ᐅ Is Porcelain Tile High Maintenance?

Hello,

we looked at tiles over the weekend. According to the advisor there, porcelain stoneware tiles are very durable and easy to maintain. Once back home, we read up a bit online and found many horror stories about porcelain stoneware tiles. Apparently, no soap should be used on the floor, dog urine causes stains, scrubbing too hard in the same spot can leave a dull, light patch, and so on. The floor supposedly needs to be cleaned with all sorts of products and regularly sealed. There are even videos showing the floor being treated in numerous steps, including using a single-disc machine. This is definitely too complicated for us—at that point, we might as well choose oiled hardwood flooring again. However, we also read that there are glazed porcelain stoneware tiles, which are less commonly available. Do these glazed porcelain stoneware tiles have any disadvantages? I couldn’t find anything about that online. What are your experiences?

Best regards,
Sabine

I had polished porcelain tiles in the kitchen for 12 years without any problems! In the bathroom, there were brown matte tiles; cleaning was no problem and there were never any stains. Drilling, however, was almost impossible and requires the use of diamond drill bits with water.

I think you might be confusing things? There are natural stone tiles, such as marble, granite, or Solnhofen slabs, which are more delicate and require special care.

Porcelain stoneware tiles are just regular tiles and, compared to something like wood flooring, they are very low-maintenance and easy to clean. We only have porcelain stoneware in our house, and it is wonderfully easy to care for.
In detail, it obviously depends on the surface and the surface treatment of the tile. For example, if they have a high-gloss finish, it might be possible that some of them become matte over time.

No, I don’t mean natural stone but porcelain tiles. These tiles have a pretty waterproof and non-porous surface, but they are not completely sealed like a glazed surface. There are many reports online from people who are unhappy with these unglazed tiles. That’s why I wanted to ask how it is here and if anyone also has glazed porcelain tiles. We actually just want a low-maintenance floor and don’t want to deal with extensive care.

Best regards
Sabine

I have porcelain stoneware from 1978 installed in the hallway and dining room – no issues. It probably depends on the surface, though.

We have had porcelain stoneware tiles in the kitchen, hallway, and bathrooms for 1.5 years. So far, they have been very low maintenance and easy to clean. I have had no concerns until now.