Flooring Tile - differance between porcelin & Ceramic

Found a sale on both ceramic (.78) and porcelin (.98) 12x12 pei IV on both. What is the diff?This will be my first time attempting flooring of this type so need some direction. What way should I go? I also have found sanded and unsanded grout. Which is the right one to use? Since I will be installing in both restroom and kitchen/entry should I use a water resistant mastic? One more thing. When istalling in restroom, I will be adding 1/4 with the backer plus the tile, will I still be able to have a good seal with my toilet? or is there a jumbo wax ring that needs to be installed? Thanks for the help. Mike

OK grasshopper here we go, sit up straight and pay attention I'm only going to say this once.:)

Porcelain tile IS ceramic tile. Porcelain simply has a different recipe, it's a little harder maybe in some cases and you can't stain it (with one small exception). The PEI IV on both tells me that the porcelain is a glazed porcelain and the PEI refers only to the glazing. Most regular ceramic tile is glazed, not all porcelain tile is. Porcelain tile has the same appearance all through the body of the tile with the exception of the glazing.

In this case the porcelain is beyond a doubt the best way to go if you are sure the porcelain you are looking at is in fact porcelain, that's a pretty cheap price for a good porcelain. There is no right or wrong, it's your choice. In this case you are buying the glazed surface and nothing else.

NO MASTIC ON FLOORS, I don't care what the label says and don't EVEN think about using a premixed thinset, which is also really only a mastic. You'll want to use modified thinset mortar. Only the thinset is truly water resistant and that's only because water won't ever hurt it, it really doesn't resist water.

Using 1/4" backerboard offers no structural value so you need to be sure your existing floor structure meets criteria. Hopefully your floor joists are a minimum of 2X10 and spaced not more than 16" apart, and don't free-span more than about 11 feet (thereabouts)unsupported. Then the substrate before tile must be a minimum of 1-1/8" thick. If your structure is any less or any different then you may have to make some adjustments.

Unsanded grout is generally for grout joints of 1/8" or less and for polished stone tiles. Sanded grout is for grout joints of 1/8" or more.

The stool flange seal is the least of your worries and you can work with that no matter what. That issue is down the road.:)

OK, Now What?

Probably won't be much help to you, but I do know that porcelain tile is harder and less absorbant than ceramic. Because it's harder, it's also harder to cut. And, from what I've been told (though I don't know from experience how true this is) porcelain is somehow harder to adhere to the floor. Also, unsanded grout can be used for joints 1/8 inch or less wide, while sanded is required for any joints wider than 1/8 inch.

Please bear in mind that I am NOT a tile setter and this is not my area of expertise. Hopefully, someone else will chime in.

Why didn't you include all of that before I spent so much time on it?:)

Let's do hope someone else chimes in
'cause we all know you don't want to take my word for anything. hehehe:)

Look at the posting times, he never saw it till it was tooooo laaate.:wall:

TWO MINUTES?

I can cook an entire chicken egg in two minutes!:)

Maybe your right and maybe I owe him an apology.

And maybe not!:)