They are.
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The difference between ceramic and porcelin floor tiles is ceramic tyles are make of ceramic and porcelin tiles are made of porcelin. They both come in various sizes and styles. Ceramic tyles are usually better for floors and porcelin tiles are usually better for walls and showers.
Ceramic tiles are normally laid on a cement base. If the floor has any flexibility at all, the tiles will wind up cracking. But if you do have to install tiles on top of wood, then yes, the wood has to be sealed because the grout is mixed with water, which can damage unsealed wood.
Ceramic tiles are made of clay baked in a kiln and hardened through extremely high temperatures. This makes for a very durable tile with an extremely hard glaze. The tiles Ceramic surface has a low porosity. Because of this, dirt doesn't cling well. This makes ceramic tile easier to clean. It is forgiving too. Because it is so hard, occasional abrasive cleaning is all right and the surface will come out shining. Because of these reasons when installed correctly Ceramic tiles can last the lifetime of a home.
No it shouldn't, but you should still grout your tile.
Porcelain clay is denser (tinier particles) than ceramic, so it fires harder. It will stand up to abuse better than ceramic, and is generally approved for outdoor installations with freeze/thaw cycles, where ceramic cannot withstand them. Porcelain is generally more expensive than ceramic. That doesn't mean ceramic shouldn't be used - just be wary of installing it in rooms where billiard balls, fireplace logs, or iron frying pans will be bouncing off of it. In my opinion, ceramic is fine for bathrooms where the hardest things to hit it will be plastic hair dryers or shampoo bottles, but in other areas I'd use porcelain. I hate replacing broken tiles.