Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile is made of clay and shale that has been baked and hardened in a kiln. The traditional baking, or firing method, is a double-fired process called bicottura. A more modern process called monocottura bakes and glazes the tile in a single firing. The single-step process has many advantages, including producing a tile that is more economical tile, more dense and durable, and has a harder glaze. Prior to the firing process, natural clay colors are sometimes augmented with pigments.

Types

The clay composition, in combination with the firing process, and whether the tile is glazed or unglazed, creates one of four basic tile types

* Have a surface that provides color, design and ease of maintenance.
* The higher the firing temperature, the harder the glaze.
* Light-colored glazes tend to be stronger than dark ones.
* Shiny glazes tend to be softer than matte or satin finishes.
* Offer a greater range of colors.
* Are more resistant to stains.

Unglazed Tiles

* Have a color produced from the tile's composition and/or added pigments.
* Tend to stand up better to wear.
* Their natural surface makes them more slip-retarCovering

A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, and walls, or other objects such as tabletops. Another category are the ceiling tiles, made from lightweight materials such as perlite, wood, and mineral wool. The word is derived from the French word tuile, which is, in turn, from the Latin word tegula, meaning a roof tile composed of baked clay. Less precisely, the modern term can refer to any sort of construction tile or similar object, such as rectangular counters used in playing games (see tile-based game).

Tiles are often used to form wall and floor coverings, and can range from simple square tiles to complex mosaics. Tiles are most often made from ceramic, with a hard glaze finish, but other materials are also commonly used, such as glass, marble, granite, slate, and reformed ceramic slurry, which is cast in a mould and fired.

In the past twenty years, the technology surrounding porcelain tile and glass tiles has become more efficient, allowing more mass production. Similarly, the invention of automated tile lines that use diamonds to cut and finish stone slabs into tiles has made stone tiles more available. This has allowed these tiles to move from being niche items into broader markets. The DSAN U.S. Ceramic Tile Demand Index has shown a growth of 5.0% annually for the 2000-2006 period, compared to 5.5% annually for the 2000-2005 period. The DSAN World Demand for (finished) Granite Index has shown a growth of 15% annually for the 2000-2006 period, compared to 14% annually for the 2000-2005 period, The DSAN World Demand for (finished) Marble Index has shown a growth of 12% annually for the 2000-2006 period, compared to 10.5% annually for the 2000-2005 period. The U.S. market for ceramic tile is over $3 billion.

Accompanying the growth in tile demand has been some shifts in the world ceramic tile industry. In 1990, Europe accounted for 54% of world ceramic tile production. By 2002, Europe was down to 25% of world ceramic tile production. In 2005, world ceramic tile production was about 7 billion sq. meters, of which China produced 35%, and Spain, Italy, and Brazil shared the next 25%, with their productions spaced neck and neck. Except for Spain, European ceramic tile production in the same period has dropped a little absolutely. Asia now has state-of-the-art equipment in its ceramic tile plants, which means much lower costs. The Europeans still do well with higher-priced ceramic tile with sophisticated and fashionable designs, and with porcellanato (high-quality porcelain) tiles. Beginning in 2004, the stronger Euro made it much cheaper to manufacture ceramic tile in the U.S. and distribute them from such a plant. The U.S. is the world's largest market for ceramic tile. A number of European (mostly Italian) ceramic tile manufacturers built or expanded their U.S. plants, or bought out domestic ceramic tile firms. The European tile firms not only benefitted from lower manufacturing costs but also from distributing at a lower cost and faster; of course, less inventory was required.

Things have been different in the dimension stone tile industry. By the beginning of the 1980s, automated stone tile plants were busy in Italy, the world leader that had close to a monopoly. The plants were not quite equivalent to those today, since additional innovations have crept in. Italy is now one among many; China has many plants with automated stone tile lines, as does Spain, Turkey, Brazil, and other countries. The three U.S. automated tile lines that were short-time producers of granite tile from the mid1980s to the mid1990s closed one by one; the last one actually closed in mid2002. Marble tile is still produced to a limited extent, but most American marble tile comes from tile plants in Carrara, Italy that make it from rough blocks of Vermont (Danby) marble. The amount of slate flooring tile has dwindled a little since 2000.