Are these tiles porcelain?

[sibs]

Went to have a look at a job yesterday for a kitchen floor. The tiles are large format 450mm light in colour. They told me they were glazed porcelain so I went into all the spiel about porcelain tiles. When I left I looked at one of the tiles. The glaze covers the front and sides of the tiles but when I looked at the back it was light brown in colour and had square ridges like you get on the biscuit of a ceramic tile. On the packaging it said "Porcelato" .... "porcelano" or something like that!
Are these porcelain tiles ? Because I thought porcelain was supposed to be the same colour all the way through. Can anyone clarify this for me? should I tell them if they're not?

Thanks people.

[macten]

Yep they sound like porcelain.
Porcelain is a form of ceramic tile - and because it's glazed then that will explain the biscuit being a different colour. Treat it the same as any other tile but remember they will be very dense and tough - you can dry cut them - though they may blunt the wheel if you have lots of cuts - for wet cutting make sure you have a decent blade on it.

[sWe]

Originally Posted by sibs

On the packaging it said "Porcelato" .... "porcelano" or something like that!

If it said "Porcellanato", it's harder than porcelain. Treat it the same though.

[TilingLogistics]

Originally Posted by sWe

If it said "Porcellanato", it's harder than porcelain. Treat it the same though.

What does that mean then if you don't mind me asking? Do you mean fully vitrified?

Kev

[macten]

my first job was with glazed porcellanato and they are the densest grade of porc.
Something like 0.5% water adsorption - remember sWe advising me when I was doing that job.

[sWe]

Originally Posted by TilingLogistics

What does that mean then if you don't mind me asking? Do you mean fully vitrified?

Kev

Yeah, something like that. Over here, we call Porcellanato "granite ceramics".

I don't know the exact details of how they're produced, but they're alot denser than "regular" porcelain, and harder, so I would conjecture that they're compressed at a higher pressure and fired at a higher temperature.

Regular porcelain absorbs less than 3% water, whereas Porcellanato absorbs less than .5%.

They're really tough. Because they're so glassy, it can be a bit tricky to get a clean break on them. They eat cutting wheels, and diamond drills and wheels as well.

[Dave]

Porcellanato is the hardest form of porcelain tiles grade 5.......it's like bell metal..........it is made to mimic marble/slate etc etc..........and mostly has a non-slip type finish..........

[sibs]

Thanks macten ....one more question...
The customer is laying under floor heating mats onto a concrete floor ready for me to tile over (if I get the gig) I have asked weather he is gonna put slc ontop of the matting but I don't think he'd thought to as he seemed a bit surprised at the idea.
I was thinking PTB flexi if he doesn't and SPF if he does. Its 24 sqm of floor going into another quite small room that tacks onto the end of the kitchen area so just to be on the safe side I thought I'd incorporate a movement joint in the doorway between the two rooms. I just wanna check that I am on the right lines with this. Also am I right in thinking that I will need much more adhesive if he is not gonna screed it? Roughly how much more adhesive would I need ?
All contributions welcome - as ever.
----
Cheers guys it may well have said that on the box it was certainly something along those lines.... I am going back there to discuss grout colours and floor trims etc so I'll have another look bearing in mind whats just been written.

[tfs]

'Porcellana' is Italiano for Porcelain chief (as you or some of you may already know)

[whitebeam]

Hi sibs, Is the concrete tamped as in rough surface, If it is it the floor will a mile of adhesive or it should have a screed. If the ufh is the matting type and you use slc watch that the wire open at the end's dos'nt lift, An tiler of 35 years said what he do's is use gripfil to hold the end's/loose wire's down so the slc dos'nt raise the wire.

[Dave]

Thin strips of gaffa tape will hold any bits down that stick up or a hot melt glue gun..........

[TilingLogistics]

Originally Posted by Dave

Porcellanato is the hardest form of porcelain tiles grade 5.......it's like bell metal..........it is made to mimic marble/slate etc etc..........and mostly has a non-slip type finish..........

Dave,

Is it fired longer then or at a higher temperature?

Kev