In 2016, 2017, 2018, I was able to attend seminars conducted by the manager of the Ceramics of the Future plant, Valery Nikolaevich Zhelezovsky. The information presented by this enthusiastic person, a master of his craft, turned out to be understandable, accessible and useful for me. Having passed it through myself and used it in practice, I decided to pass it on to visitors of the InfoCeramics website in the form of a series of articles: 1) ceramic granite, types of surfaces; 2)
Knowing the types of porcelain tile surfaces allows a person to understand what is at stake, for example, when choosing ceramic tiles in a specialized store or on the construction market, as well as when reading product descriptions on packaging or on website pages on the Internet. So, I will give the types of surfaces with descriptions that were given at the seminars.
Matt surface (MR)
Smooth tile surface, protected from contamination by a special compound (crystalina). Easy to clean.
Structural surface (SR)
The relief surface of the tile is protected from contamination by a special compound (crystalina). Easy to clean.
Polished surface (PR)
Smooth tile surface treated with standard abrasives for polishing using classical technology.
Lapated surface (LR)
The relief surface of the tile is protected from contamination by a special compound (crystalina) and easily processed with special abrasives on the polishing line. The tops of the relief are polished. Easy to clean, practical to use.
Light lapation (LLR)
Smooth tile surface, protected from contamination by a special compound (crystalina) and easily processed (lapated) with special abrasives on the polishing line. Gives the surface a smooth, pleasant touch feeling. The surface becomes semi-glossy and acquires the ability to reflect light. The most practical surface for use. LLR+ more intensive surface treatment for greater shine.
Polished lapated surface (PLR)
A smooth tile surface, protected from contamination with a special compound (crystalina) and treated with special abrasives to the appearance of polished tiles. It has a higher light reflection rate and is less dirty during operation compared to a conventional polished surface (PR).