SECTION 3 - TYPES OF TILE - THERE IS A VAST RANGE OF WALL AND FLOOR TILES TO CHOOSE FROM, WHICH IS PERHAPS AS GREAT AS THAT FOR FABRICS AND CLOTHES.

TILES CAN BE:

Tiles have a surface that is covered by a colored layer of glaze. This gives them important design characteristics (such as color, shininess, decoration, shade of color etc) and technical characteristics (such as hardness, impermeability etc). All these characteristics, both technical and aesthetic, depend on the type of glaze and may vary greatly. Unglazed tiles, on the other hand, are perfectly uniform both in surface and in thickness, and normally have no decorations or patterns.

The body may be compact or, to use the correct term in the tile industry, "impervious". Otherwise, it may contain "pores" that are liked to one another in various ways. An extremely powerful microscope would be required to "see" this characteristic of the body. In other words, water absorption is measured. The higher the water absorption, the more porous the body.

Ceramic tiles can be formed either by pressing or extrusion. Pressed tiles are obtained from a clay paste that is compacted and formed by a high pressure press. Extruded tiles are formed by passing the raw materials in the form of a paste though a special tube.

Depending on the raw materials used, the body of the tiles can be colored (any color shade from yellow to reddish brown) or else they can be whitish (sometimes white). In glazed tiles, the color of the body is relatively unimportant. For certain unglazed tiles, different colors can be obtained by adding coloring pigments.

The most common shapes are square and rectangular, but there are also others, of varying complexity (e.g. hexagonal, octagonal, provencial, moorish etc).

CERAMIC TILES ARE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO TYPE AND ALSO HAVE SPECIFIC TECHNICAL AND COMMERCIAL NAMES. THE VARIOUS TYPES OF TILE DIFFER FROM ONE ANOTHER BOTH IN TERMS OF THE CHARACTERISTICS DISCUSSED ABOVE AND IN TERMS OF THE TECHNIQUES USED TO MANUFACTURE THEM.

THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF ITALIAN TILES:

Glazed double fired tiles ( in this process the clay is first fired then the glaze is applied and the body is fired again.) The body is porous and colored. The tiles are formed by pressing.

Glazed double fired tiles with a white and porous body. The tiles are formed by pressing.

Glazed monocottura tiles (this technique consists of single firing both glaze and body at the same time. The body may be colored (red single fired tiles) or clear (whitish single fired tiles), compact or porous (monoporosa). The tiles are formed by pressing. Special types of single firing include dust pressing, in which the glaze is applied in powder form at the moment of pressing, and glazing on an incandescent base. In this case, a cascade of special glazes in granular form is applied to the incandescent base.

Unglazed or single fired glazed tiles on bodies in different colors. Clinker is usually compact and is obtained by extrusion.

Unglazed tiles on a red and porous body. Obtained by extrusion.

Unglazed tiles on a red and compact body. Obtained by pressing.

Unglazed or glazed tiles on a clear body or on a body that has been colored with pigments; the color may be solid or grainy (to give tiles the appearance of granite); extremely compact; tiles obtained by pressing. Different types of vitreous glazed tiles are also available with polished surfaces.

Note:
We have described the products that are most commonly available on the market.
However, there are also other types, such as, for example, glazed cotto or pressed clinker.