Problems Maintaining Concrete Floor

Hard Floor Care – Clay and Ceramic Tile Floors

Clay tiles include all types of floor tile having a basic clay composition and range from cheap quarry to the more expensive vitreous tiles.

The craft of ceramic tile manufacturing is extremely old. The Egyptians were using Nile mud to make tiles over 6000 years ago and were applying glaze finishes several thousand years before the Romans laid tile floors in Great Britain. Many of the floors are in perfect condition even today giving evidence of their outstanding durability.

Tiles may be compounded clay bodies consisting of clay, 30 to 35%, which is the plastic; flint, 10 to 15%, which is the filler; and feldspar, 45 to 50%, which is the fluxing agent that fuses the ingredients into a solid mass. Tiles are also made from one or more naturally occurring clays. They are either glazed, having a glassy surface fused upon their face, or unglazed, being composed of the same ingredients throughout. They may be classified as non-vitreous, semi-vitreous, vitreous or impervious, which indicates the degree of fusion. In the dust-pressed process, steel dies apply heavy pressure to a damp ceramic mix. In the plastic process, considerable more water is used and the clay is then shaped.

When tile bodies composed of various silicates are subjected to high temperatures, new complex silicates are formed. The result is a strong, hard product with non-fading colors. A prominent floor tile is the ceramic mosaic tile. This is the familiar small tile, an inch or two on the side, fully vitrified and usually unglazed. Pavers are unglazed tiles resembling ceramic mosaic but larger in size, usually three by three to six by six inches. Quarry tiles are unglazed, made from one by one to twelve by twelve inches. The word quarry comes from the French word, “carreau”, meaning a square or paving tile. Faience tiles have highly colored glazes, a rugged artistic appearance and come in a large variety of sizes.

Glazed tiles are frequently slippery when wet and for this reason are seldom used for floors. They are normally used to decorate walls. In addition, they also chip and crack if subjected to sudden impact, and the glaze can wear under constant foot traffic.

The word mosaic is often used in connection with floor tiles. The term, however, generally refers to a pattern or picture formed by laying different colored pieces of tile, stone or glass, side by side. Mosaic is usually a reference to design rather than type of tile. Pieces of ceramic tile used for mosaic often have small irregular shapes.

Vitreous tiles are manufactured from refined clays, mixed with added flints and feldspar, at kiln temperatures above 2192 degrees F. The word vitreous means resembling glass, and at these high temperatures the mix fusis to form glass-like material.

Floor tiles are usually laid on a concrete sub-floor with a sand and cement screed. As the tiles are laid, mortar will extrude to the surface along the joints between the tiles. After laying, the joints are topped up with a sand and cement grout until the level in the joints is flush with the tile surface. Any surplus grouting material should be cleaned off immediately by covering with sand or clean sawdust and wiping with a clean cloth. This prevents staining of the tiles from the cement. After laying, the tiles should be allowed to stand for a least four days before the surface is cleaned with water and traffic is allowed on the floor.

Please refer to the article on “Hard Floor Care – Maintenance of Clay and Ceramic Tile” for suggested cleaning equipment and/or janitorial equipment and procedures.