BOUND SURFACING
PORCELAIN TILES AND EXTERNAL PAVING – MYTHS AND JOINTING
EXPLAINED
BY NCC STREETSCAPE LIMITED
We are using porcelain tiles for our paving because :
• red wine spills , BBQ fats , oils and grease will not stain or mark it !
• bird droppings , green algae , moss , and other growths will just wipeoff !
• rust stains from furniture and grass stains from mowing will not occur !
And as a result people can consider :
• porcelain paving does not need protective sealing …..
• porcelain is slip resistant …
• porcelain does not need frequent water-jet cleaning …
• porcelain needs non-permeable pointing , unless on a permeable bed …
Porcelain is made using fine clay , with the addition of very fineground and graded sand plus mineral feldspar , which is sieved and combined in a powerful shear mixer , to produce a smooth and homogeneous mix . This is then modified as required and forced through complex pressure moulding and extrusion processes to make many different things , from traditional top quality and almost see-through , Chinese ‘ porcelain ’ tea services ( the original ‘ china ’) to hightech porcelain electrical insulation components , and porcelain floor and wall tiles , once only used indoors , but now increasingly taking the indoors , outdoors . Porcelain tiles are produced by moulding this special mix over a cheaper ceramic base mix , then the layers are fired together ( heated quickly ) at higher temperatures (~ 1,400 ° C ) than generally used for ceramics (~ 1,150 ° C ). This results in porcelain ceramic tiles that are denser , less absorbent and more abrasion resistant than normal ceramic tiles . These positive characteristics can also now be combined with recent technical advances that make it possible to print virtually any colours and images into porcelain surfaces , allowing almost unlimited design effects from crazy colours , to imitating natural wood , stone , or pretty much anything else you and your Designer can imagine .
However , porcelain is still a relatively new product for external paving in the UK market , though it has exploded in popularity . With this rapid growth , several ‘ myths ’ have appeared around porcelain paving , some of the selection criteria we have heard are :
Really …………. Well …. Good luck with all of that …………!
No seriously , much of this is / can be / has an element of truth , BUT not always and it is really a question of degree , find out more in the next issue of Landscape & Urban Design !
For more advice or assistance with your specific porcelain tile paving project including selecting the right jointing product , the estimated consumption and the installation , visit our website www . nccstreetscape . co . uk / index . html and the specific page regarding porcelain paving here : www . nccstreetscape . co . uk / type-ofpaving-unit / porcelain-paving . html or call our paving team on 01257 266696 for FREE Expert Advice .
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