Unglazed ceramic tile
Defined by a number rather than a look: more than half a per cent water absorption. That figure is how a stain gets in, and it is why sealing matters here and not on porcelain.
In detail
The tile trade draws its central distinction quantitatively rather than descriptively. Porcelain tiles are dense and by definition absorb 0.5 per cent water or less; non-porcelain tiles absorb more than that. Absorption is how a stain gets into a tile at all, so that single number predicts staining behaviour better than colour, price or appearance. Unglazed ceramic — quarry tile, terracotta, many rustic floor tiles — sits on the absorbent side, and the consequences are consistent. Oil and coloured liquids penetrate rather than sitting on the surface, so the response to a spill is to blot immediately rather than to wipe. Sealing is worth doing here in a way it usually is not on glazed porcelain, and the seal is a wear item that has to be renewed. Acidic cleaners are a separate question and depend on the body: a fired clay tile is not calcareous, but the cement-based grout between the tiles is, and it is the grout that a descaler destroys. The trade also notes that unglazed through-body porcelain tends not to show wear because the colour runs all the way through and the material is harder than granite — the opposite end of the same scale.
Properties
Sensitivity
- Acids
- Not known
- Alkalis
- Not known
- Chlorine bleach
- Not known
- Abrasion
- Not known
- Porous
- Recorded
“Not known” means CleaningHQ has not established this, not that the material is unaffected.
Why
- Unglazed ceramic tile is explained by Porous and non-porous surfaces
- Unglazed ceramic tile is explained by Capillary absorption
- Unglazed ceramic tile is explained by Surface roughness
- Unglazed ceramic tile is explained by Penetration into fibres
- Unglazed ceramic tile is explained by Cleanability is designed in
Unglazed means the roughness is the finish rather than a defect in it.
Related
- Unglazed ceramic tile is commonly affected by Oil and grease on textile
- Unglazed ceramic tile is commonly affected by Grease
- Unglazed ceramic tile is commonly affected by Moss and lichen
Hacks and claims involving this
Sources for this page
Sources
Tile Council of North America (TCNA) · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That porcelain tiles absorb 0.5 per cent water or less and non-porcelain tiles absorb more, that absorption is how a stain gets into a tile, and that glazed tiles are usually easier to clean because the glaze fills microscopic holes. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The definition paragraphs and the glazed/unglazed distinction. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .