Tile Glossary

MARBLE TILE - Marble cut into tiles 12" x 12" or less - usually 1/2" to 1/4" thick.

MEXICAN PAVER TILE – Hand-made tiles used primarily on heavy-traffic areas like floors. They may vary in appearance, including texture and color.

MONOCOTTURA - Method of producing tile by a single firing in which body and glazes are fired simultaneously in kilns at temperatures over 2000 degrees.

MOSAIC TILE - Formed by either the dust pressed or plastic method. Usually 1/4" to 3/8" thick. May be made of porcelain or natural clay composition, with or without an abrasive mixture throughout.

MOUNTED TILE - Tile assembled into units or sheets, either back mounted or face mounted and bonded to facilitate handling. If back mounted, it has perforated paper, fiber mesh resin or other suitable material permanently attached to the back and/or edges so that a portion of the back of each tile is exposed to the bond coat. Face mounted has paper applied to the face of the tile, usually by water soluble adhesive so it is easily removed prior to grouting of the joints.

NATURAL CLAY TILE - A ceramic mosaic or paver tile made by dust-pressed or plastic method. These tiles are made from clays that produce a dense body with a distinctive, slightly textured appearance.

NOMINAL SIZES - Approximate facial size or thickness of tile for general reference expressed in inches or fractions of an inch.

NON-SLIP TILE - Tile with greater non-slip characteristics due to abrasive admixture, abrasive particles, grooves or patterns in the surface or because of natural non-skid surface characteristics.

NON-VITREOUS TILE - Has water absorption of more than 7%.

PAVER TILE - Unglazed porcelain or natural clay tile that is formed by the dust-pressed method. Similar to ceramic mosaic tile in composition but somewhat thicker with six or more square inches of facial area.

PINHOLES - Imperfections in the surface of a ceramic body or glaze.

PORCELAIN TILE - A ceramic mosaic or paver tile generally made by the dust-pressed method of a composition that produces a dense, impervious, fine-grained tile with smooth and sharply formed face.

PREGROUTED TILE - A surfacing unit consisting of an assembly of ceramic tile bonded together at the edges by a material (generally elasiomeric) which completely seals the joints. The grout may fill the joint completely or partially and may cover all, part, or none of the back surfaces of the tiles. The perimeter of these factory pregrouted sheets may include all, part, or none of the joint between the sheets. The term edgebonded tile is sometimes used to designate a type of pregrouted tile sheet having the front and back surfaces completely exposed.

QUARRY TILE – This is an unglazed tile that is usually six square inches or more in surface area and 1/2 to 3/4" thick. Made by the extrusion process from natural clay or shale.

SCULPTURED TILE – A tile with a decorative design of high and low areas which are molded into the finished face of the tile.

SELF-SPACING TILE - Tile with lugs spacers on the sides which automatically space the tile for grout joints, thus simplifying the installation process.

SEMIVITREOUS TILE - Has water absorption of more than 3% but not more than 7%.

SLIP-RESISTANT TILE - Tile having greater skid-resistance characteristics due to an abrasive mixture, abrasive particles in the surface, or grooves or patterns in the surface.

SPACERS – Used during the installation process to separate tiles. May be cross, tee-shaped, and y-shaped and range in thickness from 1/16 to 1/2”.

SPECIAL PURPOSE TILE - Glazed or unglazed tile made to meet or to have special physical design or appearance characteristics such as size, thickness, shape, color or decoration; keys or lugs on the backs or sides; pregrouted assemblies on sheets; special resistance to staining, frost, alkalies, acids, thermal shock, physical impact, or high coefficient of friction.

STRAIGHT JOINT - The style of tile installation which features all joints in alignment.

STRUCTURAL DEFECTS - Cracks or laminations in the tile body which detract from the aesthetic appearances and/or structural soundness of the installation.

SUBSTRATE - The underlayment for the ceramic tile installation.

THIN-SET - The bonding of tile with suitable materials applied approximately 1/8" thick.

TILE - A ceramic surfacing unit, usually relatively thin in relation to facial area, made from clay or a mixture of clay and other ceramic material. May have glazed or unglazed face and is fired above red heat in the course of manufacture to a temperature sufficiently high to produce specific physical properties and characteristics.

TRIM UNITS - Various shades of bases, caps, corners, moldings, angles, etc. necessary to achieve installation desired.

UNGLAZED TILE - A hard, dense tile body of uniform composition throughout, deriving color and texture from the materials from which the body is made.

VERTICAL BROKEN JOINT - Ceramic tile installation featuring each vertical row offset for half its length.

VITREOUS TILE - Has water absorption of more than 0.5% but not more than 3%.

WALL TILE - Glazed tile with a body suitable for use within the structure. Usually nonvitreous, it is neither required nor expected to withstand excessive impact or be subjected to freezing conditions.

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