Porcelain stoneware: 5 technical features that make it perfect for any type of environment
Porcelain stoneware is a resistant and versatile material, easy to clean and keep beautiful and shiny over time, which is becoming increasingly popular in all types of contexts. Porcelain stoneware tiles, in fact, are increasingly installed inside homes, for the flooring and cladding of all environments (from bedrooms to the kitchen, then bathrooms, hallways, verandas and terraces), but also in outdoor spaces or in buildings open to the public.
The success of porcelain stoneware is undoubtedly due to its beauty and its peculiar aesthetic characteristics, but also to its exceptional performance from a technical point of view. Thanks to its particular production process, in fact, this material develops unique characteristics, which allow it to adapt to any type of use.
What is porcelain stoneware and how is it produced
Porcelain stoneware is a special type of ceramic obtained through a production process that gives the material unique technical characteristics of compactness and strength.
Like all ceramics, porcelain stoneware is also produced from clays and sand to which, however, additional high-quality components (feldspars, kaolins...) are added , which are carefully ground and atomised, to obtain a powder with a very fine grain size. The compound thus obtained is then pressed and finally fired at a high temperature (above 1200°C), which causes the granules to weld together. This process of welding raw materials is called "greification" and produces a permanent change in the chemical-physical structure of the material, which at the end of firing is compact, non-porous and extremely resistant. It is precisely these technical characteristics that guarantee a long series of advantages:
- Resistance to bending, abrasion and scratching: the tiles obtained through the greasing process are able to withstand countless types of stresses excellently: they withstand important loads without breaking, they do not break if subjected to bending and their vitrified surface resists abrasion in optimal motion, therefore it also withstands less strong stresses, but repeated over time. For all these reasons, porcelain stoneware is perfect for covering all types of surfaces, even those subjected to very significant stresses (think, for example, of the floor of a hotel, a congress centre, a hospital or any other public building).
- Waterproofing and easy cleaning: the porcelain stoneware production process makes the tiles made of this extremely non-porous material, and therefore almost perfectly waterproof. This characteristic is fundamental, also from a regulatory point of view, to define stoneware: European standards, in fact, establish that only ceramic products with a water absorption coefficient ≤ 0.5% can be called "porcelain stoneware". Being able to count on a waterproof tile is particularly useful not only for reasons related to resistance over time, but also for the daily maintenance of floors and surfaces: in fact, stoneware does not absorb dirt or liquidsand what is deposited on the tiles does not penetrate the it but remains on the vitrified surface, which can be easily cleaned with neutral detergents, without the need to resort to expensive or aggressive products. Stoneware, therefore, offers a high resistance to stains, in addition to great ease of cleaning and maintenance.
- Resistance to frost and temperature changes: the waterproofing of porcelain stoneware tiles guarantees an additional advantage: the material is extremely resistant to low temperatures, since there is no risk of water penetrating inside the tile and then, freezing and increasing in volume, damaging it. For this reason, porcelain stoneware can also be used with maximum safety for the flooring of outdoor spaces and surfaces exposed to the action of atmospheric agents.
- Versatility: the technical characteristics of porcelain stoneware and, in particular, the possibility of using this type of material both inside and outside the buildings expands the creative possibilities in an extraordinary way, and allows to create attractive and particular design solutions. It is possible, for example, to use the same tiles for all the rooms of the house, from the kitchen to the bathroom to the sleeping area, or even for the covering of verandas and terraces which, in this way, can be designed in continuity with the rooms overlooking them. Stoneware tiles are in themselves extremely versatile, because they are available in an infinite variety of colours, patterns and textures, but this technical feature further increases the creative freedom you enjoy when you choose to use this type of material for your home.
- Sustainability and safety: finally, stoneware is an extremely sustainable material from an environmental point of view, because its production does not have a negative impact on nature. Unlike marble, stone or wood materials, porcelain stoneware tiles are produced from widely available raw materials, which do not require complex or ecosystem-damaging extraction processes. Furthermore, the cooking of stoneware does not produce fumes that are dangerous for the environment or for humans, and this guarantees the safety of workers and communities. Speaking of safety and health protection, then, it should be remembered that porcelain stoneware, being waterproof, excellently resists mould and moss, and that its technical characteristics make it very easy to clean and – if necessary – disinfect to remove microorganisms and bacteria potentially dangerous to humans. This material, therefore, is as safe for people as it is sustainable from the point of view of environmental protection.