Tiling is a practical and versatile way of covering surfaces in a home.
Tiling is a long-established method of covering walls, floors, ceilings and roofs. Tiles are practical and versatile, and serve many purposes, including surface protection, waterproofing, thermal insulation, acoustic deadening and decoration. Tiles can contain man-made or natural materials, and in today's eco-friendly times, many types of tile have a high recycled content.
Ceramic Tiles
The primary ingredient for molded ceramic tiles is clay, mixed with any other required materials. Adding water to the dry clay combines the ingredients to form a mixture called slip. Gradually heating the slip prior to molding reduces its water content. A high-pressure molding press forms the essentially dry slip into a shaped tile body, ready for glazing. Glaze will give the tile its color and gloss finish after baking, or firing, in a kiln. Once cooled, tiles are ready for use.
Stone Tiles
Stone tiles make use of natural raw materials.
Blocks of natural rock such as marble, travertine or slate are the raw material for the manufacture of stone tiles. Modern high-speed saws make multiple cuts to split the rock into thin slabs that are ready for polishing to the desired finish. Slabs also undergo calibration during the polishing process to ensure uniform thickness throughout each piece. Stone fabricators then cut the polished slabs to the specified size with smaller saws. The completed tiles receive a final polish and are ready for packing.
Rubber Tiles
Compression molding is generally the preferred manufacturing process for rubber tiles, and the raw material is a suitably sized piece of uncured natural rubber or styrene-butadiene rubber. Initially, the mold cavity, with the uncured rubber in position, is clamped shut. The rubber takes the shape of the mold and, with the application of pressure and heat, undergoes a curing process, also called vulcanizing. The mold is then unclamped to release the finished tile.
Clay Tiles
Red clay roof tiles are a common sight.
An extruded clay tile contains only selected natural clays that give the tile specific properties, including its red color. Manufacturers mix dry clay with water and then age the resulting mix for several days to improve plasticity. A vacuum process removes air from the clay, and an extrusion machine forces it through a shaped die and cuts it to the required size. A progressive drying process is followed by glazing and firing at 1,050 degrees Celsius. Tiles are ready to ship once they have cooled.
Concrete Tiles
Cement is the primary material for molded concrete tiles. Mixed with sand, calcium carbonate and water, it forms a concrete mix suitable for molding. Manufacturers may add pigments to the mix at this stage to vary the color. The molds containing the wet mix complete a partial drying stage before the addition of an initial surface coating. Curing takes place in a curing chamber over a four-hour period and a separator then removes the raw tiles from the molds. Application of a colored coating and a polymeric sealant completes the process.
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