product

Product Information Index
General	Coefficient of Friction
Acid & Alkali Resistance	Shade Variation
Dimensional Accuracy	Surface Wear


General
All products, walls and floors are dry pressed and manufactured by the "Monocottura" process. This technology results in products that are more impact resistant than older technology "bicoturra" products. All floor tiles presented are frost resistant with water absorption of about 3%. Wall tiles have approximately 13% water absorption.

Acid & Alkali Resistance
Both walls and floors are considered resistant to acid and alkalis and other corrosive substances. Actual resistance varies depending on the type of glaze used in each product. We do not recommend the use of acids for regular cleaning of our products.

Calibration and Dimensional Accuracy
All our wall tiles and our floor tiles (with very few exceptions) are meant to be installed without any space between them. This means that the tiles need to be dimensionally accurate. When the tiles go through the kiln, they experience dimensional distortion and when they come out of the kiln, their dimensions are slightly different from tile to tile. To ensure that the floor tiles can be installed with tight joint, they are classified by "caliber", this means that the tiles that are dimensionally compatible are boxed together. This concern with calibers is only relevant in floors that experience a substantial distortion of dimensions going through the kiln. Wall tiles do not present this type of distortion and are not classified by caliber.

Coefficient of Friction
Ceramic Tile floors are tested for performance from the point of view of how slippery they are, by the standard ASTM C-1928. This method does not suggest a coefficient of friction suitable for residential or commercial applications. A floor with a coefficient of .50 or higher (wet or dry) is considered slip-resistant in commercial applications. We present in this catalog three main types of floors with the following ratings: Marble Look Floors: Dry 1.06, Wet .45 Terracotta Look Floors: Dry .80, Wet .42 Stone Look Floors: Dry .98, Wet .63

Shade Variation
Shade variations in the color of tiles can be expected from one production run to another. Also some of our tiles (stone look) are produced with pronounced shade variation from one tile to the next, to enhance the look. Please always request a current sample before specifying one of our floors. Shade variations are very small in our wall tiles even in tiles that have been produced months apart from each other. You may expect bigger variations the further apart the production dates. Floor tiles have a higher degree of shade variation from one product to the next.

Surface Wear
Ceramic tile is classified according to its resistance to wearing by the PEI method with numbers from I to IV. The rating IV is the highest resistance according to the PEI method. These ratings are not a very reliable indicator of the expected durability and the loss of appearance of a tile in an specific installation. Very often dark colored tiles may show better performance from the point of view of loss of appearance than the PEI ratings might lead one to expect. In general, our wall tiles should not be used for floors or kitchen counter applications. All our floors are good in all residential applications and in medium commercial applications. Examples of medium commercial applications are: clean showrooms and retail stores. Dirt and traffic are the main enemies of tile. Dirt grinds on the surface tile as the user steps on it and scratches the tile and eventually wears the glaze, exposing the bisque in extreme cases. We recommend to provide elements such as mats or carpets to clean the feet of the users before they come into contact with the tile. Also recommend the use of carpet (easy and inexpensive to replace) in areas of prevalent traffic such as the entrance to stores or the area in front of counters in lobbies. When in doubt, please call us for additional information and recommendations.

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