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What is a Tile? A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops. Alternatively, tile can sometimes refer to similar units made from lightweight materials such as perlite, wood, and mineral wool, typically used for wall and ceiling applications. What types of tiles are there? Ceramic tiles can be glazed or unglazed. Glazed tiles are available plain or decorated and can be used on walls and floors. Unglazed ceramic floor tiles are more suited to commercial and industrial settings, but can be used in laundries and utility rooms. They are available with a non-slip profile. Quarry tiles are a traditional product made in the UK for hundreds of year. They are made from natural clay, squeezed through an extruding machine, and then fired. They are mostly available in terracotta, black and white colors. Terracotta tiles are also made from local clays. Terracotta means "cooked earth" and these products tend to be very absorbent, so need sealing when used on the floor. Porcelain tiles are ceramic tiles, but with a very low absorbency. They are usually made from kaolin clays, feldspar, silica and colouring oxides and are fired at about 1200oC. Porcelain tiles are hard wearing and can be used on walls or floors. Mosaics are very small tiles, usually less than 35cm2. Mosaics can be glazed or unglazed and made from porcelain, ceramic, glass or natural stone. Natural stone products; limestone, marble, granite and slate are quarried from the earth. Some are extremely hard, and some quite soft. Some may need sealing. |
| Bathroom Tiles |
| Floor Tiles |
| Installation Products |
| Mathematics of tiling |
| Grout |
| Heated Floors |
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You must always verify that the tile is suitable for the intended use. Some tile is appropriate for walls but not floors. Some considerations are indoor/outdoor, wet environments, countertops, and commercial projects. Other common considerations are design style, available colors, price, and material type. Material types include ceramic, glass, metal, concrete and stone among others.
Glass Tiles Metal Tiles Ceramic Tiles Porcelain Tiles Stone Tiles Type Color Size Brand How do I cut and work with glass tiles? Each glass tile will have installation guidelines unique to that particular line. Read and follow these directions exactly. Some things that may be required are: Scoring and cutting with a glass cutter or cutting the glass with a diamond blade wet saw. Glass is installed on a crack suppression membrane using white thinset. Each piece should be back buttered. What colors and finishes are available for fittings and fixtures? Here are further guidelines. |