Porcelain vs Ceramic Tiles – Which Is Better?
Both are fired clay and they look similar in a showroom. The difference is density, and it decides where each one belongs.
01
The actual difference
Both are made from clay and fired. Porcelain is made from a finer clay and fired hotter and longer, which produces a denser, less porous tile. Ceramic is softer and more porous.
Everything else follows from that one difference. Density is why porcelain handles water and traffic better, and softness is why ceramic is easier to cut and quicker to fit.
In one line: Porcelain for floors, wet rooms and anywhere busy. Ceramic is a reasonable choice for walls and quieter rooms.
See also
02
Side by side
The practical comparison rather than the technical one.
Water resistance
Porcelain is denser and absorbs less. The better choice for bathrooms, wet rooms and utility spaces.
Hardness
Porcelain resists chipping and traffic better. Ceramic is softer and marks more easily underfoot.
Cutting and fitting
Ceramic is easier to cut. Porcelain needs better blades and more patience, which shows in fitting cost.
Walls
Ceramic is lighter and well suited to walls. Porcelain works too but weight matters on a wall.
Underfloor heating
Both conduct heat well and both are suitable.
03
Choosing for the room
Work from the room rather than the tile.
Bathroom or wet room floor
Porcelain. Density is exactly what you are paying for here.
Kitchen floor
Porcelain. It takes dropped weight and traffic better.
Bathroom walls
Ceramic is lighter and easier to cut around fittings and fixings.
Hallway
Porcelain, and think about slip resistance if it leads straight outside.
04
Practical points for both
These apply whichever you choose and they are where tiled floors usually go wrong.
The subfloor must not move
Tiles do not flex. Any movement underneath cracks grout first and tiles second.
Cold without heating
Both are cold underfoot. Underfloor heating changes a tiled room completely.
Grout is the maintenance
The tile lasts. The grout is what discolours and needs attention.
Order extra now
Batches vary in shade, and a replacement tile from a later batch rarely matches.
Your next step
See the finish before you choose
Tile surfaces read very differently in a real room than under showroom lighting. Order a sample and check it in your own light.
- Samples £1.99 each
- UK-wide delivery
- Advice before you order
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