Hygrothermal comfort in rooms depends on the insulating properties and the heat capacity of the walls. Good insulation and, as a result, low thermal conductivity limit heat loss in the winter season and heat penetration from outside in the summer. The fairly high thermal capacity of walls (which require a large amount of heat in order to heat up or cool down) provides good thermal inertia, limiting temperature changes. Internal or external tile cladding does little to achieve these conditions (unless mechanical fastening of the slabs is used in the case of VENTILATED FACADES), it simply increases the weight and thickness of the walls.
Good thermal insulation is achieved, as a rule, not so much by the choice of facing material, but by the correct arrangement of walls and ceilings, the insulation characteristics of which can be improved by using hollow materials (for example, hollow bricks) or leaving air gaps, which, if desired, are filled with insulating materials (polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, mineral wool, etc.). The thermal conductivity of ceramic tiles usually varies from 0.5 to 0.9 kcal/(m h °C); lower values apply to porous materials (single and double fired tiles, monoporosity).
Porcelain stoneware, due to its dense, almost non-porous structure, has a relatively high thermal conductivity, which, however, is lower than that of some other flooring materials (for example, natural stones such as marble or granite). The lack of porosity prevents the absorption of moisture by the environment below and above the floor, which ensures a certain constancy of thermal conductivity. This is of no small importance when we are talking about ground floor floors laid directly on the ground (this happens during the construction of residential buildings, but even more often during the construction of industrial facilities, where porcelain stoneware is widely used), since porcelain stoneware, in addition to forms a barrier to the penetration of moisture, does not violate the thermal conductivity characteristics, thereby ensuring more reliable maintenance of comfortable operating conditions. In this regard, a floor made of porous tiles (single and double fired, monoporous), taking into account the greater likelihood of moisture absorption, would be less functional. The thermal conductivity of the flooring material becomes particularly important when the choice is made in favor of heated floors (warm screed). Here, naturally, porcelain stoneware with its high thermal conductivity has no competitors.