Tile
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as
Tiles are often used to form wall and floor coverings, and can range from simple square tiles to complex or mosaics. Tiles are most often made of ceramic, typically glazed for internal uses and unglazed for roofing, but other materials are also commonly used, such as glass, cork, concrete and other composite materials, and stone. Tiling stone is typically marble, onyx, granite or slate. Thinner tiles can be used on walls than on floors, which require more durable surfaces that will resist impacts.
Global production of ceramic tiles, excluding roof tiles, was estimated to be 12.7 billion m2 in 2019.[1]
Decorative tile work and colored brick
Decorative tilework or
History
There are several other types of traditional tiles that remain in manufacture, for example the small, almost mosaic, brightly colored zellige tiles of Morocco and the surrounding countries.
Ancient Middle East
The earliest evidence of glazed brick is the discovery of glazed bricks in the
The use of sun-dried bricks or adobe was the main method of building in Mesopotamia where river mud was found in abundance along the Tigris and Euphrates. Here the scarcity of stone may have been an incentive to develop the technology of making kiln-fired bricks to use as an alternative. To strengthen walls made from sun-dried bricks, fired bricks began to be used as an outer protective skin for more important buildings like temples, palaces, city walls, and gates. Making fired bricks is an advanced pottery technique. Fired bricks are solid masses of clay heated in kilns to temperatures of between 950° and 1,150°C, and a well-made fired brick is an extremely durable object. Like sun-dried bricks, they were made in wooden molds but for bricks with relief decorations, special molds had to be made.
Ancient Indian subcontinent
Rooms with tiled floors made of clay decorated with geometric circular patterns have been discovered from the ancient remains of Kalibangan, Balakot and Ahladino[3][4]
Tiling was used in the second century by the Sinhalese kings of ancient Sri Lanka, using smoothed and polished stone laid on floors and in swimming pools. The techniques and tools for tiling is advanced, evidenced by the fine workmanship and close fit of the tiles. Such tiling can be seen in Ruwanwelisaya and Kuttam Pokuna in the city of Anuradhapura. The nine-storied Lovamahapaya (3rd century BCE) had copper roof tiles.[5] The roofs were tiled, with red, white, yellow, turquoise and brown tiles. There were also tiles made of bronze. Sigiriya also had an elaborate gatehouse made of timber and brick masonry with multiple tiled roofs. The massive timber doorposts remaining today indicate this.
Ancient Iran
The
Islamic
Early Islamic mosaics in
The golden age of Persian tilework began during the
Other important tile techniques of this time include girih tiles, with their characteristic white girih, or straps.
One of the best known architectural masterpieces of Iran is the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, from the 17th century. Its dome is a prime example of tile mosaic and its winter praying hall houses one of the finest ensembles of cuerda seca tiles in the world. A wide variety of tiles had to be manufactured in order to cover complex forms of the hall with consistent mosaic patterns. The result was a technological triumph as well as a dazzling display of abstract ornament.[7]
During the
The
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Enderun library, Topkapi Palace
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Window Apartments of the Crown Prince, Topkapi Palace
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Phoenix on the portal of Nadir Divan-Beghi Madrasah, Bukhara, Uzbekistan
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Zellij tilework in the Palace El-Hedine, Meknes, Morocco
Islamic buildings in
The
Europe
Medieval Europe made considerable use of painted tiles, sometimes producing very elaborate schemes, of which few have survived. Religious and secular stories were depicted. The imaginary tiles with
floors.Medieval influences between Middle Eastern tilework and tilework in Europe were mainly through
were made of multiple colours of clay, shaped and baked together to form a pattern that, rather than sitting on the surface, ran right through the thickness of the tile, and thus would not wear away.-
St. John the Baptist covered with azulejos in carpet style (17th c.); Museu da Reinha D. Leonor; Beja, Portugal.
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TheBattle of Buçaco, depicted in azulejos.
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Azulejo scenes in Portugal
Delftware wall tiles, typically with a painted design covering only one (rather small) blue and white tile, were ubiquitous in Holland and widely exported over Northern Europe from the 16th century on, replacing many local industries. Several 18th century royal palaces had porcelain rooms with the walls entirely covered in porcelain in tiles or panels. Surviving examples include ones at Capodimonte, Naples, the Royal Palace of Madrid and the nearby Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
The Victorian period saw a great revival in tilework, largely as part of the
Since the Victorian period tiles have remained standard for kitchens and bathrooms, and many types of public area.
Panot is a type of outdoor tile and the associated paving style, both found in Barcelona. In 2010, around 5,000,000 m2 (54,000,000 sq ft) of Barcelona streets were panot-tiled.[10]
Portugal and São Luís continue their tradition of azulejo tilework today, with azulejos used to decorate buildings, ships,[11] and even rocks.
Far East
With exceptions, notably the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, decorated tiles or glazed bricks do not feature largely in East Asian ceramics.
Roof tiles
Roof tiles are overlapping tiles designed mainly to keep out precipitation such as rain or snow, and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as clay or slate. Later tiles have been made from materials such as concrete, and plastic.
Roof tiles can be affixed by
Clay roof tiles historically gained their color purely from the clay that they were composed of, resulting in largely red, orange, and tan colored roofs. Over time some cultures, notably in Asia, began to apply glazes to clay tiles, achieving a wide variety of colors and combinations. Modern clay roof tiles typically source their color from kiln firing conditions, the application of glaze, or the use of a ceramic engobe.[13] Contrary to popular belief a glaze does not weatherproof a tile, the porosity of the clay body is what determines how well a tile will survive harsh weather conditions.[14]
Floor tiles
These are commonly made of
Natural stone tiles can be beautiful but as a natural product they are less uniform in color and pattern, and require more planning for use and installation. Mass-produced stone tiles are uniform in width and length. Granite or marble tiles are sawn on both sides and then polished or finished on the top surface so that they have a uniform thickness. Other natural stone tiles such as slate are typically "riven" (split) on the top surface so that the thickness of the tile varies slightly from one spot on the tile to another and from one tile to another. Variations in tile thickness can be handled by adjusting the amount of mortar under each part of the tile, by using wide grout lines that "ramp" between different thicknesses, or by using a cold chisel to knock off high spots.
Some stone tiles such as polished granite, marble, and travertine are very slippery when wet. Stone tiles with a riven (split) surface such as slate or with a sawn and then sandblasted or honed surface will be more slip-resistant. Ceramic tiles for use in wet areas can be made more slip-resistant by using very small tiles so that the grout lines acts as grooves, by imprinting a contour pattern onto the face of the tile, or by adding a non-slip material, such as sand, to the glazed surface.
The hardness of natural stone tiles varies such that some of the softer stone (e.g. limestone) tiles are not suitable for very heavy-traffic floor areas. On the other hand, ceramic tiles typically have a glazed upper surface and when that becomes scratched or pitted the floor looks worn, whereas the same amount of wear on natural stone tiles will not show, or will be less noticeable.
Natural stone tiles can be stained by spilled liquids; they must be sealed and periodically resealed with a sealant in contrast to ceramic tiles which only need their grout lines sealed. However, because of the complex, nonrepeating patterns in natural stone, small amounts of dirt on many natural stone floor tiles do not show.
The tendency of floor tiles to stain depends not only on a sealant being applied, and periodically reapplied, but also on their porosity or how porous the stone is. Slate is an example of a less porous stone while limestone is an example of a more porous stone. Different granites and marbles have different porosities with the less porous ones being more valued and more expensive.
Most vendors of stone tiles emphasize that there will be variation in color and pattern from one batch of tiles to another of the same description and variation within the same batch. Stone floor tiles tend to be heavier than ceramic tiles and somewhat more prone to breakage during shipment.
Rubber floor tiles have a variety of uses, both in residential and commercial settings. They are especially useful in situations where it is desired to have high-traction floors or protection for an easily breakable floor. Some common uses include flooring of garage, workshops, patios, swimming pool decks, sport courts, gyms, and dance floors.
Plastic floor tiles including interlocking floor tiles that can be installed without adhesive or glue are a recent innovation and are suitable for areas subject to heavy traffic, wet areas and floors that are subject to movement, damp or contamination from oil, grease or other substances that may prevent adhesion to the substrate. Common uses include old factory floors, garages, gyms and sports complexes, schools and shops.
Ceiling tiles
Ceiling tiles are lightweight tiles used inside buildings. They are placed in an aluminium grid; they provide little thermal insulation but are generally designed either to improve the acoustics of a room or to reduce the volume of air being heated or cooled.
Mineral fiber tiles are fabricated from a range of products; wet felt tiles can be manufactured from perlite, mineral wool, and fibers from recycled paper; stone wool tiles are created by combining molten stone and binders which is then spun to create the tile; gypsum tiles are based on the soft mineral and then finished with vinyl, paper or a decorative face.[citation needed]
Ceiling tiles very often have patterns on the front face; these are there in most circumstances to aid with the tiles ability to improve acoustics.[citation needed]
Ceiling tiles also provide a barrier to the spread of smoke and fire. Breaking, displacing, or removing ceiling tiles enables hot gases and smoke from a fire to rise and accumulate above detectors and sprinklers. Doing so delays their activation, enabling fires to grow more rapidly.[15]
Ceiling tiles, especially in old Mediterranean houses, were made of terracotta and were placed on top of the wooden ceiling beams and upon those were placed the roof tiles. They were then plastered or painted, but nowadays are usually left bare for decorative purposes.
Modern-day tile ceilings may be flush mounted (nail up or glue up) or installed as dropped ceilings.
Materials and processes
Ceramic
Ceramic materials for tiles include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain.[16] Terracotta is a traditional material used for roof tiles.[17]
Porcelain tiles
This is a US term, and defined in
The
Pebble
Similar to mosaics or other patterned tiles, pebble tiles are tiles made up of small pebbles attached to a backing. The tile is generally designed in an interlocking pattern so that final installations fit of multiple tiles fit together to have a seamless appearance. A relatively new tile design, pebble tiles were originally developed in Indonesia using pebbles found in various locations in the country. Today, pebble tiles feature all types of stones and pebbles from around the world.
Digital printed
Printing techniques and digital manipulation of art and photography are used in what is known as "custom tile printing".
[22] Recent technology applied to Digital ceramic and porcelain printers allow images to be printed with a wider color gamut and greater color stability even when fired in a kiln up to 2200 °F
Diamond etched
A method for custom tile printing involving a diamond-tipped drill controlled by a computer. Compared with the laser engravings, diamond etching is in almost every circumstance more permanent.[citation needed]
Mathematics of tiling
Certain shapes of tiles, most obviously rectangles, can be replicated to cover a surface with no gaps. These shapes are said to tessellate (from the Latin tessella, 'tile') and such a tiling is called a tessellation. Geometric patterns of some Islamic polychrome decorative tilings are rather complicated (see Islamic geometric patterns and, in particular, Girih tiles), even up to supposedly quaziperiodic ones, similar to Penrose tilings.
Further reading
- Carboni, S. & Masuya, T. (1993). Persian tiles. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Marilyn Y. Goldberg, "Greek Temples and Chinese Roofs," American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 87, No. 3. (Jul. 1983), pp. 305–310
- Örjan Wikander, "Archaic Roof Tiles the First Generations," Hesperia, Vol. 59, No. 1. (Jan.–Mar. 1990), pp. 285–290
- William Rostoker; Elizabeth Gebhard, "The Reproduction of Rooftiles for the Archaic Temple of Poseidon at Isthmia, Greece," Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 8, No. 2. (Summer, 1981), pp. 211–227
- Michel Kornmann and CTTB, "Clay bricks and roof tiles, manufacturing and properties", Soc. Industrie Minerale, Paris (2007) ISBN 2-9517765-6-X
- E-book on the manufacture of roofing tiles in the United States from 1910.
See also
- Building integrated photovoltaics
- Dimension stone
- Dropped ceiling
- Glass tile
- Marble
- Mathematical tile
- Porcelain tile
- Quarry tile
- Roof shingle
- Tile mural
- Vitrified tile
References
- ^ 'World Production And Consumption Of Ceramic Tiles.' Ceramic World Review no. 138. Pg. 40
- ^ "Ceramic Tile History". Traditional Building. 15 September 2020. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ISBN 9781259063237.
kalibangan tiles.
- ISBN 9781576079072.
- ^ The Island (PDF), 18 October 2005
- ^ a b c d e Iran: Visual Arts: history of Iranian Tile Archived 24 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Iran Chamber Society
- ^ ISBN 978-0-495-41059-1.
- ^ Tring Tiles Archived 18 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine British Museum
- ^ Chertsey Tiles Archived 18 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine, British Museum
- ^ "La verdadera historia del 'panot' de Barcelona". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 11 February 2018. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ "Trafaria Praia: On the Waterfront". 23 August 2013. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "Shingle Tile Installation Manual" (PDF). Ludowici Roof Tile. 2022.
- ^ Worcester, Wolsey Garnett (1910). The Manufacture of Roofing Tile. Springfield, Ohio: Springfield Publishing Company. pp. 27–28, 93–94.
- ^ William Carty; Hyojin Lee (16 August 2017). "Ceramics for Exterior Applications & A Discussion of Heat Transfer and Storage" (PDF). Boston Valley Terra Cotta.
- United States Congress Office of Compliance, 2008.
- ^ "What are ceramics?". Science Learning Hub. 27 April 2010. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-134-25622-8. Archivedfrom the original on 6 May 2018.
- ^ Dictionary of Ceramics. A.Dodd. Institute of Materials/Pergamon Press. 1994.
- ^ Griese, Bill. "A world of difference" (PDF). TCNA. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ Kelechava, Brad (8 January 2018). "The Eminence of Porcelain Tile". ANSI. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Inkjet Decoration of Ceramic Tiles". digitalfire.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ "Next Generation of the Digital Printing Process". picturedtile.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.