Construction Defects: Porcelain Tile Analysis and Solutions Report

This research paper investigates construction defects in porcelain tiles, focusing on a case study in Kellyville, NSW. The paper begins with an introduction to porcelain tiles, highlighting their properties such as composition, durability, and aesthetic appeal, which makes them a popular choice in construction. It then details the functions of porcelain tiles, including hygiene, color retention, and slip resistance. The core of the report centers on a specific defect: chipped tiles. The paper identifies the causes of this defect, such as impact from heavy objects and improper installation, and proposes solutions like using adhesives, nail polish, or tile replacement. The paper concludes by summarizing the key findings and emphasizing the importance of careful handling and maintenance to prevent such defects. The report also includes a bibliography of relevant sources.

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MATERIAL SCIENCE IN CONSTRUCTION
A Research Paper on Construction By
Student’s Name
Name of the Professor
Institutional Affiliation
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INTRODUCTION
This research paper involves assessing and selecting a construction material that has a
defect in the Kellyville NSW location. The following are some of the factors that are considered
during assessment of the construction material, properties of the construction material, functions
of the material, description of the defect on the construction material, and the solution to the
defect. The construction material selected for this research is the porcelain tiles shown in the
figure below:
Figure 1: Porcelain tiles construction material
Properties of Porcelain Tiles
Porcelain tiles used as a construction material in the structure above is a product of higher
quality from carefully chosen processing procedures and raw materials controlled accurately
compared to the traditional stoneware. The development of the porcelain tiles is partially
associated with a technological and conceptual development in all the stages of production
process. Some of the features of porcelain tiles that makes it outstanding when used as a
construction material include various possibilities of composition, easy maintenance,

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waterproofing, uniformity of colours resistance to alkalis or acids, resistance to frost, and high
abrasion strength (Blake, 2018).
The perfect technical features of the porcelain tiles are attained through cautious control
of the whole of ceramic processing which begins raw materials selection and ultimate inspection
of shipping and packaging. The processing of manufacturing entails high densification upon
firing, high fluxing of raw materials contents, and high grinding degree, resulting in products
with high technical performance and low porosity. The product can be rectified or not, polished
or not, glazed or not. There are numerous dimensions of porcelain tiles that are normally used
during construction, these may include large size with product area greater than 2500cm2,
intermediate size with product areas between 50cm2 and 2500cm2, or small size with product
areas less than 50cm2 (Blake, 2014).
The three major categories of raw materials used in the manufacture of the porcelain tiles
include inert materials, fluxing agents, and plastic. The plastic materials used include kaolin and
clay, the flux materials used include pyrophyllite, talc, and feldspar, and inter raw material used
is quartz (Bridge, 2011).
The function of Porcelain Tiles
The porcelain is significant to the structure since it ensures adequate hygiene of the
structure since the surface of this construction material does not retain allergens or antigens
easily and also it does not absorb smoke, odours, or fumes. The enables the porcelain tiles to
provide good hygiene to the construction and hence more appropriate in case places where
hygiene is essential. The porcelain also provides a good colour appearance to the construction
and this colour cannot fade away after a long duration. This is because the colour is fired onto

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the glazed surface of the tiles or into the clay body of the tile, hence there is no possibility of
fading occurring. The aesthetic beauty provided by these porcelain tires gives the owner an
opportunity to select different styles, shapes, and colours of this construction material hence the
occupants can match the tiles with the aesthetic appeal of the rest of the house (Neo, 2011).
The porcelain tiles also protect the occupants of the construction from slip or skid. These
tiles are developed depending on the possibility of the floor to be exposed to spills and also
according to the environmental requirements. In case there is likely that the floor will be exposed
to the spills, then there is need of using floor tiles that are slip-resistant which are developed by
the use of patterns, glaze additives, glaze, and glazes. The porcelain tiles also protect the
construction of stains since they have the capacity to resist moisture and also can be easily
cleaned. These tiles also do no retain residues or dust and can be cleaned easily by the use of
common household materials such as floor brush. The regular procedure of cleaning retains the
look of the house (Nikles, 2012).
Chipped Defect in Porcelain Tiles
There are numerous defects that can be found on the porcelain tiles, these defects include
spot, scratch, pinhole, glaze, edge, crack, corner, and blob. In the case of the porcelain
construction material, the type of defect noticed is known as the chipped defect. The figure
below shows the chipped defect in the porcelain tiles construction material:

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Figure 2: Chipped defect in porcelain tiles
This chipped defect is caused by any hard object dropping on the porcelain tiles especially on the
corners or edges of the porcelain tiles. When an object falls with a heavy weight falls on the
vulnerable edges of the tiles, it is expected that the tile will be chipped even if it is a strong
porcelain tile. Some of the objects that are likely to fall on the edges of the porcelain tiles
resulting to chipping of the tile include electronics, equipment, or tools (Varghese, 2009).
Another cause of chipping defect on the porcelain tiles include dragging any heavy
furniture over the tiles. Dragging of furniture on top of the tiles is likely to weaken the tiles and
chipping the edges since they are normally the weakest part of the tiles. Chipping of the tiles can
also occur in case the tiles have not fully achieved complete coverage of adhesives under the tiles
in the whole of the surface. This may result in the void under the tiles and when pressure is
applied to the tile, the edges or corners of the tiles are likely to chip (Nostrand, 2009).
Solution
The chipped sections of the porcelain tiles can be repaired by filling the chipped portion
by adhesives or epoxy. The epoxy or adhesive applied to the chipped tiles should have similar
colour and style to the surrounding tiles. The difference in the colour may result in a mismatch

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and the tiles may lose their beauty. The chipped tiles can also be rectified from this defect
through filling the section chipped with the nail paint which has similar colour with the porcelain
tiles. Any further chipping can be prevented by being careful while carrying heavy objects and
furniture and avoiding dropping them on the surface (Nikles, 2012).
In case the chipping defects affect the entire porcelain tile, there is need of replacing the
tile with a new tile with another new tile which has similar design and type in case it is available.
There are cases where another similar tile design cannot be found to replace the chipped one, in
this case, there is need of working out some new pattern of design with old and new tiles. This
may be cost-effective instead of replacing the tiles of the entire house just because of a single
defected tile.
Conclusion
This paper involves assessing and selecting a construction material that has a defect in the
Kellyville NSW location. Porcelain tiles are the construction materials used in the structure
under consideration and it is a construction product of higher quality from carefully chosen
processing procedures and raw materials controlled accurately compared to the traditional
stoneware. Some of the features of porcelain tiles that makes it outstanding when used as a
construction material include various possibilities of composition, easy maintenance,
waterproofing, uniformity of colours resistance to alkalis or acids, resistance to frost, and high
abrasion strength. The type of defect noticed in the porcelain tile construction material is known
as the chipped defect and is caused by any hard object dropping on the porcelain tiles especially
on the corners or edges of the porcelain tiles.

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Bibliography
Blake, W., 2014.
Ceramic Art: A Report on Pottery, Porcelain, Tiles, Terra-cotta and Brick. New York: Van
Nostrand.
Blake, W., 2018.
Ceramic Art: a Report on Pottery, Porcelain, Tiles, Terra-Cotta and Brick. New York:
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Bridge, J., 2011.
Ceramic Tile Setting. Perth: McGraw Hill Professional.
Buehl, O., 2009.
Tiles: Choosing, Designing, and Living with Ceramic Tile. London: C. Potter.
Hinks, J., 2010.
The Technology of Building Defects. Melbourne: Routledge.
Neo, M., 2011.
Construction Defects. London: Sweet & Maxwell Asia.
Nikles, R., 2012.
Construction Defects. Toledo: Forum on the Construction Industry, American Bar
Association.
Nostrand, V., 2009.
Ceramic Art: A Report on Pottery, Porcelain, Tiles, Terra-cotta and Brick, with a Table
of Marks and Monograms. Michigan: Princeton University.
Varghese, P., 2009.
Materials Building. Melbourne: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.