Types Of Tiles You Should Know And Their Use

Tiles are a cost-effective and aesthetically great finishing option for both the interior and exterior of any building. Choosing tiles to use in your building can be a daunting task as there so many tiles in the market. The different types of tiles used in building construction are available in a glazed or unglazed form and come in different colours, designs, and textures. They each have features which contribute to its strength and determines where it can be used. Below are some of the types of tiles and where they can be used in the house.

Types Of Tiles Based On Application

Tiles used in buildings can be classified based on the area of application as follows:

• Floor and Wall Tiles. 
• Ceiling Tiles. 
• Roof Tiles. 

Wall And Floor Tiles

Wall tiles and floor tiles are designed to add aesthetic appeal to wall and floor finishing. They are used in the interior as well as the exterior of buildings and are available in both glazed and in the unglazed form. Because of the areas they are used in, floor tiles are made to be abrasion resistant, water impervious, durable and easy to clean.

There is a slight difference between floor tiles and wall tiles. While wall tiles can be as slick as glass, a tile to be used on the floor must have a coefficient of friction of 0.5 or greater to ensure it is safe to walk on. The higher the coefficient of friction the more suitable the tile is for floor application.

Ceiling Tiles

Ceiling tiles are lightweight tiles that are used inside buildings. They are generally designed either to improve the acoustics of a room or to reduce the volume of air being heated or cooled. 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. Ceiling tiles usually have patterns on the front face to aid with the tiles ability to improve acoustics.

Roofing Tiles

Roofing tiles are designed to keep out the rain. They are made from materials such as terracotta, slate, concrete, plastic, stone, wood, and solar cells. Some clay tiles have a waterproof glaze. There are also roof tiles for special positions, such as ridge tiles, hip tiles, and valley tiles. Solar roof tiles are similar in design to conventional roof tiles but have photo-voltaic cells for the generation of renewable electricity.

Type Of Tiles Based On Materials

Based on materials, following are the types of tiles used in building construction:

• Ceramic or non-porcelain Tiles. 
• Porcelain Tiles. 
• Quarry Tiles. 
• Mosaic Tiles 
• Natural Stone Tiles. 

Ceramic Tiles or Non-porcelain Tiles

Ceramic tiles are a popular choice for wall tiles and floor tiles as they come in various shapes, sizes, colours, textures, and finishes. They are made from the heating and cooling of a mixture of clay, sand and other minerals. Ceramic tiles are durable, resistant to moisture, resistant to wear and tear, cost-effective and easy to maintain. Ceramic tiles with an abrasive glaze are virtually slip-resistant. They are used for both interior and exterior finishing. There are various forms of ceramic tiles such as earthenware tiles, stoneware tiles, glazed tiles, vitrified tiles, terracotta, and faience.

Earthenware tiles are made of clay while the stoneware tiles have a large quantity of silica that is present in the form of sand, crushed stoneware etc. Terracotta tiles are manufactured by the use of high-grade fired clay. Faience is produced by glazing and firing terracotta tiles making them an improvement on terracotta tiles. The Faience is available in large variety of color change. 

Glazed tiles are produced from white clay which is fired at a temperature of 1200 degree Celsius after which they are glazed, decorated and then fired in an oven. The glazes in ceramic tiles can be of two types namely earthenware glazes, and colored enamels. The colored enamels can be bright or glossy surface, eggshell, vellum finishes, and matt finishes.

Vitrified tiles are ceramic tiles with low porosity that are made from a mixture of clay, quartz, feldspar, and silica which are compressed and then fired at temperatures of over 1200 degree centigrade resulting in an extremely hard, dense, homogeneous tile. There are four types of Vitrified tiles — Soluble salt, Double charge, Full Body, Glazed.

Vitrified ceramic tiles are more durable and have higher abrasion resistance than glazed ceramic tiles. These tiles can be used in heavy traffic areas and serve as an alternative to granite as well as marble flooring. They are polished using carbide or diamond abrasive tools.

Porcelain Tiles

Like ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles are made of clay but are regarded as a superior to ceramic in terms of manufacture, durability, design, color, absorption rate, breaking strength, and abrasion resistant. Porcelain tiles are also made from clay. But compared with the ceramic tiles, they make use of heavy or denser clay.

Porcelain tiles are made of heavy or denser clay than ceramics and during manufacture are subjected to higher temperatures for a longer time making them harder and denser than ceramic tiles. Porcelain tiles are highly impervious to moisture with water absorption rates lesser than 0.5%. Also, porcelain has higher feldspar content, making it more durable.

Although more expensive than ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles are more suitable for use in high traffic areas such as entrances, hallways, schools, large work-spaces, and hospitals. They can be polished or glazed. They are also a type of vitrified tiles sometimes referred to as porcelain vitrified tiles.

Quarry Tiles  

Quarry tiles are made from natural clay, shale, and feldspar. They are manufactured in a manner similar to bricks. They are shaped from clay and fired at a high temperature of 2000 F° and have a rough surface. They are cost-effective and cheap as they are scratch resistant.

Quarry tiles are suitable for floors that require materials that are very durable, slip resistant and non-porous. This type of tiles are good options for both indoor and outdoor usage, can be used in the hallway, pools, living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchen.

Mosaic Tiles

Mosaic tiles are small tiles usually under six square inches or smaller and are primarily used for designing. They come in a wide range of layouts, colours, textures, and shapes and can be used in the bathroom, kitchen and elsewhere in a building. Mosaic tiles are quite expensive to use, and other types of tiles can be cut into a mosaic using a mosaic glass cutter and tile nipper.

Natural Stone Tiles

Natural stone tiles are some of the most beautiful and elegant finishing materials that never goes out of style. Natural stone refers to a variety of mountain born materials including marble, granite, limestone, slate, travertine, and sandstone. Each of these has slightly different properties which determine its use.

Natural stone tiles are high-quality materials, extremely hard and require a little amount of waxing when fitting to protect them from damage. They are suitable for home and commercial uses in lobbies, entrances, and hallways. Natural stones are resistant to wear and tear.

Marble tiles are a natural floor surface covering that is quarried from metamorphic rocks. Prized for its beauty and elegance, marble tiles can be used for interior finishing of walls and floors in any building. However, marble tiles require a lot of maintenance. Granite tiles are commonly found in the kitchen countertops and bathroom showers. Its natural surface is water-resistant, making it the right choice for kitchen and bathroom usage.

In general, sandstone is the most porous natural stone material; travertine, limestone, and slate have medium absorbency; and granite is relatively waterproof.