The Different Types of Ceramic Tiles

The humble tile has a wide range of uses from counters in board games to heat protection on spacecraft and of course as wall and floor coverings. Ceramic tiles are most commonly used as wall and floor coverings as they are hard wearing, cheap to manufacture and have been in use for many hundreds, if not thousands of years. The word 'tile' derives from the Latin 'tegula' which was their word for a roof tile made from fired clay. Ceramic tiles come in a variety of colours and sizes, from small decorative mosaic tiles, ceramic kitchen tiles and bathroom tiles to large floor tiles. Ceramic tiles usually fall in to one of the following categories:

Earthenware is a ceramic fired between 950 & 1150 degrees Celsius. It is very easy to work and decorate and almost always used indoors as glazed wall and floor tiles as its high porosity makes is susceptible to frost damage. Earthenware is manufactured by using one of two methods; single firing, or monoporasa where the glaze and tile are baked and fired simultaneously, and double firing, or biporosa, where the ceramic tile is baked then the glaze is added and the tiles is baked once more, fixing the glaze. Earthenware is generally used for ceramic kitchen tiles and bathroom tiles.

Stoneware is far less porous than earthenware as it is fired at temperatures between 1150 & 1300 degrees Celsius, giving at a water absorption rate of less than 3% (as opposed to more than 10% for earthenware). Stoneware is frost proof and as the name suggests, is very hard wearing. It is commonly used as a flooring tile for both indoor and outdoor applications and in such cases is generally not glazed as this would inhibit the natural slip resistance of stoneware.

Porcelain Stoneware is even more hard wearing than stoneware. Having a water absorption rate of less than 0.5% gives porcelain stoneware a very low porosity. This allows at to be polished giving it and extraordinarily brilliant surface without the need for glazing. These porcelain tiles are ideal for high traffic outdoor areas such as transport terminals, hotel foyers and shopping precincts. A huge variety of decorative effects can be created due to the unique properties of porcelain stoneware, making it a popular choice for decorative porcelain tiles used within the home.

All of the above can be glazed giving the tiles a hard wearing glossy surface in to which both simple and more complicated patterns can be added. The combination of being both hard wearing and visually pleasing has paved the way for ceramics to have become an everyday part of our lives, from crockery and cook ware, to wall and floor coverings and even for both electrical and heat insulation.