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What is Porcelain & Porcelain Paving?
We cut through the current porcelain hype and try to provide the facts, with the most important considerations and best advice for your project, especially for porcelain paving jointing, which is crucial for success in installation, and long-term durability in service.
There is a lot of information and misinformation about porcelain paving that is now available online, as well as in the sales brochures from Tile Manufacturers, Paving Stone Distributors, Garden Centres and Builders Merchants (the operative word probably being ‘Sales’!), - Not to mention the sales pitches from all the various salesmen. External porcelain paving is on trend in the UK, and so suddenly – Everybody is a Porcelain Expert!
The information on these pages is provided in the following sections if you want to scroll to your specific area of interest, or you can read through to be fully aware before you buy anything anywhere – Good luck!
What is Porcelain & How are Porcelain Tiles Produced?
Porcelain is a specific type of ceramic material that is made using very fine clays, with the addition of very finely ground and graded sands, plus quantities of the mineral feldspar, which are also added into the mix. This is forcibly sieved and combined in powerful compulsory shear mixing equipment, to produce a uniquely smooth and homogeneous base mix with a uniform consistence, which can be adapted and formed through pressure moulding and extrusion processes to make many different porcelain products. These can range from the traditional Chinese hand-made, top quality, almost see through, porcelain china for the best tea services, through high-tech electrically insulating porcelain components for many specialist areas in the power production and transmission industries, to porcelain floor and wall tiles, which now includes external porcelain tile paving. Today, porcelain ceramic components and surfaces are produced in specialist plants all around the world, and these are used for countless different applications in many different production and processing industries, where ultra-smooth, dense, hygienic, insulated and temperature resistant elements and surfaces are required. Porcelain tiles are one example where the concept of hard, stain and scratch resistant, easily cleaned surfaces is increasingly attractive, including to many people in the UK as one of the hottest trends for domestic patios and terraces.
Porcelain tiles are produced by moulding the specially produced porcelain ceramic mixture over a cheaper conventional clay ceramic base mix, and these layers are then fired together (heated quickly) at higher temperatures (~1400°C) than are generally used for most ceramic tiles (~1150°C). This results in porcelain ceramic tiles with a surface that is far denser, less absorbent and more abrasion resistant than normal ceramic tiles. These renowned positive material characteristics can also now be combined with recent technical advances that make it possible to print virtually any colours and images into the porcelain surfaces, allowing for almost unlimited design possibilities and effects with almost unlimited colours, to photographic images in the surface making the paving closely imitate all types of natural wood, natural stone, or pretty much anything else you can imagine, without many of the original materials limitations – What’s not to like….?!?
Advantages of External Porcelain Tile Paving:
External grade porcelain tile paving is also growing in popularity due to the almost unlimited range of paving unit shapes and sizes that can be factory produced and quality controlled, making even more designs possible, as well as having the virtually unlimited colour range and image imprinting that seems to expand and widen every month e.g. from porcelain tile s with mosaics, to timber planks, even including weathered driftwood or cut bamboo!
In fact with porcelain tile paving you can have the appearance of whatever you and your Architect / Landscaper can imagine!
As a result of all these properties and advantages, external porcelain tile paving is a great addition to modern hard landscaping options. The use of porcelain tiles is growing rapidly for many domestic paving applications at a tremendous rate, year on year, and all over the UK, especially for high-end domestic patios, terraces, and pool surrounds. However, for fast and successful installation, followed by good durability with years of service, just as with all types of paving, it is important to understand the product characteristics and be aware of its limitations e.g. when selecting the right paving jointing system for external porcelain tiled surfaces - This is because using the right jointing material is important for successful installation, and critical a long service-life. External porcelain paving is usually laid with narrow joints, typically 3-5 or 5-8mm is recommended, depending on the tiles size, and narrow joint widths also increases the importance of using the right jointing material to achieve durable results! To assist your decision making process and help ensure the selection of the best material for jointing on your porcelain project, we discuss and outline the best approach for the grout selection and then pointing external porcelain tiles, in more detail below on this page.
Please see these additional Buyers Guides for more information and details relating to Porcelain Paving:
Porcelain Paving Performance and Characteristics- Cleaning and Sealing Porcelain Paving
- Porcelain Paving Slip Resistance
- Porcelain Paving Cleaning and Jet-washing
- Substructure & Bedding
- External Porcelain Tile Paving Jointing / Grouting
- Easy & Reliable with GftK vdw 815 plus and GftK vdw 850 plus
Any questions or concerns then you can also email us for more specific porcelain support: sales@nccstreetscape.co.uk or call our Customer service team on 01257 266696 for their FREE Expert Advice.
Case Studies
Porcelain Patios
This homeowner in Bury, was very proud of his beautiful, new and extended porcelain patios but, unfortunately they...
View Case Study
Porcelain Patio Refurbishment
The owners of this property, in the picturesque village of Croston, in Lancashire, were desperate to find...
View Case Study
Porcelain Patio & Pathways
The stylish and linear design of this garden in an exposed location, a few miles inland of Garvin on the...
View Case Study
What makes NCC Streetscape Different?
We provide the best paving jointing solutions for all types of paving in all types of areas, and joint sizes. This includes optimum solutions for jointing and repointing works in all domestic, commercial, and public paved areas.
We are the Exclusive UK & ROI Agents & Suppliers of GftK GmbH., the global technology leaders in paving jointing, with unique products that allow quick and easy application, even in wet weather, then provide high performance and extended durability for a long service life.
We provide FREE Expert Technical Advice to select the right product on every project, with additional guidance to prepare and successfully complete the job, including our renowned training and site support service.
We have a reputation for quality, reliability, and service, from professional paving and landscaping contractors, specifiers and authorities, as well as our and DIY customers.