DOUBLE LOADING PORCELAIN TILES

Double Loading Porcelain Tiles

Double loading porcelain tiles are made by a pressing method, not a surface print. A second layer of pigmented powder is pressed onto the tile body before firing, giving a thick coloured wear layer instead of a thin glaze. That is why these are specified for commercial floors and busy entrances, where a glazed tile would show its wear. Browse the range below, or compare the finishes at our Sungai Buloh showroom.

Buying guide

What Double Loading Porcelain Tiles Actually Are

The name describes how double loading porcelain tiles are made. It is the reason they wear differently from a glazed tile, and the reason they cost more.

How It Is Made, and Why That Matters

A standard glazed porcelain tile carries its colour in a thin layer of fired glass on the surface. Double loading presses a second layer of pigmented powder onto the base body before firing, so the colour sits in a substantially thicker layer of the tile itself.

The practical consequence is wear. A glaze can be abraded, and once it is scratched through, the different-coloured body underneath shows. A double-loaded surface has far more material to lose before that happens, which is why it turns up in shops, lobbies, corridors and entrances rather than bedrooms.

Where double loading porcelain tiles sit between the others. A homogeneous tile is full body, colour right through, and is the most forgiving of all. Double loading is the middle option: more wear layer than a glaze, more pattern range than a full-body tile.

Choose by traffic first, then by look. If the floor is domestic and dry, a glazed tile is usually the sensible spend.

Specifying and Laying Double Loading Porcelain Tiles

Match the finish to the room. Polished reads brighter and is for dry areas. Matt grips better and hides marks. Textured is for wet floors and outdoor use, where the surface profile is doing the work.

Substrate matters more with larger formats. A big tile sits on a bigger patch of screed, so any dip in the floor shows up as a lipped edge. Level the substrate first, or drop to a smaller format.

Buy the whole job in one batch. Shade and calibration vary between production runs, so double loading porcelain tiles ordered later may not match. Allow a margin over the measured area for cuts, and keep a box aside for repairs.

Use the right adhesive. A dense porcelain body absorbs almost no water, so it needs a proper cement-based or flexible grade rather than a basic mix. Our tiles adhesive and grout range is in the same place.

Common questions

What are double loading porcelain tiles?

A porcelain tile pressed in two layers: the base body, then a layer of pigmented powder on top, fired together. The colour sits in a thick layer of the tile rather than in a surface glaze, which is what gives it its wear resistance.

Is double loading the same as homogeneous?

No. A homogeneous tile is full body, so the colour runs through the entire thickness. A double-loaded tile has a thick coloured layer over a different-coloured body. Homogeneous hides a deep chip better; double loading offers more pattern range.

Where should double loading porcelain tiles be used?

Commercial and high-traffic floors: shops, showrooms, lobbies, corridors, entrances and offices. In a home they suit a busy hallway or an open-plan living area. For a bedroom or a feature wall, a glazed tile is the more sensible spend.

Are they suitable for wet areas?

Only in a matt or textured finish. A polished surface with water and soap on it is slippery whatever the tile is made of, so keep polished for dry floors and use a textured finish in bathrooms, yards and car porches.

Disclaimer: the colours, textures and finishes of products shown on this website and in the e-catalogue may vary with lighting, screen settings or printing. All images are for illustration purposes only.

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