Editing Tile

{{short description|Manufactured pieces for covering surfaces}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}

{{multiple image|perrow =2|total_width=300
| image1 = Alban chambon, decorazione in marmo e ceramica, dal castello reale delle ardenne, houyet, 1905 ca. 02.jpg
| image2 = Art Nouveau tiles in the house with number 6, Strada Speranței, Bucharest (Romania).jpg
| image3 = Greek key on a stove in the in the D.A. Sturdza House, in Bucharest.jpg
| image4 = Turkey; Iznik - Two Tiles - Google Art Project.jpg
| image5 = Ganshoren avenue Broustin 10 1002.jpg
| image6 = Villa Schutzenberger, detail of staircase.jpg
| image7 = Berchem-Sainte-Agathe avenue Josse Goffin 20.jpg
| image8 = 117 Horodotska Street, Lviv (11).jpg
| footer = Various examples of tiles
}}

'''Tiles''' are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as [[ceramic]], [[Rock (geology)|stone]], metal, baked clay, or even [[glass]]. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or other objects such as tabletops.  Alternatively, tile can sometimes refer to similar units made from lightweight materials such as [[perlite]], [[wood]], and [[mineral wool]], typically used for wall and ceiling applications. In another sense, a tile is a construction tile or similar object, such as rectangular counters used in playing games (see [[tile-based game]]). The word is derived from the [[French Language|French]] word ''tuile'', which is, in turn, from the [[Latin Language|Latin]] word ''tegula'', meaning a roof tile composed of fired clay.

Tiles are often used to form wall and floor coverings, and can range from simple square tiles to complex or [[mosaic]]s. Tiles are most often made of [[pottery|ceramic]], typically [[Ceramic glaze|glazed]] for internal uses and unglazed for roofing, but other materials are also commonly used, such as glass, cork, [[concrete]] and other composite materials, and stone. Tiling stone is typically marble, onyx, granite or slate. Thinner tiles can be used on walls than on floors, which require more durable surfaces that will resist impacts.

Global production of ceramic tiles, excluding roof tiles, was estimated to be 12.7 [[billion]] m<sup>2</sup> in 2019.<ref>'World Production And Consumption Of Ceramic Tiles.' Ceramic World Review no. 138. Pg. 40</ref>

== Decorative tile work and colored brick ==
[[File:Grande Maison de Blanc Fleurs.JPG|thumb|[[Art Nouveau]] tiles in [[Brussels]] ([[Belgium]])]]

Decorative tilework or [[tile art]] should be distinguished from [[mosaic]], where forms are made of great numbers of tiny irregularly positioned [[tesserae]], each of a single color, usually of glass or sometimes ceramic or stone. There are various tile patterns, such as [[Herringbone pattern|herringbone]], staggered, offset, grid, stacked, pinwheel, [[Parquetry|''parquet de Versailles'']], basket weave, tiles Art, diagonal, chevron, and [[Encaustic tile|encaustic]] which can range in size, shape, thickness, and color.<ref name="Traditional Building 2020-09-15">{{cite news |url=https://www.traditionalbuilding.com/product-report/ceramic-tile-history |title=Ceramic Tile History |work=Traditional Building |date=2020-09-15 |accessdate=2021-03-29 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415073644/https://www.traditionalbuilding.com/product-report/ceramic-tile-history |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
There are several other types of traditional tiles that remain in manufacture, for example the small, almost mosaic, brightly colored ''[[zellij]]'' tiles of [[Morocco]] and the surrounding countries.

===Ancient Middle East===
The earliest evidence of glazed brick is the discovery of glazed bricks in the [[Elamite language|Elamite]] Temple at [[Chogha Zanbil]], dated to the 13th century BC. Glazed and colored bricks were used to make low reliefs in Ancient [[Mesopotamia]], most famously the [[Ishtar Gate]] of [[Babylon]] ({{circa|575 BC}}), now partly reconstructed in [[Berlin]], with sections elsewhere. Mesopotamian craftsmen were imported for the palaces of the [[Persian Empire]] such as [[Persepolis]].

The use of sun-dried bricks or adobe was the main method of building in [[Mesopotamia]] where river mud was found in abundance along the [[Tigris]] and [[Euphrates]]. Here the scarcity of stone may have been an incentive to develop the technology of making kiln-fired bricks to use as an alternative. To strengthen walls made from sun-dried bricks, fired bricks began to be used as an outer protective skin for more important buildings like temples, palaces, city walls, and gates. Making fired bricks is an advanced pottery technique. Fired bricks are solid masses of [[clay]] heated in kilns to temperatures of between 950° and 1,150°[[Celsius|C]], and a well-made fired brick is an extremely durable object. Like sun-dried bricks, they were made in wooden molds but for bricks with relief decorations, special molds had to be made.

=== Ancient Indian subcontinent ===
Rooms with tiled floors made of clay decorated with geometric circular patterns have been discovered from the ancient remains of [[Kalibangan]], [[Kot Bala|Balakot]] and Ahladino.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.202140|quote=kalibangan tiles.|title=Indian History|year=1926|publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education|isbn=9781259063237|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&q=balakot+tiles+indus+valley&pg=PA218|title=The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives|last=McIntosh|first=Jane|date=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781576079072|language=en}}</ref>

Tiling was used in the second century by the [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] kings of ancient [[Sri Lanka]], using smoothed and polished stone laid on floors and in swimming pools. The techniques and tools for tiling is advanced, evidenced by the fine workmanship and close fit of the tiles. Such tiling can be seen in [[Ruwanwelisaya]] and [[Kuttam Pokuna]] in the city of [[Anuradhapura]]. The nine-storied ''[[Lovamahapaya]]'' (3rd century BC) had copper roof tiles.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Island |date=18 October 2005 |url=http://iesl.nsf.ac.lk/bitstream/handle/1/5082/NEWS_MISC-2005-9.pdf?sequence=2 }}</ref> The roofs were tiled, with red, white, yellow, turquoise and brown tiles. There were also tiles made of [[bronze]]. Sigiriya also had an elaborate gatehouse made of timber and brick masonry with multiple tiled roofs. The massive timber doorposts remaining today indicate this.

=== Ancient Iran ===
[[File:Berlin - Pergamon Museum - Persian warriors - 20150523 6849.jpg|thumb|right|Relief made with glazed brick tiles, from the Achaemenid decoration of [[Palace of Darius in Susa]].]]

The [[Achaemenid Empire]] decorated buildings with glazed brick tiles, including [[Darius the Great]]'s palace at [[Susa]], and buildings at Persepolis.<ref name="HistoryOfIranianTile" />  The succeeding [[Sassanid Empire]] used tiles patterned with geometric designs, flowers, plants, birds and human beings, glazed up to a centimeter thick.<ref name="HistoryOfIranianTile" />

=== Islamic ===
[[File:Imam Mosque by Amir.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Shah Mosque (Isfahan)|Shah Mosque]] in [[Isfahan]], [[Iran]]]]
Early Islamic mosaics in [[Iran]] consist mainly of geometric decorations in [[mosque]]s and [[mausoleum]]s, made of glazed brick. Typical, turquoise, tiling becomes popular in 10th-11th century and is used mostly for [[Kufic]] inscriptions on mosque walls. [[Seyyed mosque (Isfahan)|Seyyed Mosque]] in [[Isfahan]] (AD 1122), Dome of Maraqeh (AD 1147) and the Jame Mosque of Gonabad (1212 AD) are among the finest examples.<ref name="HistoryOfIranianTile">[http://www.iranchamber.com/art/articles/tile_history1.php Iran: Visual Arts: history of Iranian Tile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124201206/http://iranchamber.com/art/articles/tile_history1.php |date=24 November 2010 }}, Iran Chamber Society</ref> The dome of [[Jame' Atiq Mosque of Qazvin]] is also dated to this period.

[[File:Turquoise muqarna MBA Lyon 1969-331.jpg|thumb|right|Timurid turquoise-glazed [[muqarna]]. First half of the 15th century, [[Shah-i-Zinda]]]]
The golden age of Persian tilework began during the [[Timurid Empire]]. In the [https://www.aventetiletalk.com/2012/12/persian-tile-form-of-art-and-religious.html moraq] technique, single-color tiles were cut into small geometric pieces and assembled by pouring liquid plaster between them. After hardening, these panels were assembled on the walls of buildings. But the mosaic was not limited to flat areas. Tiles were used to cover both the interior and exterior surfaces of domes. Prominent Timurid examples of this technique include the [[Jame mosque of Yazd|Jame Mosque of Yazd]] (AD 1324–1365), [[Goharshad Mosque]] (AD 1418), the Madrassa of Khan in Shiraz (AD 1615), and the [[Molana Mosque]] (AD 1444).<ref name="HistoryOfIranianTile" />

Other important tile techniques of this time include [[girih tiles]], with their characteristic white girih, or straps.

[[Mihrab]]s, being the focal points of mosques, were usually the places where most sophisticated tilework was placed. The 14th-century mihrab at Madrasa Imami in [[Isfahan]] is an outstanding example of aesthetic union between the [[Islamic calligraphy|Islamic calligrapher's art]] and abstract ornament. The [[Ogive#Architecture|pointed arch]], framing the mihrab's niche, bears an inscription in Kufic script used in 9th-century [[Qur'an]].<ref name="Gardner">{{cite book
| title  = Gardner's Art Through The Ages, A Global History
| author = Fred S. Kleiner
| year = 2008
| isbn   = 978-0-495-41059-1
| page   = 357
| publisher = Cengage Learning
}}</ref>

One of the best known architectural masterpieces of Iran is the [[Shah Mosque (Isfahan)|Shah Mosque]] in Isfahan, from the 17th century. Its dome is a prime example of tile mosaic and its winter praying hall houses one of the finest ensembles of ''[[cuerda seca]]'' tiles in the world. A wide variety of tiles had to be manufactured in order to cover complex forms of the hall with consistent mosaic patterns. The result was a technological triumph as well as a dazzling display of abstract ornament.<ref name="Gardner" />

During the [[Safavid Empire|Safavid period]], mosaic ornaments were often replaced by a ''haft rang'' (seven colors) technique. Pictures were painted on plain rectangle tiles, glazed and fired afterwards. Besides economic reasons, the seven colors method gave more freedom to artists and was less time-consuming. It was popular until the [[Qajar dynasty|Qajar period]], when the palette of colors was extended by yellow and orange.<ref name="HistoryOfIranianTile" /> The seven colors of Haft Rang tiles were usually [[black]], [[white]], [[ultramarine]], [[Turquoise (color)|turquoise]], [[red]], [[yellow]] and [[Fawn (colour)|fawn]].

The [[Persianate]] tradition continued and spread to much of the Islamic world, notably the [[İznik pottery]] of [[Turkey]] under the [[Ottoman Empire]] in the 16th and 17th centuries. Palaces, public buildings, [[mosque]]s and [[türbe]] mausoleums were heavily decorated with large brightly colored patterns, typically with floral motifs, and [[frieze]]s of astonishing complexity, including floral motifs and calligraphy as well as geometric patterns.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px"> 
Tile at Topkapi Palace Istanbul.jpg|Tile in the [[Topkapi Palace]], [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]]
Enderun library Topkapi 42.JPG|Enderun library, Topkapi Palace
Window Apartments of the Crown Prince.JPG|Window Apartments of the Crown Prince, Topkapi Palace
File:Nadir Madrasah Phoenix.JPG|Phoenix on the portal of Nadir Divan-Beghi Madrasah, [[Bukhara]], [[Uzbekistan]]
File:Mekhnes Place El-Hedine Mosaique2.jpg|''Zellij'' tilework in the [[Palace El-Hedine]], [[Meknes]], Morocco
</gallery>

Islamic buildings in [[Bukhara]] in central Asia (16th-17th century) also exhibit very sophisticated floral ornaments. In [[South Asia]] monuments and shrines adorned with [[Qashani|Kashi]] tile work from Persia became a distinct feature of the shrines of [[Multan]] and [[Sindh]]. The [[Wazir Khan Mosque]] in Lahore stands out as one of the masterpieces of Kashi time work from the [[Mughal period]].

The ''zellige'' tradition of Arabic [[North Africa]] uses small colored tiles of various shapes to make very complex geometric patterns. It is halfway to mosaic, but as the different shapes must be fitted precisely together, it falls under tiling. The use of small coloured glass fields also make it rather like [[enamelling]], but with ceramic rather than metal as the support.

===Europe===
[[File:CleeveAbbeyTilesC.jpg|thumb|Medieval encaustic tiles at Cleeve Abbey, England]]
Medieval Europe made considerable use of painted tiles, sometimes producing very elaborate schemes, of which few have survived. Religious and secular stories were depicted. The imaginary tiles with [[Old Testament]] scenes shown on the floor in [[Jan van Eyck]]'s 1434 [[Annunciation (van Eyck, Washington)|''Annunciation'' in Washington]] are an example. The 14th century "Tring tiles" in the [[British Museum]] show childhood scenes from the ''[[Life of Christ in art|Life of Christ]]'', possibly for a wall rather than a floor,<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_mla/t/the_tring_tiles.aspx Tring Tiles] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018184158/http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_mla/t/the_tring_tiles.aspx |date=18 October 2015 }} British Museum</ref> while their 13th century "Chertsey Tiles", though from an abbey, show scenes of [[Richard the Lionheart]] battling with [[Saladin]] in very high-quality work.<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_mla/c/chertsey_tiles.aspx Chertsey Tiles] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018161616/http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_mla/c/chertsey_tiles.aspx |date=18 October 2015 }}, British Museum</ref> [[Medieval letter tiles]] were used to create [[Christianity|Christian]] inscriptions on [[Church (building)|church]] floors.

Medieval influences between Middle Eastern tilework and tilework in Europe were mainly through [[Al-Andalus|Islamic Iberia]] and the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and [[Ottoman Empire]]s. The [[Alhambra]] ''zellige'' are said to have inspired the [[tessellations]] of [[M. C. Escher]].{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}  Medieval [[encaustic tile]]s were made of multiple colours of clay, shaped and baked together to form a pattern that, rather than sitting on the surface, ran right through the thickness of the tile, and thus would not wear away.

[[File:WindowCrestAzulejos.JPG|thumb|right|[[Casa de los Azulejos]], [[Mexico City]], 18th century, with ''[[azulejo]]s'']]
''[[Azulejo]]s'' are derived from ''zellij'', and the name is likewise derived. The term is both a simple Portuguese and Spanish term for zellige, and a term for later tilework following the tradition. Some ''azujelos'' are small-scale geometric patterns or vegetative motifs, some are blue monochrome and highly pictorial, and some are neither. The [[Baroque]] period produced extremely large painted scenes on tiles, usually in blue and white, for walls. ''Azulejos'' were also used in Latin American architecture.

<gallery>
Beja26.jpg|[[Quadra (architecture)]] of [[St. John the Baptist]] covered with azulejos in carpet style (17th c.); [[Museu da Reinha D. Leonor]]; [[Beja, Portugal]].
AzulejoPalácioHoteldoBuçaco2.jpg|The [[Battle of Buçaco]], depicted in azulejos.
File:Casa da Música. (6085779239).jpg|Azulejo scenes in Portugal
</gallery>

[[File:17th century delft tile seamonster.jpg|thumb|17th century [[Delft]] blue and white tile with sea monster]]
[[Delftware]] wall tiles, typically with a painted design covering only one (rather small) blue and white tile, were ubiquitous in Holland and widely exported over Northern Europe from the 16th century on, replacing many local industries. Several 18th century royal palaces had porcelain rooms with the walls entirely covered in porcelain in tiles or panels. Surviving examples include ones at [[Museo di Capodimonte|Capodimonte]], Naples, the [[Royal Palace of Madrid]] and the nearby [[Royal Palace of Aranjuez]].

[[File:Demorganducks.jpg|right|thumb|[[William de Morgan]], fantastic ducks on 6-inch tile with luster highlights, Fulham period]]
The Victorian period saw a great revival in tilework, largely as part of the [[Gothic Revival]], but also the [[Arts and Crafts Movement]]. Patterned tiles, or tiles making up patterns, were now mass-produced by machine and reliably level for floors and cheap to produce, especially for churches, schools and public buildings, but also for domestic hallways and bathrooms. For many uses the tougher [[encaustic tile]] was used. Wall tiles in various styles also revived; the rise of the bathroom contributing greatly to this, as well as greater appreciation of the benefit of [[hygiene]] in kitchens. [[William De Morgan]] was the leading English designer working in tiles, strongly influenced by Islamic designs.

Since the Victorian period tiles have remained standard for kitchens and bathrooms, and many types of public area.
[[File:Kopi Susu-Utrecht-2020(1).jpg|thumb|Tiles in a pub in [[Utrecht]], Netherlands]]
[[File:Quiosco modernista Gran Canaria.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A late [[Art Nouveau]] kiosk (1923) in [[Las Palmas de Gran Canaria]] covered with tiles from [[Manises]], Spain.]]

''[[Panot]]'' is a type of outdoor [[cement tile]] and the associated paving style, both found in [[Barcelona]]. In 2010, around {{Convert|5,000,000|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} of Barcelona streets were panot-tiled.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-11 |title=La verdadera historia del 'panot' de Barcelona |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/barcelona/20180212/44628283022/historia-panot-barcelona-flor-calcada-portuguesa.html |access-date=2023-05-27 |website=La Vanguardia |language=es |archive-date=28 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528001034/https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/barcelona/20180212/44628283022/historia-panot-barcelona-flor-calcada-portuguesa.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Portugal and [[São Luís, Maranhão|São Luís]] continue their tradition of ''azulejo'' tilework today, with tiles used to decorate buildings, ships,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://installationmag.com/trafaria-praia-on-the-waterfront/ |title= Trafaria Praia: On the Waterfront |date = 23 August 2013 |access-date= 18 August 2016 |url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109050534/http://installationmag.com/trafaria-praia-on-the-waterfront/ |archive-date = 9 January 2017}}</ref> and even rocks.

=== Far East ===
Decorated tiles or glazed bricks feature in East Asian ceramics in the form of [[Chinese glazed roof tile|Chinese glazed roof tiles]] and in palatial and temple architecture such as [[Nine-Dragon Wall|Nine-Dragon Walls]] and the [[Porcelain Tower of Nanjing]].

In 17th century during the colonialization of Spain in the Philippines, they introduced the Baldozas Mosaicos to describe the Mediterranean cement tiles, but they are now more commonly referred to as Machuca tiles during the 19th AD, named after Don Pepe, the son of the renowned producer of Baldozas Mosaicos in the Philippines, Don Jose Machuca by Romero.

== Roof tiles ==
{{Main|Roof tiles}}
[[File:Dinkelsbuehl Kirchturm West.jpg|thumb|right|Roofs with "beaver tail" tiles in [[Dinkelsbühl]], Germany]]

Roof tiles are overlapping tiles designed mainly to keep out [[precipitation]] such as [[rain]] or [[snow]], and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as [[clay]] or [[slate]]. Later tiles have been made from materials such as [[concrete]], and [[plastic]].

Roof tiles can be affixed by [[screws]] or [[nail (fastener)|nails]], but in some cases historic designs such as ''Marseilles'' tiles utilize interlocking systems that can be self-supporting. Tiles typically cover an [[List of commercially available roofing materials|underlayment]] system, which seals the roof against water intrusion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shingle Tile Installation Manual |url=https://ludowici.com/wp-content/uploads/Ludowici-Shingle-Tile-Installation-Manual-2022.pdf |publisher=Ludowici Roof Tile |date=2022}}</ref>

Clay roof tiles historically gained their color purely from the clay that they were composed of, resulting in largely red, orange, and tan colored roofs. Over time some cultures, notably in Asia, began to apply glazes to clay tiles, achieving a wide variety of colors and combinations. Modern clay roof tiles typically source their color from kiln firing conditions, the application of glaze, or the use of a ceramic [[slip (ceramics)|engobe]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Worcester |first1=Wolsey Garnett |title=The Manufacture of Roofing Tile |date=1910 |publisher=Springfield Publishing Company |location=Springfield, Ohio |pages=27–28, 93–94}}</ref> Contrary to popular belief a glaze does not weatherproof a tile, the porosity of the clay body is what determines how well a tile will survive harsh weather conditions.<ref>{{cite web |author1=William Carty |author2=Hyojin Lee |title=Ceramics for Exterior Applications & A Discussion of Heat Transfer and Storage |url=https://archceramicworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Carty-Lee-ACAW-2017-PDF.pdf |publisher=Boston Valley Terra Cotta |date=August 16, 2017}}</ref>

== Floor tiles ==
<!-- This section is linked from [[Symmetry]] -->
[[File:Making mosaic tiles.webm|thumb|Making mosaic tiles]]
[[File:Querschnitt einer Steingutfliese.jpg|thumb|left|Cross section of an earthenware tile]]
[[File:Feinsteinzeug.jpg|thumb|left|Section through a porcelain stoneware slab]]
[[File:QVB mosaic.jpg|thumb|left|The elaborate floor pattern of the Sydney [[Queen Victoria Building]]]]
[[File:Cyprus floor tile.jpg|thumb|upright|Floor tile in Karpas, northeastern [[Cyprus]]]]
[[File:6"x6" porcelain floor tiles.jpg|thumb|right|6"×6" porcelain floor tiles]]
[[File:Stone tile patio, Hawaii, 1960.JPG|thumb|left|[[Patio]] with stone tile, [[Hawaii]], US 1960]]
[[File:Cracked tile flooring.jpg|thumb|right|Cracked tile flooring]]

Floor tiles are commonly made of [[ceramic]] or stone, although recent technological advances have resulted in rubber or [[glass tile]]s for floors as well. Ceramic tiles may be painted and glazed. Small mosaic tiles may be laid in various patterns. Floor tiles are typically set into [[mortar (masonry)|mortar]] consisting of [[sand]], [[Portland cement]] and often a [[latex]] additive. The spaces between the tiles are commonly filled with sanded or unsanded floor [[grout]], but traditionally mortar was used.

Natural stone tiles can be beautiful but as a natural product they are less uniform in color and pattern, and require more planning for use and installation. Mass-produced stone tiles are uniform in width and length. Granite or marble tiles are sawn on both sides and then polished or finished on the top surface so that they have a uniform thickness. Other natural stone tiles such as slate are typically "riven" (split) on the top surface so that the thickness of the tile varies slightly from one spot on the tile to another and from one tile to another. Variations in tile thickness can be handled by adjusting the amount of mortar under each part of the tile, by using wide grout lines that "ramp" between different thicknesses, or by using a cold chisel to knock off high spots.

Some stone tiles such as polished granite, marble, and travertine are very slippery when wet. Stone tiles with a riven surface such as slate or with a sawn and then sandblasted or honed surface will be more slip-resistant. Ceramic tiles for use in wet areas can be made more slip-resistant by using very small tiles so that the grout lines acts as grooves, by imprinting a contour pattern onto the face of the tile, or by adding a non-slip material, such as sand, to the glazed surface.

The [[hardness]] of natural stone tiles varies such that some of the softer stone (e.g. limestone) tiles are not suitable for very heavy-traffic floor areas. On the other hand, ceramic tiles typically have a glazed upper surface and when that becomes scratched or pitted the floor looks worn, whereas the same amount of wear on natural stone tiles will not show, or will be less noticeable.

Natural stone tiles can be stained by spilled liquids; they must be sealed and periodically resealed with a sealant in contrast to ceramic tiles which only need their grout lines sealed. However, because of the complex, nonrepeating patterns in natural stone, small amounts of dirt on many natural stone floor tiles do not show.

The tendency of floor tiles to stain depends not only on a sealant being applied, and periodically reapplied, but also on their porosity or how porous the stone is. Slate is an example of a less porous stone while limestone is an example of a more porous stone. Different [[granite]]s and marbles have different porosities with the less porous ones being more valued and more expensive.

Most vendors of stone tiles emphasize that there will be variation in color and pattern from one batch of tiles to another of the same description and variation within the same batch. Stone floor tiles tend to be heavier than ceramic tiles and somewhat more prone to breakage during shipment.

Rubber floor tiles have a variety of uses, both in residential and commercial settings. They are especially useful in situations where it is desired to have high-traction floors or protection for an easily breakable floor. Some common uses include flooring of garage, workshops, patios, swimming pool decks, sport courts, gyms, and dance floors.

Plastic floor tiles including interlocking floor tiles that can be installed without adhesive or glue are a recent innovation and are suitable for areas subject to heavy traffic, wet areas and floors that are subject to movement, damp or contamination from oil, grease or other substances that may prevent adhesion to the substrate. Common uses include old factory floors, garages, gyms and sports complexes, schools and shops.

== Ceiling tiles ==
{{main|Ceiling tile}}
Ceiling tiles are lightweight tiles used inside buildings. They are placed in an aluminium grid; they provide little thermal insulation but are generally designed either to improve the acoustics of a room or to reduce the volume of air being heated or cooled.

Mineral fiber tiles are fabricated from a range of products; wet felt tiles can be manufactured from perlite, mineral wool, and fibers from recycled paper; stone wool tiles are created by combining molten stone and binders which is then spun to create the tile; gypsum tiles are based on the soft mineral and then finished with vinyl, paper or a decorative face.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}

Ceiling tiles very often have patterns on the front face; these are there in most circumstances to aid with the tiles ability to improve acoustics.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}

Ceiling tiles also provide a barrier to the spread of smoke and fire. Breaking, displacing, or removing ceiling tiles enables hot gases and smoke from a fire to rise and accumulate above detectors and sprinklers. Doing so delays their activation, enabling fires to grow more rapidly.<ref>[https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo16742 Missing Ceiling Tiles.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416003903/https://permanent.fdlp.gov/gpo16742/fastfacts_ceilingtiles.pdf |date=16 April 2021 }} Washington, D.C.: [[United States Congress Office of Compliance]], 2008.</ref>

Ceiling tiles, especially in old [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean]] houses, were made of terracotta and were placed on top of the wooden ceiling beams and upon those were placed the roof tiles. They were then plastered or painted, but nowadays are usually left bare for decorative purposes.

Modern-day tile ceilings may be flush mounted (nail up or glue up) or installed as [[dropped ceiling]]s.

== Materials and processes ==
=== Ceramic ===
Ceramic materials for tiles include [[earthenware]], [[stoneware]] and [[porcelain]].<ref name="Science Learning Hub 2010-04-27">{{cite news |url=https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1769-what-are-ceramics |title=What are ceramics? |work=Science Learning Hub |date=2010-04-27 |accessdate=2021-03-29 |archive-date=27 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327010051/https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1769-what-are-ceramics |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Terracotta]] is a traditional material used for roof tiles.<ref>{{Cite book
| url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=xaKWBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA271
| title       = Environmentally Friendly Cities: Proceedings of Plea 1998, Passive and Low Energy Architecture, 1998, Lisbon, Portugal, June 1998
| last        = Maldonado
| first       = Eduardo
| date        = 19 November 2014
| publisher   = Routledge
| isbn        = 978-1-134-25622-8
| language    = en
| url-status     = live
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180506165629/https://books.google.com/books?id=xaKWBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA271&dq=Terracotta+is+a+traditional+material+used+for+roof+tiles.&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi49vD_h93XAhUN0mMKHUFrA9gQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=Terracotta%20is%20a%20traditional%20material%20used%20for%20roof%20tiles.&f=false
| archive-date = 6 May 2018
}}</ref>

==== Porcelain tiles ====
{{Main|Porcelain tile}}

This is a US term, and defined in [[ASTM]] standard C242 as a ceramic mosaic tile or paver that is generally made by dust-pressing and of a composition yielding a tile that is dense, fine-grained, and smooth, with sharply-formed face, usually impervious. The colours of such tiles are generally clear and bright.<ref>Dictionary of Ceramics. A.Dodd. Institute of Materials/Pergamon Press. 1994.</ref>

The [[ISO]] 13006 defines a "porcelain tile" as a "fully [[vitrified tile]] with water absorption less than or equal to 0.5%, belonging to groups AIa and BIa (of ISO 13006).".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Griese |first1=Bill |title=A world of difference |url=https://tcnatile.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/A-World-of-Difference.pdf |publisher=TCNA |access-date=13 January 2024}}</ref> The [[ANSI]] defines as "a ceramic tile that has 'a water absorption of 0.5%' or less.” It is made generally by the pressed or extruded method."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelechava |first1=Brad |title=The Eminence of Porcelain Tile |url=https://blog.ansi.org/porcelain-ceramic-tile-ansi-a137-1-astm-definition/ |publisher=ANSI |access-date=13 January 2024 |date=January 8, 2018}}</ref>

=== Pebble ===
[[File:Gran Mezquita de Isfahán, Isfahán, Irán, 2016-09-20, DD 31.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Tilework in [[Jameh Mosque of Isfahan]], Iran]]
Similar to mosaics or other patterned tiles, pebble tiles are tiles made up of small pebbles attached to a backing. The tile is generally designed in an interlocking pattern so that final installations fit of multiple tiles fit together to have a seamless appearance. A relatively new tile design, pebble tiles were originally developed in Indonesia using pebbles found in various locations in the country. Today, pebble tiles feature all types of stones and pebbles from around the world.

=== Digital printed ===
Printing techniques and digital manipulation of art and photography are used in what is known as "custom tile printing". [[Dye sublimation printer]]s, [[inkjet printer]]s and ceramic inks and toners permit printing on a variety of tile types yielding photographic-quality reproduction.<ref>{{Cite web
| url         = http://digitalfire.com/4sight/education/inkjet_decoration_of_ceramic_tiles_344.html
| title       = Inkjet Decoration of Ceramic Tiles
| work        = digitalfire.com
| access-date  = 28 July 2010
| url-status     = live
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100608104848/http://digitalfire.com/4sight/education/inkjet_decoration_of_ceramic_tiles_344.html
| archive-date = 8 June 2010
}}</ref> Using digital image capture via [[Image scanner|scanning]] or [[digital cameras]], [[Bitmap graphics|bitmap]]/[[Raster graphics|raster]] images can be prepared in [[Image editing|photo editing software]] programs. Specialized custom-tile printing techniques permit transfer under heat and pressure or the use of high temperature kilns to fuse the picture to the tile substrate. This has become a method of producing custom tile murals for kitchens, showers, and commercial decoration in restaurants, hotels, and corporate lobbies.

<ref>{{Cite web
| url         = https://picturedtile.com/digital-printing-process/
| title       = Next Generation of the Digital Printing Process
| work        = picturedtile.com
| access-date  = 7 January 2022
| url-status     = live
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220108035950/https://picturedtile.com/digital-printing-process/
| archive-date = 8 January 2022
}}</ref> Recent technology applied to Digital ceramic and porcelain printers allow images to be printed with a wider color [[gamut]] and greater color stability even when fired in a [[kiln]] up to 2200&nbsp;°F.

=== Diamond etched ===
A method for custom tile printing involving a diamond-tipped drill controlled by a computer. Compared with the [[laser engraving]]s, diamond etching is in almost every circumstance more permanent.{{Citation needed|date=September 2014}}

== Mathematics of tiling ==
[[File:Tassellatura alhambra.jpg|thumb|250px|The elaborate and colourful [[zellige]] tessellations of glazed tiles at the [[Alhambra]] in Spain that attracted the attention of [[M. C. Escher]]]]
Certain shapes of tiles, most obviously [[rectangle]]s, can be replicated to cover a surface with no gaps. These shapes are said to ''[[Tessellation|tessellate]]'' (from the [[Latin]] ''tessella'', 'tile') and such a tiling is called a [[tessellation]]. Geometric patterns of some Islamic polychrome decorative tilings are rather complicated (see [[Islamic geometric patterns]] and, in particular, [[Girih tiles]]), even up to supposedly quasiperiodic ones, similar to [[Penrose tiling#Penrose tilings and art|Penrose tilings]].

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book
| author1       = Carboni, S.
| author2       = Masuya, T.
| name-list-style = amp
| title         = ''Persian tiles''
| location      = New York
| publisher     = The Metropolitan Museum of Art
| year          = 1993
| url           = http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/90309
}}
* Marilyn Y. Goldberg, "Greek Temples and Chinese Roofs," ''American Journal of Archaeology'', Vol. 87, No. 3. (Jul. 1983), pp.&nbsp;305–310
* [[Örjan Wikander]], "Archaic Roof Tiles the First Generations," ''Hesperia'', Vol. 59, No. 1. (Jan.–Mar. 1990), pp.&nbsp;285–290
* William Rostoker; Elizabeth Gebhard, "The Reproduction of Rooftiles for the Archaic Temple of Poseidon at Isthmia, Greece," ''Journal of Field Archaeology'', Vol. 8, No. 2. (Summer, 1981), pp.&nbsp;211–227
* Michel Kornmann and CTTB, "Clay bricks and roof tiles, manufacturing and properties", Soc. Industrie Minerale, Paris (2007) {{ISBN|2-9517765-6-X}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=k2xLAAAAMAAJ E-book on the manufacture of roofing tiles in the United States from 1910.]

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Tiles}}
{{div col}}
* [[Building integrated photovoltaics]]
* [[Dimension stone]]
* [[Dropped ceiling]]
* [[Glass tiles|Glass tile]]
* [[Marble]]
* [[Granite]]
* [[Mathematical tile]]
* [[Porcelain tile]]
* [[Quarry tile]]
* [[Roof shingle]]
* [[Mural#Tile|Tile mural]]
* [[Vitrified tile]]
*{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Wiktionary}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tiling|*]]
[[Category:Roof tiles|*]]
[[Category:Building materials]]
[[Category:Ceilings]]
[[Category:Floors]]
[[Category:Pavements]]
[[Category:Roofs]]
[[Category:Ceramic art]]
[[Category:Decorative arts]]
[[Category:Mosaic]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Terracotta]]