Pattern trends in the world of ceramic tiles in recent years clearly favour large tile formats. Striving to obtain a uniform surface, free from perpendicular lines defined by joints requires the use of increasingly larger tiles. The popular, rectangular “20s”, dominating a dozen or so years ago, go to the past in favour of tiles with almost 1 meter edges, and even larger ones. This trend was most evident in the case of investments.

The largest tile formats can be found in the group of porcelain tiles – due to their functional properties and production technology. Originally designed for use on the floor, porcelain tiles are also ideal for vertical surfaces, both from an arrangement and a utilitarian point of view. A bathroom in the popular format of a wooden board? Living room with travertine above the fireplace? Or maybe a stone hall broken by a contrasting glass motif?

The migration of porcelain tiles to the wall is not only possible, but it brings amazing results. However, this mechanism does not work the other way round – wall tiles cannot be laid on the floor due to the lack of required strength parameters (such as breaking strength or bending strength).

Which glue to choose for gluing porcelain tiles? And why is a widely-circulated opinion of the need for white glue? This belief resulted from the comparison of porcelain to natural stones, which – albeit similar visually – have a different structure. In order to be able to fully understand the difference, you should remember what exactly porcelain is.

The porcelain tile is the hardest type of ceramic tile, pressed under a huge pressure of about 400 kg / cm2 and fired at a very high temperature of about 1200 °C. The need to create such a material occurred when the tiles were applied in intensively used places and exposed to temperature drops below 0 °C. These main properties of porcelain, i.e. bending strength, resistance to scratches and damage, and frost resistance, gave it the name of a tile for special tasks. At the present time, tiles have become a much more universal cladding, and its parameters still allow it to be used in places with demanding usable conditions.

Due to the very low water absorption (E ≤ 0,5%) and the sintering of the structure, the porcelain is resistant to absorption of liquids. Discoloration from grey glue noticed in the case of natural stone assembly in the case of porcelain tiles do not take place – the use of white glue is therefore not a necessity.

Despite the fact that the production process of ceramics is extremely complex and complicated, at each stage of manufacturing process, qualified staff and specialized machines ensure that, based on the standards set by norms, the highest possible product quality is obtained. It should be remembered, however, that the raw material for the production of ceramics is natural resources extracted from nature, which are then subjected to high pressure and temperature effects.

In reality, there are no two identical tiles – each of them will be slightly different from the other with curves, size or shade. Bearing this fact in mind, it is much easier to understand the specificity of a ceramic product, which will always be closer to nature than to artificial materials.

An attempt to present a ceramic product is therefore quite a challenge, as the visual representation of a tile is not everything – its surface, hardness, and thickness are also important. Visualization of individual elements in the form of scans placed on the website and in catalogues and product folders is only an illustrative representation of the product, based on which the actual appearance of the tile cannot be precisely assessed – no photographic or printing technique is able to render it in 100%. That is why we always suggest to strive to see the product live at the point of sale, which is equipped with boxes, displays stands, and samples in the real size. In particular, we advise you to pay attention to graphical variations occurring in the context of tonal collections. Such tile markings as the batch number, calibre, and shade when identifying the product based on the markings on the packaging are key information.

Many people working in the ceramics industry believe that clinker produced in pressed technology is not a real clinker. As their arguments, they state the lack of diffusion and  permeability of the cladding, which disqualifies it from being used on terraces, balconies, and external stairs, i.e. horizontal surfaces exposed to difficult weather conditions, in particular to temperature jumps. This allegedly leads to the detachment of the ceramic cladding from the floor on which it was laid.

The clinker manufactured by Ceramika Paradyż is surely the clinker, it differs from the extruded one primarily by the production technology. It should be noted, however, that both types of clinker goods are produced on the basis of the same standard.

The main advantages of pressed clinker over extruded clinker are:

• significantly greater dimensional accuracy (much lower acceptable dimensional differences and possible curvatures),
• lower water absorption, which guarantees full frost resistance, supported by the results of external research laboratories,
• higher mechanical strength (pressed above 30 N / mm², extruded minimum 23 N / mm², and 20 N / mm² for extruded products with a water absorption up to 6%),
• higher resistance to deep abrasion (pressed below 175 mm³, extruded below 275 mm³), extruded clinker is very often produced with even higher water absorption (even up to 6%), and then the resistance decreases – the higher the value, the lower the resistance,
• significantly better resistance to dirt due to the greater compactness of the structure,
• no need for periodic impregnation.

It should also be remembered that the adhesion of building materials such as clinker tiles depends largely on the adhesive used. Currently, adhesive manufacturers offer materials with very high elasticity and adhesion, which guarantees durability of the cladding, while the loosening of the tiles is usually caused by errors in assembly process. In conclusion, pressed clinker is a material which does not have the drawbacks of extruded clinker, but at the same time retaining its aesthetic value.

The diversity of ceramic tiles is not only the result of the desire to show different colour tones, patterns, or graphics reflecting the phenomena of nature. And although the tiles are chosen mainly by comparing their external appearance in the first place, the technological parameters – though not perceptible at first glance – seem to be even more important. Fortunately, the choice is so broad at the moment that choosing a product with specific parameters and your favourite design at the same time is not a problem anymore.

Let us not forget about the fact that technological diversification determines further use of ceramic cladding, which is not without significance in its proper maintenance. Beautiful, richly decorated inserts and decorations should be cleaned using soft cloths and emulsifying agents without the presence of abrasive particles, while hard porcelain with a structural surface require more decisive treatment and the use of stronger chemistry which will not harm their appearance. Polished surfaces which give the effect of mirror reflection perfectly fit into the living room or kitchen climate, but the entrance to the building or stairwells are more likely to welcome rough porcelain surfaces and grooved elements, protecting us from slipping during winter or rainy weather. The specific climate of the clinker tile design will not find itself as well inside the building as on a brick imitation facade or a terrace with light, sand colours.

Universal tiles do not exist, so when deciding to buy them, you should consider carefully what their purpose is and how you plan to use them on the target surface. Let us be pragmatic in the first place – the design will find itself.

A frequently asked question when explaining the nature of the frost resistance of ceramic tiles is the minimum temperatures to which a given ceramic tile is adapted. This query results from comparing the tiles to a completely different assortment at which the maximum cold limit is justified. Taking as an example the liquid for car windows, it can be concluded that the concept of frost hardiness should actually be accompanied by some specific value expressed in temperature units.

Nothing could be more wrong – the frost resistance of the tiles, in the simplest terms, is their resistance to multiple passage through the 0 °C limit. As you know – below this limit water begins to freeze, so the liquid state goes into a solid state. The water entering into the gaps turns into ice, which literally bursts the material from the inside. This phenomenon can be observed, for example, on the example of Polish roads which are repaired after the winter due to damage to the surface. Ceramic tiles with a compact structure, i.e. tiles, clinker, and floor tiles, due to the compact mass, do not absorb water, so it has no chance to penetrate the structure to such an extent that it can be damaged after going into solid state. Each assortment with water absorption E≤3% is considered frost-resistant.

The conclusion is that frost-resistant tiles are not exposed to damage due to extremely low temperatures, and because of the large number of cycles of freezing and thawing of water, which changes its state from liquid to solid and vice versa. In practice, this means that the location of frost-resistant tiles in Siberia is less burdensome for them than using them in a climate typical for Poland. Frost resistant tiles produced in Poland are intended for use in harsh weather conditions and will work better in this respect than any other.