Gauged Porcelain Tile Gains Popularity Post-Certification

Crossville Inc. tiles at the Pensacola, FL, International Airport

"Tile manufacturers continue to push boundaries with gauged porcelain tile panels/slabs (GPTP) in terms of design and size, crafting porcelain interpretations of everything from natural stone to wallpaper and even
personalized pictures,” Contemporary Stone & Tile Design magazine says. 

One reason why might be because the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) introduced in 2017 two new standards for the materials. ANSI A173.3 covers gauged porcelain tiles and gauged porcelain tile panels/slabs, which ANSI 108.19 deals with the interior installation of gauge porcelain tile and gauged porcelain tile panels/slbs by the third-bed method bonded with modified dry-cement mortar or improved modified dry-set cement mortar.

GPTP’s floor applications typically are 5 to 6.5 millimeters thick, while wall applications run 3.5 to 4.9 mm. “Often, they are selected where high performance is desired, including wet area applications like showers and steam rooms, as well as commercial and high-end residential bathrooms,” Bart Bettiga, TCNA’s executive director, told the magazine. “The advanced manufacturing processes allow for the slabs to be installed with minimal grout widths, the ability to match and bookmark patterns, and with proper substrate preparation for retrofitting or installing directly over other surface materials.”