Tile is a Timeless Building Material
Classic, Durable Construction Goods From Babylon to Space Shuttle
Dec 6, 2008
Where did the term originate? The Latin tegula and the French tuile translate to a baked clay roof tile. The English term tile is more generic. The Greek keramos means pottery and evolved into the term ceramic.
The Allure of Tile
So why all the historic popularity? First, it's durable and easy to clean. This makes it perfect for bathrooms, kitchens, and outdoor patios. And who can forget those gleaming white walls in hospitals of the past, before pastels were thought to be a bit less anxiety-provoking?
Secondly, it's an extremely modular building material. So, it's easy to design spaces for and to work with. On a deeper level, it's modularity implies visual order, a retreat from the chaos outside the home; so like comfort food, it sits well with people.
Which is it, Ceramic, Porcelain, or Non-Porcelain?
Ceramic tile just means it's made of clay and has been cured using heat. Porcelain and non-porcelain are sub-categories. To make porcelain tiles, porcelain clay is combined with very finely ground sand. When curing, both heat and pressure are applied.
The pressure insures that the final product has a denser nature and is quite a bit harder than its non-porcelain cousin. And since it's water absorption rate is 0.5 percent or below, it also makes it acceptable for outdoor installation, even in conditions where frost may develop.
It can glazed or not, but if it is, it shouldn't be used in frosty conditions.
Non-porcelain tile is made from a mixture of water, minerals, and clay. Since the resulting product isn't as hard as porcelain, it is much easier to cut and work with, but it's strictly for indoor use.
Durable, Long-Lasting Roof Tiles
Homes roofed with tile are known for their low-maintenance roofs, much more than composition shingles. Although they can outlast the owner, any repair from wind damage is harder to accomplish. Also, the roof framing, the trusses and rafters, must be beefier to bear the extra weight.
This building material is traditionally fired clay, but in recent years, it has also been made from concrete. This is usually for economic reasons.
Slate Tile, Vinyl, Carpet, and the Space Shuttle
Since tile works so well, the concept has been adapted to many other forms. It's the obvious way to install natural stone like marble and slate since it's easier to transport when it's cut into manageable chunks at the quarry, and easier to cut and install at the work site.
The same logic goes for vinyl and linoleum floors. It's much easier to lay out, install, and patch than sheet goods. It's inexpensive and easy to install. Some is even peel and stick. No mortar, thinset, or grout. No muss, no fuss.
Commercial buildings use carpet tiles for the same reasons. In the home, they are frequently used in family rooms and when doing a basement remodel project.
From biblical times to space travel, tile has advanced technologically. NASA depends on this basic building material to protect the space shuttle from the searing heat generated by the atmosphere. To be accurate, NASA doesn't generally call it the shuttle; it's called the orbiter.
