British weather often gets a bad rap for being dull, grey and generally a whole lot wetter than we would like.

However, despite this negative stereotype, British summertime can actually be surprisingly hot – particularly in the summer.

In fact, the climate of British summertime has rivalled that of the continent in recent years, with UK temperatures reaching as high as 35.5 degrees Celsius in 2018.

In order to escape the heat and keep your property cool and comfortable inside, here are a few handy tips to help make your interior design feel as cool as it looks, even when the sun is blazing outside.

The science behind cool flooring

From a scientific perspective, the temperature of your flooring largely comes down to the conductivity of the material.

Materials that are good conductors can transfer heat faster, giving the perception that the surface is colder.

On the other hand, poor conductors will take time to transfer heat, giving a warmer sensation underfoot.

As such, flooring that’s an excellent conductor of heat – such as tiles – will naturally feel cooler in the summer than a material that is a poor conductor of heat.

Indoor tiles for summer comfort

Carpet is a poor conductor and retains heat, which can make you feel uncomfortably warm during the summertime. The hot air in the room gets trapped in the carpet fibres, acting as an insulator and retaining the heat in the surface.

Luckily, the same can’t be said for indoor porcelain tiles. Porcelain tiles are traditionally very conductive, making them considerably cooler to walk on than carpet due to their structural makeup.

One of the biggest perks of tile flooring is that it’s also great for keeping you cooler when the heat of summer is at its scorching peak. For a cool interior design, ditch the carpet in favour of the vastly more conductive and considerably cooler tile option.

Porcelain tiles in your home

Indoor tiles are commonly used in bathrooms and kitchens within the homestead; however, it’s increasingly common for them to be found in living rooms and hallways, as well as anywhere else in the house.

For a cool, tactful tile with cooling, tactile style, look no further than porcelain tiles from PrimaPorcelain.

For more information on our vast range of indoor porcelain tiles and outdoor porcelain pavers, why not drop us a line? Call now on 029 2080 3756 to find out more or hit the button below to get in touch online.

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We all know that each PrimaPorcelain tile and paving slab is manufactured from the highest quality of porcelain, through a premium process of vitrification. But did you know that each and every one of our porcelain products is also rectified? 

What are rectified tiles?

Rectification is the process by which each one of our products' edges is mechanically cut to exact size with 90-degree angles, also known as edge treatment. This is just one form of edge treatment that enables a floor using these products to have a specific, more uniformed look. 

Why choose rectified tiles?

As a result of our porcelain tiles and paving being rectified, a number of great benefits occur. The biggest advantage of rectified products, however, is the control you gain over shrinkage. Like many materials, porcelain is susceptible to expansion and contraction during its manufacture when heated up and cooled down. With potential size variability based on just minute differences during firing temperatures. Therefore, ordinary products which are moulded, then fired but not rectified, will have slight differences in their dimensions that can affect how precisely and neatly they are laid out. Rectifying tiles and paving slabs creates a perfect product in terms of dimensions, resulting in a perfectly consistent floor.

Another benefit that rectified products offer is minimal grout joints. Finished floor made up of tiles and slabs that have not been rectified will consist of thicker grout lines in order to accommodate their oddly shaped nature. Something you do not want or need when looking to create a beautiful interior or exterior living space.

As well and thin grout lines, rectified tiles allow your grout line to be as clean and precise and your tile's edges. The perfectly straight edges and 90-degree angles allow you to create a floor that contains crisp, sharp grout lines, creating a strikingly classy finished look that everybody is guaranteed to notice. 

When looking for a rectified tile or paving slab, it is important to remember to purchase a product that has been fired, such as porcelain, and not natural stone. Natural stone products such as marble, travertine and granite are, by definition, already 'rectified' as they have been cut from larger blocks of stone. As mentioned above, our porcelain products have also been placed through a process known as vitrification. Their unique manufacture results in a much more robust and hard-wearing composition, in comparison to other types of tile such as ceramic. These two processes make our porcelain products the most superior on the market!

Click below to view our full collection of porcelain products and to order your FREE sample today!

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For more information on our range of porcelain tiles, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our customer services today by calling 029 2080 3756 or emailing us at info@primaporcelain.co.uk - we'd be more than happy to help! 

Slate is an undeniably beautiful natural stone, but it does have some flaws that make it a problematic choice when tiling a large area. By understanding the different qualities of natural slate and porcelain slate tiles you can make a more educated choice about which tiles are right for your floor.

How is natural slate formed?

Slate is formed underground when minerals and sediments are compressed under intense heat and pressure; these sediments and minerals can be anything from chlorite to mica meaning that natural slate can have a lot of inconsistencies in its colour, quality, and porosity. No two natural slate tiles will be the same.

How are vitrified porcelain tiles made?

Vitrified porcelain tiles are made from clay and water that (much like slate) is put under immense heat and pressure to create a durable, aesthetically pleasing tile. The difference is that the components that make up vitrified porcelain tiles are controlled to ensure that the slate effect tiles have a more uniform appearance and are more structurally consistent.

Maintenance

Maintenance is often a factor that weighs heavily on people’s minds when they’re looking to choose the right material for their floors. Natural slate is quite a crumbly stone. This means that to keep natural slate floors looking their best you’ll need to regularly sweep and seal them– this can be time-consuming and costly. The brittle nature of slate also makes it prone to cracks and chips. These tiles can be hard to replace because the appearance of them is so varied.

On the contrary, slate effect porcelain tiles require almost no maintenance, simply give them the occasional wipe over and they’ll continue to look gorgeous for years to come. Porcelain is far more durable than slate meaning it is less prone to scratching or chipping and therefore, won't need replacing as often (if at all).

Porosity

As previously mentioned, slate tiles can range from incredibly porous to not very porous at all due to the way slate is formed. This does mean that some slate tiles are very prone to staining and others are not. This can make installing slate tiles in your kitchen or living room (where coffee and food spills are likely to occur) can be a risky move, but it really does depend on the qualities of the particular slate you’re installing. PrimaPorcelain’s slate tiles are notorious for their water-resistance, meaning they are far less likely to stain.

Can slate be installed outdoors?

Slate can be installed outdoors but can become very slippery when wet, a definite issue if you install them anywhere in the United Kingdom. PrimaPorcelain offers two thicknesses of slate porcelain tiles (10mm and 20mm) both of which offer excellent slip resistance making them the perfect choice for creating a visual flow from your inside to your outside space - a clever way to enhance the dimensions of your home.

PrimaPorcelain Slate Tiles:

• Consistent in colour and structure
• Incredibly easy to maintain
• Water-resistant
• Perform well indoors and outdoors
• Available in a range of colours

Do you think PrimaPorcelain slate tiles are the right option for you? If so, take a look at our slate range by clicking the button below:

View our Porcelain Slate Range here >

Our Forest range is the ultimate in wood effect porcelain tiles! We all enjoy the beautiful grains, lines and whorls in natural wood, but with such beauty comes all the flaws of such a natural and porous material. Low-porosity porcelain is a superb alternative for all sorts of spaces!

We've some great variety in our Forest range, including:

• Forest Oak - These stunning wood look tiles mimic the natural beauty of oak, with all the super-performance of our Italian porcelain.
• Forest Grey Larch - These gorgeous grey tiles have a far more cool and contemporary finish, and would thoroughly modernise just about any space.

Plus several other options!

Basically, if you'd like to decorate your garden with beautiful porcelain tiles that look like real wood, look no further than our Forest range!

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Our porcelain tiles are ideal for large kitchens. They can provide a clean, fresh finish that is often missing from carpet and wooden flooring options. Larger rooms can sometimes feel empty, but with our large kitchen floor tiles, you can rest assured that your spacious kitchen will maintain a modern style while also looking nice and homely.

PrimaPorcelain has a huge range of kitchen floor tiles which are guaranteed to suit any large kitchen space. And, whilst they enhance the decor of any kitchen area due to their amazing styles and textures, they are also extremely practical. Porcelain is a great flooring material for kitchens due to its durability and low-maintenance quality, from spillages to scratches, your PrimaPorcelain tiles will stand the test of time.

If you're in need of some inspiration in selecting kitchen flooring, keep reading! This blog will showcase our exclusive range of kitchen floor tiles, for kitchens that need a bit of wow-factor. We'll show you how to give your kitchen a grand feel worthy of its title as "the heart of the home". Whether you like cool creams, sparkling greys or something in between, we have the style to match your taste!

Large Kitchen Floor Tiles: Lighter Tones

Lighter-coloured flooring is more suited to those kitchens whose decor is darker. Our porcelain in lighter shades adds a feel of style and modernity to kitchen spaces - its brightness also captures and enhances your kitchen space, especially if your kitchen decor is dark!

If your large kitchen doesn't get much natural sunlight, selecting lighter-coloured tiles is a great way of counteracting this. Here are a couple of our favourite lighter-toned flooring options:

Stoneware Silver

This chic and modern tile is perfect for larger kitchen spaces as it's extremely easy to clean (and a big kitchen can get very messy!). Being slip resistant, Stoneware Silver is great if your kitchen area links to your outdoor space. Our porcelain tiles can easily be cleaned when you return from snowy, wet or muddy conditions - and they're great for furry friends!

Forest Oak

If your kitchen has furniture in cool decor shades, (such as white and grey tones), these Forest Oak kitchen tiles will look simply stunning. Forest Oak tiles add classic and homely vibes to your modern kitchen space, whilst still keeping it extremely contemporary. The juxtaposition in styles and colours make for a stylish, beautiful kitchen. These tiles are great if you'd like to have a real wood effect floor without the maintenance!

Large Kitchen Floor Tiles: Darker Tones

What's great about darker toned tiles, especially in larger areas, is that they are more hard-wearing. What we mean by this is, they show less marks as darker tiles often have flecks of different colours; making them very practical. What's not to love?

Travertine Grey

Travertine Grey is part of our middle colour range. These tiles' gorgeous marble effect project an array of grey and white shades. If you're looking to add a real wow-factor to your large kitchen space, these floor tiles are your perfect match! They instantly add character to both modern and classical-style kitchens, and their look matches pretty much any kitchen decor and interior.

Bolzano Graphite

Bolzano Graphite is the best choice for darker kitchen flooring as the tiles are extremely durable; we know how messy a busy kitchen can sometimes get! Our Bolzano tiles also require little to zero maintenance - making your life easier!

Which Kitchen Floor Tiles Will You Choose?

These large kitchen floor tile ideas show only a handful of the products PrimaPorcelain have to offer. If you're looking to add the wow-factor to your large kitchen space, why not visit PrimaPorcelain to see our full range?

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