All about tiles-“Small Tiles, Long Stories”

According to the sources, it is believed that the first clay tiles were produced approximately seven to eight thousand years ago in the area which is now known as the Holy Land. It is confirmed by many sources independently that the actual known history of Tiles can be traced as far as 4^th millennium BC. Especially, the Indian tile industry is cleaved into organized and unorganized sector. You will be amazed to know that India ranks in the top 3 list of countries in terms of tile production in the world.

With many varieties of tiles are flooding in the market, Stone hub india gives you a brief insight of choosing the right kind of tile for your house.

How tiles are obtained? 

Tiles are often made of ceramics which also splits in to glaze and unglazed; glaze is for internal uses and non-glazed or unglazed for roof. It is also obtained by mixing raw materials which are widely available in nature i.e. sand, clay etc.  This working mixture in its unfired state is converted into the desired shape and then this product is fired at high temperatures, depending on its composition and type - glazed or unglazed, matte or glossy.
Broadly, there are three sorts of tiles available in the market – porcelain, vitrified, and ceramic.
Ceramic tiles are available in many designs; which also calls for matte, glazed and glossy finishes. Generally they are cheaper than vitrified tiles and used in areas that see less traffic of water.
Porcelain tiles are a also a variety of ceramic tiles. They are also vitrified and come out to be stronger than ceramic tiles.
Vitrified tiles are ceramic and porcelain tiles that have been subjected to a different burning process; as they have a protective glass layer and are stronger, more durable than any other variety. These tiles are generally used in public spaces.
More the number of times the tile is fired; determines its strength. However it does not come in many designs. Tiles are used both on walls and floors. The difference between the two lies at the fact- that the wall tiles are more porous than floor. As Wall tiles have much higher water absorption capacity and that’s why they are placed and fitted on walls where the moisture is higher. One main disadvantage is that in comparison to strength they lag behind floor tiles because of same high porosity. Hence Floor tiles can retain more impact and shocks eventually become more durable and less water absorption.

A Mini Guide to Size -It-Up

Tiles these days are available in a plethora of sizes. Some popular sizes for floors include 300x600 mm, 600x600 mm, 610x610 mm and 800x800 mm, while wall tiles generally come in sizes of, 300x450mm, 300x600mm, 250x350mm. According to some experts, bigger tiles give us an illusion of a space, but in order to get the best results, one has to match tiles to room size.
Let’s suppose if the room is small, and you are about to use large size tiles on the floor, then the room will definitely look even smaller. For such a room, go for medium format size tiles. One more tip you can keep in mind while designing that “Pick a tile size that will entail the least amount of cutting. Like you have a 6x6 feet room, then you must try to pick a tile size that is a multiple of the size of the room.”
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