Glossary of Tiling Terms

[DHTiling]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Abrasion Resistance [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Ability of a surface to resist being worn away by rubbing and friction, which is graded using the PEI rating for floor tiles[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Adhesive[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Compound for adhering tiles to the wall or floor surface[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Absorption [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The amount of water absorbed by a tile or substrate[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Backing[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Any material used as a base over which a finished material is to be installed[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Border tile[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Borders add colour, texture and pattern to a tiling scheme and are available in ceramic, porcelain, glass and natural stone[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Broken joint[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Ceramic tile installation featuring each row offset for half its length[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Ceramic[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Ceramic tiles are made from clay and hardened by firing at a high temperature to create a hardwearing material glazed to add durability, prevent staining and water absorption.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Crazing[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The cracking which occurs in fired glazes or other ceramic coatings[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Field tile [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The base tile, which may be complemented with a border or inset tiles[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Floor tile grades[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]An indication of how hard wearing the tile is, for more information see the tiling floors page and look for the PEI grades[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Glaze[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A ceramic coating fired to high temperature to providing a glossy finish to the tile [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Grout[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A setting mix used for filling tile joints [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Honed and Filled[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]When the holes in natural stone are filled and the surface polished to produce a smooth surface finish[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Impervious[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The degree to which the tile does not absorb water[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Large Format[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Wall or floor tiles 400 x 400mm or larger[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Limestone[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A sedimentary carbonate rock, composed chiefly of calcite [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Listel[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]An alternative name for a border tile[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Marble tiles [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Marble cut into tiles, available in a variety of finished including polished and honed[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Mitreing[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Cutting a tile at an angle[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Polished[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The surface of the porcelain stoneware or natural stone tile is ground with fine abrasives to produce a glossy and glamourous finish[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Porcelain stoneware[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Porcelain tiles resist abrasion well, have a high breakage threshold and are nearly always frost resistant, due to their low water absorption[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Natural looking and more similar in appearance to natural rock or stone, than ceramic tiles[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Through bodied colour (colour is distributed evenly throughout the tile)[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Available in glazed, unglazed, polished, unpolished and rectified finishes[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Rectified[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Rectification allows the dimensions of the pieces to be adjusted (i.e. the edges of the tiles are cut to create clean, straight, uniform edges), producing geometric uniformity and avoiding problems of size discrepancy[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Rubbing block[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A block used to smooth the rough edges of a tile[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Screed[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The concrete floor surface[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Semi Polished[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The surface of the porcelain stoneware tile is ground with fine abrasives. However, some areas are left unpolished to create a subtle and random surface finish[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Sealing[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]It is recommended that natural stone and unglazed ceramic tiles are sealed to prevent staining and water absorbtion. Specialist products are available for many applications[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Slate[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A fine grained homogeneous sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash which has been metamorphosed into layers[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Solid Bed Method[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Adhesive is applied to the surface to be tiled with a solid bed trowel.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Spacers[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Plastic tile spacers are used to maintain an equal distance between tiles and are available in a number of widths[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Substrate[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The underlying support for the ceramic tiles, i.e. plaster, concrete, floor boards etc[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Quarry tiles[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A traditional product made in the UK for hundreds of years. Made from natural clay, squeezed through an extruding machine, and then fired. Mostly available in terracotta, black and brown[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Tanking[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Tanking a shower enclosure before tiling will ensure that it is water proof and will avoid any damage to the underlying gypsum substrate caused by water penetration.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Terracotta[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A natural tile made from clay, which is very absorbent and would need sealing[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Through bodied[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The colour is distributed evenly throughout the tile, rather than just the surface. Please note: only porcelain stoneware tiles are through bodied[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Tile nipper[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Pliers that remove small pieces from the tile to create small, irregular or curved cuts[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Tile trim[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Used for finishing edges to produce a sleek finish, available in ceramic, metal or plastic.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Travertine[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A form of marble which is characterised by the small cavities within it. These cavities are usually filled with a cement and resin compound to improve durability and surface finish.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Unglazed tile [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A hard, dense, through bodied tile, which would usually require sealing[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Vitrified[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Highly compressed porcelain tile which is highly impervious to water penetration[/FONT]


See if you can add more to this list....

 

[White Room]

Another good post dave

 

[brian c]

well add to it then!

CALIBRATION-acuracy of size(as in different sizes of tiles in one box)(b&Q)
MOSAIC-series of small individual tiles connected by mesh to form one large tile.

STAFF or GUAGE ROD-long piece of wood which has markings of tile size including spacer size on it,used for setting out jobs.
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Curing- the process of hardening prior to usage.

UFH- under floor heating

Pot Life- maximum time period grout/adhesive can be used after mixing.

Priming- specific liquid used to reduce a substrates porosity,improve bond strength or prevent chemical reaction between substrate and adhesive.

Shrinkage- procedure often associated with grouting.(reduction in length)

 

[reaper72]

Calibration....B&Q .....in the same sentence? Can't be.....:furious3:

FUBAR-****ed up beyond all recognition:lol: