Vitrified tiles or flooring is a form of non-porous ceramic tiles. A lot of people remain confused because the tiles are often considered as an alternative to marble and granite tiles or flooring. Vitrified tiles are long-lasting, are of low maintenance and are scratch resistant tiles. These properties are what make them the best option for corporate buildings and homes in the present day. Vitrified tiles have a plethora of varieties and are able to retain their shine for a long time. The material on the tiles resembles natural marble which adds to their overall aesthetic appeal since people do prefer the look which a marble tile/ flooring brings.
How are they made?
Vitrified tiles are made by a manufacturing process called “vitrification”. This is a mixture of clay and silica. There are a lot of machines used in the manufacturing process of vitrified tiles such as a ceramic mixing machine, grinding machine, spray drying machine, tile forming machine, ceramic kiln machine, Ceramic Fiddling Machine and a Polishing Machine with Nano Technology.
Types of Vitrified tiles
- Soluble salt vitrified tiles are a type of screen printed and polished tiles.
- Double charge vitrified tiles are fed through a press which in turn prints the pattern with a double layer of pigment. This causes the tile to be a bit thicker than other types of tile. This process is not feasible with many complex patterns but results in a long-wearing tile surface, suitable for heavy footfall commercial projects. The design layer should not be more than 4mm thickness, since this may weaken the strength of the tile overall.
- Full body vitrified tiles have pigment in the entire body or thickness of the tile. This makes chips, cracks and scratches less noticeable, which makes this an ideal choice for high footfall areas, but the process is a little on the higher side.
- Glazed vitrified tiles (GVT) as suggested by the name, have a glazed surface. They consist of a wide variety of design, art work and surface textures like wood grain, bamboo, slate or stone. This process is also a bit on the expensive side, but the cost is dropping as digital printing techniques are introduced
Tiles in the present scenario are a primary element in bringing out the interior as well as exterior finish and beauty of the apartment or house.
Since Vitrified tiles can withstand pressure, they are used both in the indoor and outdoors locations of the home.
