Do Porcelain Tiles Crack or Chip?

Porcelain Paving has gained popularity over the last few years as a great alternative to concrete paving and natural paving options, due to its low maintenance qualities and the wide range of stunning finishes available. At CPG , one of the most frequent questions we are asked regarding porcelain paving is “are my porcelain tiles likely to crack or chip?”

As with any paving or tiling products, Porcelain paving tiles can chip or even crack if handled incorrectly. However, this is no reason to be concerned! If you’re considering porcelain paving for your project, this article will help you to understand any risks relating potential cracking or chipping of tiles, and how to minimise these risks.

Main Reasons that Porcelain Paving Tiles might Crack or Chip

The tiles in question are very cheap and of a poor quality
Poor packaging & transportation of the tiles
Insufficient care when handling the tiles prior to and during installation
Poor quality laying of tiles, resulting in tiles coming loose
Poor quality grouting of tiles, leaving tile edges more susceptible

How To Minimise the Risks of Chipping or Cracking Your Porcelain Paving

When Choosing Your Porcelain Tiles:

As with everything in life, cheapest is very unlikely to be best. In the case of Porcelain Paving, you should look out for really cheap offerings, it is quite possible that that they are of an inferior quality. Ordering samples of different products is the best way to assess the quality of the tile, if samples arrive with chipped edges or even cracks, then it might be a good idea to avoid them!
Porcelain Tiles are normally delivered in crates or pallets of 20 – ۲۵sqm each. Depending on the size of the tile you have ordered, this normally equates to 40 – ۶۵ tiles, which are normally either packaged individually as single tiles or in packs of 2 tiles. The single or double tile packs will normally have plastic corner protectors on every corner to offer further protection. If possible, find out how your Porcelain Tiles will be delivered and make sure the supplier packages their products adequately. Reading supplier and product reviews will help with this.
Most importantly, check that the product and supplier you choose has a policy in place whereby they will replace goods damaged in transit. If you order Porcelain Tiles (or any product for that matter) from CPG and something happens to get damaged in transit, we will replace immediately for you. All we need is photos of the damage to take this up with delivery party.
Prior to and during installation of your Porcelain Tiles:

It is very important to take good care of the product when unloading the delivery and handling the tiles. If a porcelain paving tile is hit by a hard object on its corners or edges, there is a possibility of it chipping. Think of porcelain a bit like toughened glass – it’s very strong indeed, but due to how incredibly hard the material is, you have to take care not to impact the corners or edges prior to installation.
It is also possible to crack a porcelain tile, however due to their strength this is less likely than with a lot of other types of paving. All our systems are manufactured in accordance with BS EN1991-1-1:2002. This means that if our porcelain tiles are installed or even elevated on a pedestals system as recommended, they will support a point load of at least 250kg.
If you do happen to chip or crack a porcelain tile prior to or during installation, this isn’t the end of the world! See if you can use that tile for where you require a cut tile, or if you need extra tiles get in touch and we’ll get them delivered quickly for you.
If installing your Porcelain Tiles onto a raised pedestal system, then make sure you install them according to the suppliers guidelines. Likewise, if you are installing using the traditional method of mortar or adhesive, ensure you prime the tiles correctly using a good quality porcelain primer and then grout the tiles properly using a specific porcelain paving grout , and that you adhere to the manufacturers guidelines when using these products.

Once Your Porcelain Tiles are Installed:

If your Porcelain Paving tiles are installed correctly, they are very unlikely to chip once in place. Ensuring they are laid and grouted correctly will ensure the edges and corners are protecting, leaving you will an incredibly hard, durable and low maintenance porcelain patio.
Due to the strength of 2cm porcelain tiles, it is even less likely that you will crack a tile once installed – obviously this is again assuming a correct installation. The most common instance for cracking to occur would be when a tile is dropped during installation or if something very hard and heavy is dropped from height onto the paved area and the tiles have not been installed correctly.
So in Summary, Here’s the 5 Ways You can Minimise the Risks of Chipping or Cracking Your Porcelain Paving:

Choose good quality products by assessing the suppliers and reading reviews
Make sure the supplier will replace goods in the unlikely event of transport damage
Once delivered, take care of the product prior to and during installation, being especially careful with the edges and corners
Ensure that your Porcelain tiles will be laid correctly, using suitable primer and mortar/adhesive products
Make sure that your Porcelain patio tiles are grouted properly, using a suitable Porcelain Grout

Does Porcelain Crack or Chip More Easily than Natural Stone or Concrete Paving?

Different materials behave in different ways. Porcelain is significantly harder material than concrete and most natural stones. As a result, Porcelain Paving Tiles are stronger than both concrete tiles and natural stone tiles, but can be slightly more susceptible to the edges and corners chipping prior to installation.

However, once installed correctly, Porcelain is no more likely to crack or chip than these other paving types, in fact in most instances provides a more durable and long lasting surface. Couple this with requiring almost no maintenance and Porcelain Paving tends to outperform other types of paving overall.

Is Porcelain Paving a Good Option for my Patio?

Now that we’ve covered the risks of cracking or chipping porcelain paving and how to minimise these, let’s quickly cover off some other key reasons why porcelain paving might be a great option for you:

Stunning Looks – Whatever colour or finish you are looking for, you’re almost guaranteed to find the perfect looking tile!
Many Sizes – Whether a smaller tile works for you, or you are looking for a really big tile for a large patio, porcelain tiles come in all shapes and sizes.
Extremely Durable – Porcelain is an incredibly hard material, meaning porcelain tiles are very durable and resistant to scratching, staining or fading.
Very Low Maintenance – Being almost entirely non-porous, Porcelain Paving absorbs basically no moisture which means it is very easy to keep clean
In summary, if you follow the help and advise in this article, and ensure correct installation, porcelain paving unlikely to chip or crack. So when you factor in all of the other benefits over other types of paving, porcelain tiles are a great choice for your outdoor area.