Ceramic tiles, their history and uses

Ceramic tiles have been used in many ancient civilisations such as Egypt, Greece and Rome for decorative purposes for thousands of years. Examples of ancient tiling still exist in historic monuments and yet we still use this ancient form of decoration in our homes in the 21st century.

Ceramic tiles have been used for thousands of years as a decorative material in homes and public buildings. With their wide range of colours and designs they can be used almost anywhere to enhance the decoration of a space and, of course, to create a durable, water-resistant barrier in bathrooms and kitchens.

They were first used in the Middle East and many ancient examples can still be found there. Examples were also common in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, but it wasn't until the 11th century that they started to become available in Northern Europe. Their beauty and their strength has made them popular choices for walls, floors, fireplaces and kitchen worktops right up to modern times.

Because ceramic tiles are available in a wide range of colours and designs they have remained popular in Europe for hundreds of years and can be found in both very old buildings as well as ultra-contemporary buildings from this century. They have also been used further afield in India, China and the temples of Thailand.

Ceramic tiles are produced by moulding a pliable mixture of clay, minerals and water into a tile shape. The tiles are dried and then fired in a kiln at temperatures anywhere between 1,000 and 1,300 degrees Celsius. The temperature at which they are fired depends on the exact type of clay used. Once the tiles have been fired they can be glazed in a range of colours and designs and are then fired again to further strengthen the tile.

They can be left unglazed but are then only available in the natural colours of the original clay, but in the UK many Victorian houses still retain exterior paths and internal floors in beautiful geometric patterns of unglazed, encaustic tiles. Encaustic tiles are ceramic tiles with an inlaid pattern made from clay of different colours designed to retain the pattern even when the tile surface is subjected to wear over many years.

So ceramic tiles are an ancient product still made using the same basic technique as thousands of years ago but with modern technological advances they continue to be used in modern times for a variety of applications both domestic and commercial. The original tunnel-style kilns have been replaced with roller kilns and firing now takes place at much higher temperatures; two changes that have made the manufacturing process faster and also increased the strength of the end-product.

During the Renaissance period Italy established itself as a premier tile producer through the efforts of many artists who decorated ceramic tiles and that reputation still exists today. In the late 20th century the Italians also developed the manufacturing process that produces porcelain tiles, which are even more durable than ceramic tiles and practically fully waterproof. The colour and pattern is present throughout the whole thickness of porcelain tiles so wear and chips are less noticeable and they are now the most common for of tiling used in home improvement projects.

There are a number of other countries that are today major manufacturers of both porcelain and ceramic tiles including Spain, Turkey, Brazil and China although Italy remains the major producer of tile manufacturing equipment.