Onyx Gem Porcelain Tile Collection

Onyx Gem is a porcelain tile range from 1867 Floors made in Turkey. Marble-look porcelain gives the veining without the sealing, etching and acid sensitivity of quarried marble. Porcelain is fired hotter and denser than ceramic, which is why it takes water, frost and traffic that a wall tile cannot, and an absorption rate at or below 0.5 percent is the threshold that defines it. A polished face bounces light back into the room and reads brighter, though it shows footmarks sooner than a matte. The range is made in 24" x 24". At this size the grout lines fall further apart, which makes a room look larger than a small-format tile would. Rectified edges are cut square after firing, which lets a tiler close the joint to around an eighth of an inch. It suits bathroom walls and floors that see light traffic. Frost resistance means the same tile can carry through to a covered porch or a three-season room.