BUILDING CODE UPDATES MAKE LARGER EXTERIOR ADHERED PORCELAIN TILE POSSIBLE

BUILDING CODE UPDATES MAKE LARGER EXTERIOR ADHERED PORCELAIN TILE POSSIBLE

• Tile News
• April 12 , 2021

Thanks to advances in porcelain tile manufacturing, tiles as large as 6 feet x 12 feet and as thin as 1/8 to 7/32 inches are available. These tiles, known as gauged porcelain tile panels/slabs, are surprisingly lightweight given their size.  The tiles’ lightweight nature, paired with the availability of stronger mortars due to advances in polymer-modified cement mortar technology, makes them a good candidate for adhered exterior facades. But, until a recent update to the 2021 International Building Code (IBC), using gauged porcelain tile panels/slabs for this purpose required applying for a code variance — often a complicated and expensive process.