HISTORY

Ceramic tiles have been used around the world for many centuries. You can find them in several
ancient monuments, churches, mosques and old homes. Now they are used in shops, hospitals,
and homes. They are used to decorate the walls, floors, furniture, and even stoves. Often the
ceramic tiles are combined with another form of ceramics such as terracotta, faience, and
mosaic to add more beauty and charm to the interiors.

Archaeological expeditions reveal that the Egyptians as early as the 4th century B.C used blue
tiles and bricks to decorate their homes. Glazed bricks were also a common sight in
Mesopotamia
Historians believe that one of the reasons why ceramic tiles have been popular over the
centuries is that it’s made using clay. Clay is readily available and can easily be converted into
tiles using simple processes like firing or baking.
Another huge benefit of ceramic tiles is that it’s long-lasting, durable and aesthetically pleasing,
making it the perfect choice during ancient times as well as for the contemporary era.
It was during the reign of the Islamic Empires, that ceramic tiles were begun to be used as a wall
covering. Initially, the mosaics used in the Islamic Empires were similar to the ones used during
the Byzantine Era. Wall drawings were created using pieces of stones.

Soon, the influence of the Eastern Chinese civilizations, via the Silk routes, ceramic tiles
morphed into glazed structures. Today, you can find plenty of mosaics from this era lining the
interiors and exteriors of Islamic buildings from those centuries. For instance, the Iranian city of
Isfahan, that served as the capital of the Safavid Empire during the 16th century has plenty of
mosaics made with Islamic and Chinese influences.

During the heights of the Ottoman Empire, a particular type of ceramic tiles became famous.
These tiles were made in Iznik, a small Turkish town near Istanbul. These tiles had layers of
quartz that emitted a bright glow. The shades of red in Inznik tiles were the first time in history
that tiles had red colours.

Portuguese – The Conosseiurs of Ceramic Art

It was in Portugal during the end of the 16th century that ceramic tiles reached the zenith of
cultural expression and art. The Portuguese made square ceramic tiles that measured around
5.5”. These tiles were used everywhere – private homes, religious spaces and other public
places like bathhouses, monuments, etc.

Today, ceramics are quite popular for homes as well as commercial buildings. They are used for
interiors as well as exteriors. Today, ceramic tiles are available in a wide array of colours, sizes,
thickness, and designs. Additionally, modern technologies like anti-skid, digital prints make
ceramic tiles the No.1 choice for interior decorators as well as homeowners.
Manufacturing process of vitrified tiles
• The process involves use of clay and silica . Almost the same with
ceramic tile but extra glaze is not needed when heated at high
temperatures .
So that the tiles look glossy glaze is applied over different
resistance with ceramic , glaze is applied over the clay . Thus
vitrified tiles have almost no pores, so resistant to stains.
OR
• Vitrified tile is made by hydraulic pressing a mixture of clay, quartz
, feldspar and silica, which make vitreous surface. Thus creating a
single mass making them hard with low porosity. Different clay
bodies reach vitrification at different temperatures.

Full Body Vitrified Tiles

As the name suggests, full body vitrified tiles have a uniform colour
throughout the body i.e. cross section of the tiles. When you cut the
tiles to fix them on junction of two walls meets at right angle,
borders of tiles will be of the same colour. And this is one major
benefit. They are most suitable for high traffic areas. They are
available in matt and glossy finish.

Double Charge Vitrified Tiles

Double charge vitrified tiles, too are on of the most popular types of
vitrified tiles nowadays. They are fed through a press that prints the
pattern with a double layer of pigment (two kinds of colours are fed
into the machine). Therefore, the upper layer of tiles becomes 3 to 4
mm thicker. Double charge vitrified tiles come in glossy and matt
finish.
Glazed Vitrified Tiles or GVT Tiles or Digital Vitrified Tiles​
• Glazed vitrified tiles are popularly known as GVT tiles. Glazed
Vitrified Tiles (GVT) are finished with the glazed surface. This
glazed surface allows any type of design, surface textures,
etc. on it. It can increase the aesthetics of the floor. In the
market, it is popularly as digital vitrified tiles. They come in
glossy matt, rustic, wooden and other finishes also.​

• Sizes:​The glazed vitrified tiles are available in varieties of sizes

such as 300mm x 600mm, 600mm x 600mm,800mm
x 800mm, 600mm x 1200 mm, 800mm x 1200mm, etc.
However, the sizes may vary with different manufacturer.​
• Price:The price of the glazed vitrified tiles is less than the
double charge vitrified tiles.​

Polished Glazed Vitrified Tiles or PGVT Tiles  

Polished glazed vitrified tiles are the same as the glazed vitrified
tiles with polish on top of it to make it more shining. It is
popularly known as PGVT tiles. They are not that durable as
compared to double charge vitrified tiles. They are more costly
as compared to GVT tiles. The sizes of these types of vitrified
tiles are almost similar as of GVT tiles.

Soluble Salt Vitrified Tiles

When vitrified tiles are printed with screen printing technology
and then polished, it is called soluble salt vitrified tiles.
Nowadays, this type of vitrified tiles are not widely used. The
design of soluble salt vitrified tiles may fade away after a few
years. https://www.google.com/search?q=vitrified+tiles&rlz=1C1CHBF_enIN964IN965&sxsrf=AOaemvIYieKzJtMiVaAJj8c_S-
3PC9SCfw:1633645997261&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIz-
vKrbnzAhVK4zgGHc1gCXEQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1920&bih=880&dpr=1
 HOW TO INSTALL VITRIFIED TILE

CHECK THE ALLIGNMENT AND FINALIZE THE

FIRST CHECK THE FLOOR LEVEL WITH TUBE EDGES OF TILES
FIRST CHECK THE FLOOR LEVEL WITH TUBE
LEVEL AND FIX BULL MARK ON FLOOR
LEVEL AND FIX BULL MARK ON FLOOR
APPLY 15-20MM LAYER OF CEMENT MORTAR
APPLY 15-20MM LAYER OF CEMENT
EVENLY SPREAD OVER THE FLOOR.(CEMENT
MORTAR EVENLY SPREAD OVER THE
SAND RATIO- 1:5) PREPARE THICK CEMENT
FLOOR.(CEMENT SAND RATIO- 1:5)
SLURRY

SPREAD CEMENT SLURRY OVER THE

LAY THE TILES UNIFORMLY OVER SLURRY
LAY THE TILES UNIFORMLY OVER CEMENT MORTAR.
ROUGH THE CEMENT SLURRY TO PROPER
SLURRY BONDING BETWEEN THE SLURRY.

CLEAN SURFACE WITH SPONGE

AND FINISH THE JOINT WITH
GROUT(a mortar or paste for filling
crevices, especially the gaps
between wall or floor tiles)
ALLOW 3-7 DAYS FOR CURING

LAY THE SIDE SKIRING OF HEIGHT

GENTLY PRESS THE TILES WITH 4INCH WITH THICK CEMENT SLURRY
WOODEN HAMMER CONTINUE THE PROCESS FOR ENTIRE AREA
Physical properties of vitrified tiles
• Durability: These tiles are non-porous as compared to other types of
tiles and therefore more durable.

• Porosity: Vitrified floor tiles have very less water absorption property.
Hence it has a very low porosity. Hence it will not make floor damp.

• Water Resistance: It has high resistance to water. Thus they are most
suitable for wet places like bathroom, kitchen, etc.

• Scratch Resistance: Vitrified tiles have more resistance to scratches.

Hence even when the tiles are scratched; the colour of the tiles will
remain same. Only polished tiles may lose sheen over time due to
scratching.

• Brightness: Polished tiles reflect much more brightness. Therefore

polished tiles are often used for flooring and in kitchens.

• Colour Permanence: The effect of heat will not remove the colour of
the tiles and also not cause them to fade.

• Stain Resistance: Vitrified floor tiles have more resistance to stains due
to low porosity and easy to clean.

• Slip Resistance: They are slippery when wet. So it has a low slip
resistance.

• Frost Resistance:It has a high frost resistance due to low water

absorption. So it is most suitable for outdoor areas.

• Hygiene:Being moisture resistant, it prevents bacteria and fungi from

growing.

• Colour Permanence:Vitrified tiles when direct exposed to sunlight, will

neither change the colour of the tiles nor fade.
Uses of vitrified tiles

• Flooring: Flooring for living room, bedroom, dining room can be

done up Vitrified Tiles as they are serve as a good option for such
purposes. These kinds of places in the rooms usually have very
heavy furniture and the tiles need to be extremely strong to
withstand such pressure. And vitrified tiles offer just that. Not just
this, since we keep moving very frequently in these areas, the
flooring is bound to get dirty. In such a case, vitrified tiles used
can be cleaned easily reducing time and effort both.

• Vitrified tiles can be used in the kitchen as well.

• Wall Coverings: Vitrified tiles are available in plenty of designs

which give you the option of choosing wall coverings as per the
theme of the room you’re using them in. You can give the room a
look as per your plans and the durability and long lasting attribute
of vitrified tiles makes sure you don’t need to replace them
anytime soon.

• Flooring or wall coverings, vitrified tiles have a huge advantage

over other tiles as they do not fade away so soon. They last for a
long period of time and so do not need to be replaced frequently.
Defects associated with vitrified tiles
• Bowing Defect
When tiles manufactured, they are not flat and have curvature in it.
It is called a bowing defect. Tiles are supposed to be flat to avoid
joint lips when laid without grouting. Tiles that have bowing or
curvature effect can be checked easily by placing them on a straight
surface.

• Defect in Edges
Many of tiles have warped edges and bevelled edges. When such
tiles are laid together, there is a definite unevenness found at the
joints of the tile, thus resulting in the non-uniform surface. A layman
may have to use a grouting material to hide this defect. Grouting
material is very expensive, thereby increasing the flooring cost.

• Chipped Corners
Vitrified tiles are available in large slabs with size ranging from 1.5 ft
to 5.25 ft (450mm to 1600mm). Transporting such huge tiles can be
tricky sometimes, if not done carefully it results in chipping of
corners of tiles. It is recommended to use packaging corner protector
so that the corners remain intact such chipped corners will collect
dust and will give an ugly look.

• Uneven Sizes
The sizes may vary by few millimeters, but when laid together, these
errors are cumulatively resulting in huge differences. If size
difference is noticeably huge, the joints of tiles will not match. To
cover such defect the layman will use grouting, thereby increasing
the flooring cost. To avoid this, firm sort out tiles and lay on the floor SOURCE - https://gharpedia.com/blog/check-defects-
and check before finally laying it permanently. vitrified-tiles-before-buying/
• Surface Defects
Sometimes tiles have water drop marks on the surface called blobs
and spots. Since vitrified tiles are machine-made, they may have
machine marks. You may also observe other surface defects that
generally look like holes of pin size called Pinholes or humps on
surfaces called protuberances. It is necessary to have a spotless
surface to sustain the aesthetics of the flooring.

• Colour and Hue Defects

Vitrified tiles are processed in batches, according to order received
or as per manufacturer cycle. Two batches will always have minor
variation in processing time and composition, resulting in a colour
variation. Make sure you order your tiles from a single batch to
avoid having a colour defect.

• Texture and Pattern Uniformity

Likewise colour defect these tiles may also have uneven textures. A
single tile may have a dense texture at one end and sparse texture
at another. A tile may have a blurry or faded pattern, which mark
the look of it. One rarely observes such defects nowadays as
technologies have improved immensely.

• Defect in Finishing
Vitrified tiles come in different finishes like glossy, satin and matt.
These finishes are achieved by polishing it by a durable coating.
Uneven polishing may create an irregular surface and feel.
 AVERAGE MARKET PRICE OF SOMANY TILES
QUALITY MAXIMUM PRICE MINIMUM PRICE

PREMIUM 450/BOX 300/BOX

STANDARD 350/BOX 250/BOX

COMMERCIAL 250/BOX 200/BOX

PRICE VARIATION OF PREMIUM GRADE SOMANY TILES

SIZE-450*300 SIZE- 450*300 SIZE - 450*300

PRICE-300 PRICE - 400 PRICE- 650

SIZE-450*300 SIZE-450*300
PRICE- 1000 PRICE-700
 COST OF LAYING

FLOORING TILES
CITY MUMBAI PUNE DELHI NCR BENGALURU SURAT VADODARA AHMEDABAD HYDERABAD

LABOUR 28 28 28 28 26 26 28 28

MATERIAL 90 85 90 90 80 80 80 85

WALL DADO TILES

CITY MUMBAI PUNE DELHI NCR BENGALURU SURAT VADODARA AHMEDABAD HYDERABAD

LABOUR 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28

MATERIAL 80 75 80 80 70 70 75 80

WALL SKIRTINGS
CITY MUMBAI PUNE DELHI NCR BENGALURU SURAT VADODARA AHMEDABAD HYDERABAD

LABOUR 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28

MATERIAL 85 80 85 85 80 80 80 85

SOURCE-https://civillane.com/cost/flooring/
 SIZES
Popular Vitrified Tiles Size Size in MM
Large vitrified tiles 600x1200mm
Regular vitrified tiles 600x600mm 145x600mm
Small vitrified tiles 300x300mm

These tiles are mainly available in sizes of 2x2 feet, 2x4 feet, 1x1 feet and 145x600mm and can easily go with all
kinds of places.

Price range of Vitrified Tiles according to Thickness in India

Thickness Min Price Max Price

10 - 12 mm Rs 528/Box Rs 608/Box
10 - 12 mm Rs 30/Square Feet Rs 35/Square Feet
8 - 10 mm Rs 295/Box Rs 650/Box
8 - 10 mm Rs 24/Square Feet Rs 55/Square Feet
Price range of Vitrified Tiles according to Material in India

Material Min Price Max Price

Ceramic Rs 52/Box Rs 650/Box
Ceramic Rs 18/Square Feet Rs 55/Square Feet
Porcelain Rs 375/Box Rs 1500/Box
Porcelain Rs 24/Square Feet Rs 35/Square Feet
PRICE RANGE OF VITRIFIED TILES ACCORDING TO FINISH IN INDIA

Finish Min Price Max Price

Gloss Rs 295/Box Rs 720/Box
Gloss Rs 19/Feet Rs 35/Feet
Gloss Rs 23/Square Feet Rs 40/Square Feet
Mosaic Rs 27/Square Feet Rs 47/Square Feet
Wall Rs 46/Box Rs 52/Box

FLOORING COST FOR 1000, 1500 & 1800 SQ.FT AREA

Description 1000 sq.ft 1500 sq.ft 1800 sq.ft

Vitrified Tiles Rs. 60/- per Rs. 60,000 Rs. 90,000 Rs. 108,000

sq.ft

Laying Cost (River sand,

Cement & Labor) – Rs. 90/- Rs. 90,000 Rs. 1,35,000 Rs. 162,000
per sq.ft

Wall Skirting – 25% of

flooring (Tile Cost + Laying Rs. 37,500 Rs. 56,250 Rs. 67,500
Cost)

Total Cost of Flooring Rs. 1,77,000/-* Rs. 281,250/-* Rs. 337,500/*

Note: Existing floor breaking and debris removal cost is not included.
 SOME VITRIFIED TILES MANUFACTURERS
POPULAR BRANDS
• Royale Touche Vitrified Tiles
Products: Vitrified Tiles Manufacturers In Morbi, Nano Vitrified Tiles,
Double Charge Vitrified Tiles, Vitrified Tiles 800X800Mm, Vitrified Tiles
600X600Mm
 KAJARIA • Sorento Granito Pvt.ltd
Products: Vitrified Tiles Manufacturers In Morbi, Digital Vitrified Tiles,
Polished Glazed Vitrified Tiles, Matt Vitrified Tiles, Wooden Vitrified Tiles,
 JOHNSON Twin Charged Tiles, Nano Polished Vitrified Tiles
• Duracon Vitrified Pvt. Ltd.
Products: Vitrified Tiles Manufacturers & Suppliers, Multi Charged Vitrified
Tiles,
 NITCO • Lorenzo Vitrified Tiles Pvt. Ltd.
Products: Vitrified Tiles Manufacturers In Morbi, Vitrified Flooring Tiles
Supplier, Floor Tiles, Wall Tiles, Parking Tiles
 REGENT • Sez Vitrified Pvt. Ltd.
Products: Vitrified Tiles Manufacturers In Morbi, Double Charge Vitrified
Tiles, Twin Charged Vitrified Tiles
• Kremen - Fiorenza Granito Pvt.ltd
 ORIENTBELL Products: Nano Vitrified Tiles Manufacturers, Dual Charged Vitrified Tiles,
Full Body Vitrified Tiles, Gvt / Pgvt Tiles In Morbi, Ceramic Tiles
Manufacturers, Wall Tiles Manufacturers
 AGL TILES • Acer Granito Pvt. Ltd.
Products: Vitrified Tiles Manufacturers In Morbi, Vitrified Flooring Tiles
Supplier
 SOMANY • Simpolo Vitrified Ltd
Products: Vitrified Tiles Manufacturers In Morbi, Glazed Vitrified Tiles,
Ceramic Tiles, Floor Tilers, Wall Tiles Manufacturers
• Simanto Vitrified Llp
 SIMPOLO Products: Vitrified Tiles Manufacturers, Double Charge Vitrified Tiles
• Lezora Vitrified Pvt. Ltd.
Products: Glazed Vitrified Tiles Manufacturers, Digital Glazed Vitrified
Tiles, Gvt / Pgvt Vitrified Tiles 
• They are more durable and scratch resistant.
ADVANTAGES
• Vitrified tiles are consistent in sizes, shades and thickness.
• Vitrified tiles are easier to install and need practically no setting
time or polishing after laying. Therefore they can be used
within 48 hours after laying.
• Vitrified tiles have very less water absorption and are stain
resistant.
• Due to moisture resistant, vitrified tiles prevent bacteria and
fungi from growing.
• It is easy to clean as it has shiny surface.
• These tiles will best option the flooring in wet areas as they are
moisture resistant.
• The sheen is not lost very soon.
• The effect of sunlight neither alters the colour of the tiles nor
causes them to fade.
SOURCE - https://gharpedia.com/blog/vitrified-tiles-advantages-disadvantages/
• Tiles need to be installed by an expert tile layer to ensure thin,
DISADVANTAGES
even and neat joints between the tiles.
• The major disadvantage of vitrified tiles is that they are more
expensive.
• The tile with the defect must be cut away along the grout lines
and surrounding material could be damaged in the process.
• Moreover, it is quite unlikely that you will find the same tile after
some years and hence when you buy tiles, always buy few extra
pieces and serve it for public future use.
• In order to ensure the stability, high quality adhesives are used.
• Every year or after two year, the grout must be resealed or it will
begin to look dirty. The sealant will create a hazy finish on the
tiles if allowed to dry.
• It is difficult to install.
• Vitrified tiles are slippery when wet.
• Vitrified tiles are not environment friendly as the process of
making them causes a significant cost of energy and carbon
dioxide.