Thread: Advice about floor tiles

If laid properly (that is, on a FLAT surface) porcelain tiles hold up very well. If laid unevenly all tiles will crack. Porcelain tiles do have a tendency to be more difficult to cut without cracking (they are harder), but just need a sharp tile blade (or, if you are having it done, a good tradie).

Most (I would venture all) porcelain tiles have the colour right through so they hide any later chips better than glazed tiles would. HTH

porcelain tiles are very hard . I assume you will be doing the tiling yourself. You will need a diamond saw tile cutter - the score and snap method only works some of the time (if you are lucky). The rectified edge can cause problems if tiles are not laid absolutely level with each other - or if the grout line is too wide (eg 5 mm). You will see and feel "lippage" when you go barefoot.

Also dont use rectified tiles and normal tiles together in the same room, especially on ajoining surfaces - looks horrible.

Porcelain currently has a huge range of quality.
It can be so hard that it is impossible to cut.
It can be bowed within the Australian standard of 3.2 mm.

While a bow in a tile of 3.2mm maybe within Australian standards might be within compliance they make far from a palatable finish.

Be very careful in choosing your tiles. While there is plenty of good tiles on the market no matter how much you pay, be warned that there is some absolute junk out there.
So much so that many tilers now refuse to lay porcelain.

Whats on display maybe very different to what arrives in the boxes.

Make sure you can go back and buy more tiles if you run short.

Get a sample tile and have a tiler take a look at it prior to purchase.

There is in many cases a restocking fee if the tile you purchased is within AS but in your eyes complete rubbish that cant be cut or bent to billeo.

Choose your tiles carefully and you will be fine.

Thanks for the tips and advice

I didn't realise that the standard for tiles was so loose. I will definitely have close look at the tiles before buying. Whether or not I lay them myself will largely depend on available funds.

Any comments on how well they stand up to wear and tear? I was told by one work colleague that they can crack if you drop your keys or some hard object on them. Because they are for the entry area I want something that will last and not have to be treated like egg shells!

If your laying them your self then don't get polished porcelien, if your floor isn't 100% level or you don't lay them well it will stand out because of the virtified edges and the reflection.

If you want something well wearing tiles are also given a PEI rating with 1 and 2 being wall tiles and 3-5 being floor. The last two reno I have done I have used australian made glazed porcelin tiles they are meant to be harder than glazed ceramic, not the best but they good value for money at around 12m2 if you buy "commercial grade" which have visual imperfections in them.

None of the porcelain tiles that I have come across and/ or used will crack by dropping things on them. I've put acrow props on porcelain tile floors without damage, dropped hammers, drills, boxes all without incident. If there is a fairly large void or druminess under the tile due to sloppy laying I can see how they might crack.

I suspect that there are quite a few tilers who have trouble with porcelain tiles. Just from talking to some tilers and asking at retailers there seems to be a difference in opinion as to the correct way to lay them (in the case of floors anyway).

The usual technique of using a notched trowel to spread the glue is not how it is supposed to be done especially for bigger size floor tiles. With these tiles a hill of "soft peaks - cooking term to describe stiffness of glue" glue is poured in the approximate centre position of the tile and the tile then lowered, pressed and levelled into the glue. The quantity of glue is carefully precalculated so a minimal amount is extruded around the edges. As the tile level approaches that of the surrrounding tiles, the grout line must be cleaned out. I have used this technique and actually find it easier than using a notched trowel. An integral layer of glue forms under the entire underside of the tile.

Dont let all these intricacies put you off porcelain - it is a good, hard and durable type of tile. Polished (and rectified) porcelain tiles look very opulent but many polished types will need sealing - any sort of polished tile will generally need sealing as a rule of thumb - although you can get presealed polished tiles.

Dirty Doogie

What type of glue do you suggest and how do you work out how much glue per tile. We are looking at 300x300 or 400x400 size tiles depending on which brand we end up buying.

I have used Davco Ultraflex - other people have used Ceramacrete. On a 400 x 400 tile if you allow for a 3mm glue line on an even surface the quantity of glue is about 500ml or 2 cups.