11 insightful points into the world of tiles
Jan 04, 2017 Interiors
Text: Priya Arya
Photograph: iStock
Photograph: iStock
The term tile, which is popularly used to denote a thin slab of baked clay, can actually be applied to any material in a similar format. Therefore, you can have a granite tile, a ceramic tile, a rubber tile… or even a carpet tile. The very modular nature of tiles makes them easy to install and thus saves precious time and money. Read on to get a crash course on different types of tile with Chandigarh-based architect Manmohan Khanna.
- There are two kinds of tiles: natural and manufactured. Natural tiles can either be made of stone (both indigenous and imported) and wood.
- Bricks are also tiles, which are man-made. Bricks have great insulating power, which regulated the temperature of the floor, keeping it cool in summers and warm in winters.
- Ceramic tiles are made from a special kind of mud. These are first prepared and then crushed, mixed with the pigment of a particular shade to give a color. These are prepared at a temperature of around 700 degrees.
- Porcelain tiles are a type of ceramic tiles, but with greater density and therefore less water absorption property. They are made from china clay, which was invented in Europe. They are a good alternative stone flooring since they are as hardy, but easier to install owing to their modular nature. Since these tiles can break easily if something heavy falls on them, it is recommended that they are installed on a hard sub-floor.
- Vitrified tiles are rich in silica and come generally in the 2 ft x 2 ft format. The top coating has high mirror polishing and is prepared at a very high temperature using white mud, mostly in Morbi, Gujarat. These tiles are known for their shine and hence are popular these days.
- Cement tiles are made using a mould, dried and then cured by immersing in water. They are not just made of cement, hence they have the strength of concrete with a feel of silk too. These can be used to decorate the indoor as well as outdoor floors. These are also called concrete tiles.
- Engineered stones or agglomerate stone tiles are made of crushed stone which is held together by an adhesive. Quartz and marble are the commonly used natural stones employed in the making of engineered stone tiles.
- Laminate flooring is synthetic flooring that comprises many layers that are fused during the lamination process. The decorative layer that sits under a clear protective layer normally simulates the appearance of wood, and sometimes stone. Laminate floor is a floating floor, which means it is simply installed using a tongue-and-groove a method on a foam underlayer. Laminate flooring cannot be repolished.
- Solid wooden flooring is made by milling planks from a single log of timber, while engineered wood is composed of two or more layers of wood, running at right angles for greater stability. Both types of wooden floors can be resanded and refinished, however the number of times you can do these with the engineered product depends on the thickness of the top wood layer. Parquet flooring uses wood (usually smaller pieces than the planks of a solid wood floor) arranged in a decorative manner to create interesting mosaic effects.
- PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) and rubber flooring tiles also enjoy a certain following. PVC tiles are made after mixing two different chemicals and then spread using rexine. Then the desired pattern or a surface is imprinted on the tile.
- Carpet tiles are a modern alternative to traditional carpet rolls. Their form allows greater scope for creating decorative schemes. As with anything modular, these are easy to transport and install.
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ManMohan Khanna
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