes inside the tiles and uneven color due to raw materials, processing techniques and other factors. It is difficult to distinguish the quality from the bad without completely destroying the bricks.

2) The cross-section is tightly pressed and the density is uniform

Finally, let’s summarize the tips for selecting living room tiles:

1) Look at the glaze and surface: appearance and Eyesight is also very important. In addition, you can check whether there are any scratches on the surface of the tiles. Touch the surface of the tiles with your hands to feel the texture and whether it is smooth.

2) Look at the type: full-body tiles, glazed tiles, polished tiles, vitrified tiles, etc. The advantages and disadvantages have been mentioned above.

3) Look at the color difference: the same type of bricks, spliced ??to contrast colors.

4) Check the water absorption rate: If water drips from the back of the brick, check the water seepage speed and water seepage situation. For the living room, rapid water seepage is not a good thing.

5) Check the stain resistance: when writing with a marker, it is easy to wipe.

6) Check the hardness: You can also use a key to scratch the surface to see if there are any scratches. Those that can be wiped off are good bricks.

7) Check the load-bearing capacity: Place the tiles diagonally, and simply test them by having multiple people step on them.

8) Check the stain resistance: when writing with a marker, it is easy to wipe.

9) Look at the cross-section: Generally, there are samples in the store, so there is no need to break the bricks separately. The cross-section should be uniform and compact.

In my opinion, the purchase of ceramic tiles is similar to that of wooden floors. We have already talked about the purchase of wooden floors in the last issue. Interested students can follow my account to check. Ceramic tiles also talk about brands, just like Just like buying a car.