Porcelain ceramic surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom

A new type of porcelain ceramic surface resists all attacks, remains beautiful and hygienic. It is a good alternative for walls, floors and furniture that are otherwise stressed by grease, acid, heat, cold and chemicals.

Raw materials with tradition

To produce porcelain ceramics, alumina such as kaolin, feldspar and quartz are finely ground, slurried with water, dried and shaped. After pre-firing, the porous material is immersed in glaze sludge made of porcelain-like mass - it melts to a bare glass coating during the second firing, while the porcelain material thickens. Since the seventh century, "white gold" has mainly been used to make tableware - porcelain ceramics withstand acids and moderately concentrated alkalis. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was discovered that the dense, translucent material insulated against electricity; Since then, dry matter has been pressed into steel matrices and small parts for switches and sockets are also made from porcelain.

A building material with a future

Only a few years ago there was a completely new area of ​​use for porcelain - as a building material, furnishing and design material: Porcelain ceramic plates reinforced with fiberglass cover interior walls and facades, furniture and worktops, floors, ceilings and doors - with a highly compressed, homogeneous surface. The panels are only three millimeters thin, harder than granite, lighter than aluminum and flexible - they can also be used to design curved wall and ceiling surfaces. The rigid components weigh 6.8 kilograms per square meter; they are three by one meter in size as standard, and in partial sizes on request. Those who find white porcelain ceramics boring can choose from 23 plain colors, many mixed colors, natural stone effects and decorative motifs.

Porcelain ceramic - a material with many advantages

Careful selection of raw materials, patented pressing technology and a special firing process make porcelain ceramics a building material with tangible advantages.

Resistant to chemicals: The plates resist organic and inorganic solvents; Disinfectants and cleaning agents do not damage the surface. The material is only sensitive to hydrofluoric acid, which is used industrially to etch glass.

Food safe: The material does not vaporize any substances.

Hygienic: fungi, bacteria and mold have no way of penetrating the surface.

Easy care: The surface can be effortlessly cleaned with standard cleaning agents.

Fire-resistant: The panels consist of 100 percent non-organic materials and are considered a non-flammable building material. In the event of fire, the clothing does not produce smoke and does not emit any toxins.

Heat-resistant: shape and surface remain stable under heat.

Frost-resistant: The material absorbs almost no moisture (the coefficient is close to zero), therefore does not freeze and can be used in all climatic and atmospheric conditions.

Scratch-resistant: The porcelain ceramic surface is abrasion-resistant and absolutely insensitive to scratches - it remains beautiful even after intensive use and frequent cleaning.

UV-resistant: The material does not contain any organic pigments, which is why the colors retain their tone even after intense and long exposure to the sun.

Resistant to bending: the fiberglass content in the porcelain ceramic mixture makes the panels almost unbreakable.

Reusable: The building material is made from the same raw materials as conventional porcelain dishes. It does not pollute the environment - leftovers and removed panels are finely ground and reused for other production processes.

Versatile: The porcelain ceramic plates can be glued to different substrates, cut into different formats with high accuracy and polished to meet every purpose.

Easy to process: The building material innovation can be processed using techniques, machines and tools that are suitable for glass and natural stone.

Porcelain ceramic plates are waterproof and resistant to weather and environmental influences. So they fit on the facade as well as in the bathroom.

Photo: ceraflex

Porcelain ceramic plates on the test bench

The Italian test center in Modena examined the properties and durability of the porcelain ceramic plates and compared the results with the requirements of the European and international standards EN and ISO and the minimum requirements of the American authority for material testing ASTM.

characteristics	Mandatory Value after EN / ISO	Product value	Minimum requirements according to ASTM	Product value
Water absorption	max.0.5%	0.07%	- / and breaking strength	min. 35 N / mm 2	44 N / mm 2
Surface hardness		8th
Abrasion resistance	Max. 175 mm 3	122 mm 3	Lw> / - 100	147
Resilience to Temperature fluctuations		resists	Patterns are not allowed Show changes	resists
Chemical resistance	no visible traces	no visible effect	no change under the influence of acid	resists
Frost resistance	no visible defects	no visible defect	no changes the surface	no cracks or flaking noticeable
Impact resistance		0.78
Resilience against stains	Class 5: stains removed under ongoing warm water		all stains removed
radioactivity	Max. I = 1	I = 0.52
Food- Harmlessness		suitable
Slip resistance		R 10	> / - 0.60 anti-slip; 0.50-0.60 satisfactory Friction; 0.50 smoothness	0.67 dry, 0.64 wet
Fire resistance		Class 0 / A

Enhance furniture with porcelain ceramics

The new building material is a versatile material with a high-tech surface finish; it opens up opportunities for builders, architects and designers to use a wide variety of products and projects.

A gently shimmering porcelain ceramic surface lends itself wherever surprising optics, high wear resistance, uncomplicated handling and noble material appearance are desired. A coating made of porcelain ceramic refines furniture and fixtures with unusual color combinations and a shimmering surface. The processing and combination with other materials such as wood, plastic or metal is simple and turns conventional furnishings into valuable individual items.

Porcelain ceramic is hygienic and easy to clean

The porcelain ceramic panels are waterproof and resistant to weather and environmental influences, their large format shortens installation and assembly times - advantages that are appreciated outdoors for cladding the facade, indoors for wall claddings and floor coverings, partitions and work surfaces. Due to the non-porous surface and the large plate format, the number of joints in which bacteria can nest is reduced. The coating of worktops and floors, for example, is hygienic and safe throughout their extremely long service life - the porcelain ceramic material with the alkali and acid-resistant, hard surface is not only suitable for residential buildings, but also for (computer) clean rooms, hospitals, Investigation and food laboratories.