In this article we are going to talk a little bit about an older material that is also a newer material. It has been used for several decades to cover surfaces in many environments. It can be found in virtually store that sells floor covering. It is even being used for kitchen countertops. You guessed it, we are talking about porcelain. In this article though, we will be talking about porcelain tile. Specifically we will mention some thoughts with regard to MAXFINE Porcelain large format tiles. Conceptually, the points apply to porcelain tile of smaller sizes too. So let's get into our consideration of MAXFINE Porcelain large tile.
Porcelain Tile Differs From Ceramic Tile
It is easy to begin thinking that the two materials ceramic and porcelain are the same material. However, that is not the case and before we get into the specifics about MAXFINE Porcelain tile, we want to comment briefly on this fact. Just as squares are rectangles but rectangles are not necessarily squares, the same is true of ceramic and porcelain. Porcelain is ceramic, but not all ceramic tile is porcelain. For a ceramic tile to qualify as porcelain it must meet specific requirements. Regarding the thought that these are two distinct materials, note what the Cosmos Surfaces website published about this:
Considering how similar they are in appearance – and the fact that their uses often overlap – its no wonder why many people use the terms "ceramic" and "porcelain" interchangeably when describing tile. However, its important to note that each surfacing material has its own distinct characteristics.
So, what we talk about in this article does not necessarily apply to all ceramic tile. So as we discuss MAXFINE Porcelain large format tiles it is good to keep this in mind.
Porcelain Tile That Looks Like Natural Stone
There are a number of large format tiles in the family of MAXFINE Porcelain that look like natural stone. The appearance is becoming more like quarried rock as technology progresses. Every year more and more porcelain is created to mimic the tried and true look of stone slabs.
MAXFINE Porcelain Color Selection
When it comes to porcelain tiles in large format the color selection is outstanding. Because materials like MAXFINE Porcelain can be created to specs, the color is simply a matter of experimenting until the desired look of the manufacturer is achieved. Once the exact look is created, it is capable of being reproduced repeatedly. MAXFINE Porcelain as well as other brands of large format tiles have taken advantage of this technique. In fact, many brands are available in an aray of colors.
In fact, here is a list of colors for the brand of tile we are currently discussing as they are shown on this website:
Rialto Zinc
HIGHWAY GREY
Venice Coral
Lavica Black
Cenere
Travertino Classico
Venice Grey
URBAN GREY ACTIVE
Ghiaccio
Wooden Acero
Rialto Coral
Lavica Pearl
Ivory Black
Sand Hearth
Balance Dark Grey
Balance Steel Blue
Rialto White
URBAN WHITE ACTIVE
Ocean White
BASALTO BEIGE ACTIVE
Snow
Rialto Green
Alps Heart
Breccia Medicea
Chiericati
Veined White
URBAN DOVE
White Calacatta
URBAN IVORY
URBAN JUNGLE
Kuroca
Pearl
Balance Mustard
Venice Ivory
BASALTO GRIGIO ACTIVE
Balance Marsala Red
Venice Zinc
Bianco Lasa
Black Marquinia
BASALTO NERO ACTIVE
Balance Azure
Iron Black
Balance Ochre
CALACATTA STATUARIO ACTIVE
White Purity
Calacatta Grey
Calacatta Oro
Grigio Alpi Carnia
Pearl Mind
GEM VIOLET
Aosta Green Marble
ONICE REALE
Balance Orange
OCEAN WHITE
TRAVERTINO
Venice Silver
UNI ICE ACTIVE
Agata Black
Gem Rose
Dusk
White
AOSTA GREEN MARBLE
Tyrol Stone
Emperador
BLACK MARQUINIA
HIGHWAY BLACK
Coffee Truth
Balance Nude
URBAN AMARANTH ACTIVE
ONICE ALABASTRINO
Blast Ash
URBAN GREEN ACTIVE
Lavica Grey
Onice Avorio
Dark
Rialto Yellow
Wooden Noce
Venice Yellow
Rialto Pink
ONICE MALAGA
Valmarana
Gaudi Stone Extra
Verde Persia
URBAN DOVE ACTIVE
URBAN PINK ACTIVE
Cornaro
Onice Verde
Pisani
Statuario Light
Venice Earth
Beige
GAUDI STONE
Balance Light Grey
URBAN IVORY ACTIVE
Travertino
Labradorite Maxfine
Limestone Deep
Sabbia
Balance Ivory
Turtle Blaze
BASALTO MORO ACTIVE
ONICE GIADA
BASALTO BIANCO ACTIVE
Venice Beige
Brown
Celeste Aran Maxfine
Trambiserra Grey
ONICE PERLA
Greige
Titanium White
Gem Pearl
URBAN ORANGE
ONICE GHIACCIO
Silver
Hazel
BRECCIA MEDICEA
CREMA MARFIL EXTRA
Connemarble Irish
CONNEMARBLE IRISH
Antracite
WHITE CALACATTA
Argento
CALACATTA ORO
TRAMBISERRA GREY
Black Onyx
Intensive White
Panda White Maxfine
Venice Graphite
Onice Grigio
Rialto Ivory
Dark Depth
BIANCO VENATO EXTRA
Lavica Beige
Blast Grey
Blue de Savoie
URBAN GREY
CALACATTA
Venice Green
Dove
Iron Grey
Venice Pink
Grey Calm
Jatoba Brown Maxfine
Abyss Grey
URBAN BLU
Patagonia Maxfine
Balance Umber
Certosa
Black Intensity
Balance Mud
Grey
Stone Grey
ROSSO LEPANTO
BLUE DE SAVOIE
Onice Oro
Onice Ghiaccio
Rialto Silver
Onice Giada
Alaska White Maxfine
Onice Alabastrino
Tuscany Stone
Blue Tempest Maxfine
Agata Atena
Bianco Venato Extra
Venice Blue
Sand
Calacatta
Lavica Dark
Amazonite
Limestone Ash
Arabescato
Onice Reale
Blast Brown
Rosso Lepanto
Balance Chester Green
Onice Malaga
Sahara Noir
Deep Norway Maxfine
HIGHWAY WHITE
Blast Beige
URBAN WHITE
Statuario Delicato
CALACATTA ACTIVE
Mystic Black
Iron Bronze
URBAN INDIGO ACTIVE
Foscari
PIETRA GREY ACTIVE
Limestone Moon
Extra White
Venice White
Blast Black
Lunar Stone
Onice Perla
Balance Tan
Rialto Graphite
GEM ROSE
URBAN BLACK
Agata Blu
GEM PEARL
Rialto Blue
Brazilian Blue
Nuvolato Grigio
SAHARA NOIR
Rialto Earth
Delicato Cremo
Thassos
MAXFINE Porcelain Porcelain Tile Tools
Porcelain is like stone in some ways and in other ways it is different. For example, like some natural stone, prcelain like MAXFINE is a hard material that requires specific blades for cutting it. On the other hand though, it is so hard that using a diamond tile cutting blade is better than opting for a diamond granite and quartz. Blades designed for cutting porcelain have features resulting in a chip-free cut.
Another thing about large format porcelain tile installs is that the surface area covered with this relatively lightweight material is usually spacious. Large spans of floors, walls, and interior or exterior surfaces are treated using MAXFINE Porcelain tiles and others like it. And the larger the size of the tiles being used, the greater the need there is for a tile leveling system. Tile leveling makes for the most accurate installation. A tool that is becoming more and more popular because of its efficiency is the vibrating tile leveler. The Tile Quake available form Weha is one such tool. This vibrating suction cup makes the work of leveling tile efficient since the installer can grab, lift, set, and level the tile using this one tool.
Porcelain Tile Care
One of the selling points for materials like MAXFINE Porcelain large format tile is that it's relatively easy to maintain. Being non-porous, porcelain does not require sealing to be applied. Additionally, when it is cleaned using an appropriate cleaner according to the guidelines from the material's manufacturer, it yields many years of use. Using a porcelain cleaner designed for materials such as MAXFINE will offer the greatest benefits in the long run.
So there you have it, MAXFINE Porcelain large format tile is a material choice that offers many applications. Material like this are fashioned to look like other materials (natural stone for example) in some cases. And the tooling, care products, and long life of porcelain can be similar to natural stone. Choosing it as a material for a project offers diversity and functionality. It also offers benefits, but it will take some specific attention to work with it and care for it.
