Do you love the look of marble floors, countertops, and walls? If so, then you may find that you can get that beautiful aesthetic without fronting the high cost of marble tiles and then needing to invest more time and money into polishing, sealing, and periodic maintenance. The secret may lie in marble-look porcelain tile instead of genuine marble. Let’s break it down.

Marble: Beautiful, but Needy

Marble sure has a beautiful, classical appeal. We can hardly argue with that. But the more you become familiar with marble, the more you will realize that it’s not only expensive, but it requires a lot of work.

Those who are familiar with marble’s use for countertops alone will be no strangers to its high upfront cost. Sure, some might call it affordable, but it is more expensive than granite, which is another common material used for the same purpose.

Then there’s the matter of maintenance. Marble may be a rock, but despite the fact that “like a rock” is an expression for indestructibility, marble is actually quite suspect to damage. Not only can it easily be scratched and scuffed, but marble is highly absorbent and can be chemically damaged by common cleaners, acids, alkalis, salts, and more. It will also readily absorb stains.

That’s why professional stone cleaners will caution you to polish and seal your granite and marble countertops at least every few years, in order to prevent damage. It’s also why marble-look porcelain tile can potentially deliver you all of the aesthetic advantages of marble with almost none of the headache.

Why Marble- Look Porcelain Tiles?

If you need a few good reasons to invest in marble-look porcelain tile, start here, and then call us if you have any questions on the far-reaching benefits of porcelain as compared to natural stone.

●Porcelain is physically tough

First up, porcelain is really hard and really tough. Let’s go to the Mohs Scale of Hardness for this one to illustrate the point. Marble comes in at a 3 on the Mohs Scale and porcelain at a 7. This makes porcelain not only much harder but much stronger than marble.

As a result, it is difficult to scratch or scuff porcelain. Porcelain tile is also very wear-resistant and chip resistant and very strong; it does not break easily since it is pressed from dense, strong minerals at very high pressures. Porcelain is actually harder and denser than most ceramic tiles, which are another class of popular alternatives to natural stone.

●Does not require polishing, waxing, or sealing

Some damage to marble can be prevented by waxing or sealing it, which will help prevent it from absorbing moisture, oil, or other treatments or chemicals. That will help prevent staining as well as damage to the mineral crystals contained in the stone. Marble also should be polished every few seasons (or as needed) in order to bring back its luster.

Since marble-look porcelain tile is so hard, it doesn’t need to be polished. It also doesn’t ever need to be waxed or sealed, so it gets high marks for low maintenance.

●Very low moisture absorption

Unlike marble, which readily absorbs water, oil, and some cleaning agents, porcelain is effectively impervious to moisture absorption, which also means it is highly resistant to damage associated with such things.

This is one of the reasons that porcelain is used in bathrooms and kitchens; most porcelain tiles have a moisture absorption rating of .5, which is extremely low. The absorption rate of marble varies because it is a natural material, but depending on the crystalline structure and natural fissures on its surface, it will readily absorb water, oils, and more, which can result in stains or even damage the marble itself.

●Low maintenance, easy to clean

Porcelain, unlike marble, can be treated with a wide range of cleaning products without fear of damaging its finish or surface. In many cases, porcelain tiles can simply be wiped clean with water, too, since there’s little concern that stains will set in.

●Can be textured for slip resistance: some can be used on the walls and floors

There are some tiles (like glazed subways tiles) that should not be used for floors because they are slippery. There are porcelain tiles on our website that are textured and so are suitable for flooring surfaces, even in bathrooms and shower floors.

●They’re great for high-traffic areas

Even well-treated marble floors can get dingy in response to elevated levels of traffic. Porcelain, since it is not absorbent and is very easy to clean, is also easy to keep clean, making it great for walkways and other surfaces that see a lot of use.

●Chemically resistant to acids, salts, and alkalis

Acids and some salts and alkalis materials can be downright destructive to marble, causing damage that cannot be rectified easily and sometimes cannot be rectified at all. This is troublesome for kitchens since many foods have highly acidic ingredients; a slip or a spill can damage a marble food preparation surface or a countertop. Porcelain is highly chemically resistant to these chemical influences.

●They say porcelain is expensive, but natural marble has it beat

Porcelain isn’t cheap. In fact, some online resources will overtly state that the cost of porcelain is a detractor. However, marble is also noteworthy for its cost and when you factor in the high costs of maintenance and treatments, it starts to seem like porcelain is more and more affordable.

●It’s available in many design options

Finally, there’s the fact that there are marble-look porcelain tiles in so many different sizes, finishes, patterns, and other configurations in our online store. Whatever your interior design aesthetic demands, our collection of marble-esque porcelain tiles has something for you, from textured floor tiles to matte tiles to tiles with a polished finish.

Whether you’re looking for marble-look tiles for bathroom tile walls or you need a set of porcelain floor and wall tiles that are matching, we have everything you need in our collection. We carry both ceramic and porcelain tiles; take a look through our marble-lookporcelain tiles and contact us for additional information at hello@brickcitytile.com.