What are the types of porcelain tile?

RenovationHome Search TeamFirst published 1 October 2021

Humans have been baking clay into useful, beautiful objects since the earliest civilisations, and porcelain is one of that tradition's finest results. From dishes and pottery to figurines and, yes, tiles, porcelain has earned its reputation the hard way: through centuries of daily use.

Porcelain tiles are made by firing refined china clay at high temperature until the body becomes extremely dense, with water absorption below 0.5 percent. That near-impermeability is what makes porcelain such a dependable covering for floors and walls, and especially attractive in a humid climate like Malaysia's. But "porcelain" is not one product. It comes in distinct types, and choosing the right one for the right spot is most of the battle. Here are the seven you'll meet in any showroom.

Matte porcelain tiles

Matte porcelain skips the final polishing stage. Powdered clay is mixed into the mould before firing, producing a lustreless, deliberately rustic, almost worn-in look, straight out of the kiln. It hides smudges and water marks well, offers better grip than shiny finishes, and suits architectural, earthy interiors where shine would feel out of place.

Glazed porcelain tiles

Here, a layer of semi-liquid glassy material is deposited on the tile's heated surface after firing, bonding tightly as it cools. The result, the glaze, can be neutral or coloured, and gives a hard, shiny, stain-shrugging surface. Glazed porcelain is the everyday choice for walls and lighter-traffic floors where easy cleaning matters most.

Polished porcelain tiles

Polished tiles achieve a similar reflective beauty by a different route: instead of adding a glaze, the fired tile's own surface is ground and buffed with polishing material until it hardens into a dense, mirror-like finish. The shine runs closer to the tile body itself, giving a more stone-like depth, a favourite for living areas that want a touch of glamour.

Double charged porcelain tiles

As the name hints, these tiles fuse two different clay materials in one press, mixed before firing, so the resulting designs and patterns sit naturally in the tile rather than printed on top. The finish can be glazed, matte or polished, and the thick pattern layer wears slowly, which is why double charged tiles are popular for busy floors that still want a decorative face.

Textured porcelain tiles

Textured tiles carry a rugged, almost stone-like surface, and they exist for one job: grip. Water-resistant and far less slippery than smooth finishes, they're the right answer for outdoor floors, balconies, car porches and any surface that meets rain, places where wear and tear is at its maximum and a fall is the real risk.

Full body porcelain tiles

Most porcelain tiles carry their colour and pattern on a base layer. Full body tiles are different: the colour runs homogeneously through the entire thickness of the tile. Chip a corner and you see the same colour, not a pale core. The payoff is an even, distortion-free look, and graceful ageing in heavy-traffic spaces where surface wear is inevitable.

Satin finished porcelain tiles

Satin tiles follow the polished tile's process but stop one step short, the final coat of polishing material is never applied. What's left is a surface that feels smooth and silky without being glossy: a soft, low-sheen middle ground between matte and polished that flatters bedrooms and quieter spaces.

Which one is right for you?

A simple way to shortcut the decision: floors that get wet want matte or textured; showpiece living areas suit polished or double charged; walls take glazed happily; hard-working family floors justify full body; and soft, calm rooms are where satin shines, quietly. If you're renovating a unit to rent or sell, we're glad to advise which finish gives the best return for the space.