In depthChoosing marble-effect porcelain
Marble-effect porcelain gives the look of the stone without its habits. Real marble is porous, soft and etches under anything acidic; porcelain follows the veining and the colour, takes on almost no water and does not scratch under grit the way the stone does. The seven tiles here are all 600 mm by 1200 mm, made in Spain, frost resistant, listed as compatible with underfloor heating, with a water absorption ratio listed under 0.50 and specified for floor and wall, two to a box covering 1.44 square metres.
Four marbles are followed. Luna Blanca, in polished and matt versions at 10 mm, and Alexandria White at 9 mm follow white marbles. Alexandria Cream, 9 mm, is the warm one. Taj Mahal Cappuccino and Taj Mahal Pearl, both 10 mm and polished, follow a banded stone and are listed in the onyx subcategory as well. Night Lux, 9 mm and matt, is the dark one. Five of the seven are polished; the two matt tiles are the floor choices for rooms that get wet.
The finish is the practical decision. Polished porcelain is the marble look at its most convincing and it is slippery when wet, which is why Luna Blanca and Night Lux come matt as well. Slip resistance is not a matter of opinion: the HSE grades floors by the pendulum test value, quoted below, and the figure for a specific tile is on its manufacturer's data sheet. For a bathroom floor, ask for it; for a hallway or a kitchen that stays dry, the polished tiles are the point.
Large-format tiles ask for a flat subfloor and a tiler. The screed regularity classes the tiling trade works to are quoted below, along with the surface temperature limits for a tiled floor over heating, which porcelain suits well because it conducts heat readily. For a marble look that floats and clicks, the rigid vinyl range has no marble design; the lappato and stone-effect tiles are the nearest porcelain alternatives at a softer sheen.
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