Almost all toilet manufacturers apply glaze on the inner surface of the toilet bowl. You might think it is only added to make the bowl look shiny, but it has several other purposes.
Toilet bowl glazes do not allow any waste to stick to the surface and make cleaning up the surface easy for you. Besides, they reduce unwanted stains of waste and hard water marks. Many high-end brands use their advanced technologies to coat ceramic bowls with anti-microbial glazes to maintain the highest level of hygiene.
Let us dive into this resource guide about toilet bowl glazes. Here we will cover how they are applied and which type is most effective.
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Key Takeaways
- Toilet bowl glazes form the exterior glass-like reflective surface of a toilet bowl that gives it a smooth appearance.
- While manufacturing the toilet bowl, the glaze is either baked into the ceramic clay or poured onto it to create a protective topcoat
- The glazed surface repels water, prevents waste from clinging, resists stains, and protects against germs.
Toilet Bowl Glaze Explained
Ever noticed the glass-like coating on a new toilet bowl? That is exactly what we call toilet bowl glaze which makes up the toilet exterior and covers the ceramic or porcelain toilet bowl. It allows the toilet bowl to keep the water out and offers protection from stains, dirt, and bacteria.
Some manufacturers apply a glaze coat over the ceramic bowl whereas some seal the glazing material inside the ceramic while firing through a kiln. The latter process is more effective as it lasts longer than the topcoat.
Glaze Application Process
All toilet bowl glazes are applied by the manufacturer while building the toilet bowls in the factory. In general, glazes are made of four different ingredients.
- Silica: It gives an attractive glass-like glazing effect. The smoothness of silica repels water and dirt.
- A Flux: Several types of fluxes function as melting agents. Sodium, calcium, and boron fluxes are the most common ones.
- A Stiffening Agent: As the name suggests, it bonds the materials together and forms the hard structure of the toilet bowl.
- Colorant: These additional mixings are responsible for the toilet bowl’s color and final appearance.
All the ingredients are put in a kiln to provide high heat bonding and shaping of the fixture. The glazing materials can be mixed while firing or poured on the shaped toilet bowl to create a topcoat.
Besides, a dry mixture of glaze can be dry dusted over ceramic or porcelain clay. Some manufacturers add additional ingredients for the overall improvement of the glazing effect and to prevent bacteria and fungi.
Advantages of Glazes
Glazing is an essential step in manufacturing toilet bowls as it has plenty of benefits. From repelling dirt and water to fighting microbes, glazes can protect your toilet in many ways. Here are the advantages of glazing.
Offers a Smooth Exterior
Can you imagine a toilet bowl without a glaze? The raw and unglazed look of ceramic or porcelain is not pleasing at all. besides, an unglazed toilet bowl has blemishes and uneven spots on the surface. It not only looks bad but also creates issues while flushing.
A coat of glaze inside and outside the toilet bowl easily covers the blemishes and smoothens out the surface. Not to mention how good it looks when light reflects on the glaze. Hence, glazing the inside and outside of the toilet bowl is important to give the perfect look and feel to modern toilets.
Keeps Water and Dirt Away
Without a glaze, the regular finish of ceramic or porcelain is not enough for efficient flushing. The glaze coat is incredibly smooth and almost non-porous. As a result, the waste and water are flushed immediately instead of sticking to the surface.
Same goes for dirt, stain, or any type of impurities. The extra slick glazed surface does not allow anything to easily stick, which is essential for toilet bowls.
Protects from Germs
Nowadays, most manufacturers infuse different anti-microbial ingredients into the glaze. As we all know, toilets are full of germs, and you do not want them to grow. The glaze can stop bacteria and molds from growing on the toilet bowl surface.
So, glazing the inner and outer surfaces of the toilet bowl is particularly helpful for maintaining proper hygiene.
Easy to Clean
Even if some dirt or stain is left on the glazed toilet bowl surface after flushing, you can easily remove them without much effort. Scrubbing with a toilet brush is enough to remove dirt and debris.
If the outer glazed surface collects stain, dust, or grime, brushing with soapy water will make it clean again. Clean unglazed toilet bowls require vigorous rubbing and harsh cleaning products which are harmful to the environment.
Most Effective Against Waste Sticking
Different manufacturers develop their own technology to create glazes that effectively prevent waste from sticking to the inside of the toilet bowl. Below are the most effective ones with the smoothest surface and anti-bacterial properties.
TOTO engineers have developed a unique nano-technology glaze known as CEFIONTECT. This ceramic glaze is ultra-smooth as it seals the underlying porcelain clay with its ionized barrier.
It creates a non-porous and super-slippery surface that does not allow the waste to cling on. All you need is one flush and the nasties will slide off immediately off the toilet bowl.
This unique anti-bacterial glaze is used by many different manufacturers including Turin, Vienna, Hauge, Bern, and Skew. The NanoGlaze is applied to ceramic or porcelain clay while firing inside the kiln. Hence, it allows the surface to prevent germ and dirt build up. It does not allow any nasties to stick on its surface.
Extra heat is applied while infusing the glaze so that the tiny bumps of the ceramic surface are covered.
As you might know, Kohler is one of the top brands popular for their bathroom products. The manufacturer uses a unique anti-bacterial glaze that kills bacteria and germs.
Instead of coating only the surface, it built the glaze into the ceramic clay before starting the firing process. Therefore, the glaze offers optimal hygiene by preventing dirt and waste from sticking to the surface.
Just like Kohler, the brand Duravit also has their own glazing technology. The manufacturer experiments with different materials to make the glaze repellent more to sticky nasties.
HygieneGlaze ceramic glaze is baked into ceramic clay while firing. Therefore, it’s longer lasting, fast, and more effective against dirt build-up.
Wrapping Up!
In this write-up, we covered everything to know about toilet bowl glaze. Toilet bowl glazes make the surface smooth and slippery so that waste can be flushed off easily. Besides, it improves the overall look and feel of the exterior of the toilet.
While buying a toilet bowl, you should go for the ones that bakes the glaze with ceramic instead of applying a coat later. This way, the glaze becomes longer lasting and more functional.