Introduction to Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile is essentially made of clay which is fired in a kiln to harden it. In ancient times, the clay came from a river bed and was dried in the sun. Today, clay is mixed with various materials such as gypsum, sand, vermiculite, shale or talc. They serve as filler so less clay is needed and at the same time add valuable qualities to the tile making it tougher or less porous.

How porous the finished tile is determines where and how it can be used. Also the price, since porous tile is less expensive than vitreous, or non-porous, tile. Ceramic tile that is not porous at all is called "impervious" and is the most expensive. This situation leads to trade-offs in price versus use. Porous tile should not be used outdoors or in wet installations such as bathroom floors, shower floors or shower or bathtub walls.

Most ceramic tile is glazed. That is, a layer of glass-file material is added to the top of the tile to give it a shiny appearance. The glaze may be made up of one or more layers. Each tile a new layer is added the tile must be fired again. Art file with painted patterns actually baked into the glaze are fired several times. Each firing also increased the price. Like anything else, if you want more or better you have to be prepared to pay for it.

Glazes, especially the fancy art glazes, may render the tile unsuitable for certain applications. For instance, you wouldn't want to use tile with a delicate arty glaze on a floor, or even a countertop. However, they are just fine for walls or a backsplash. Glazed tile can be used in flooring if the glaze is tough enough. The only way to be sure the glaze will be strong enough is to actually buy a tile and subject it to the scuffs and stress of actual use. Bang on it with shoes, sneakers with cleats and anything else the floor is likely to come in contact with. See how easy it is to clean off the scuffs and stains.

Select the right ceramic tile for the right job, install it properly, and it will last for years.

Before you can set the first tile you need to take a look at where you are going to put them. What do you have in place already? Is it wood, masonry, linoleum or old tile. Often it will be necessary to remove the old before you can install the new. If the old covering is solid and in good condition you can usually tile right over it - even if the old covering is tile!

Ceramic tile requires a solid base, or underlayment, to sit on. Tile is heavy and of course must support the additional weight of foot traffic on a floor or pots, pans and whatever on a counter. If the old covering is in bad condition or unreliable for any reason do yourself a favor and get rid of it.

The underlayment must be clean, flat and stable. When removing old covering be sure that you don't leave any bumps, holes or debris. Also, be sure to vacuum up the dust left by the removal. Tile is strong but brittle, it is easily chipped and cracked. That is why the underlayment must be flat and stable. If dust gets in the adhesive it will cause it to lose it's stickyness and the new tiles will become loose.

The best underlayments for ceramic tile are backer board, plywood, drywall, mortar bed and old ceramic or vinyl flooring. Backer board is board especially designed for ceramic tile. You can't go wrong with it. A mortar bed is a concrete slab - don't fool with that if you are not an expert. If you plan to set the tile yourself you may want to hire a contractor to lay the mortar.

If you plan to have the tile set by someone else be sure to figure the cost of removing old covering and readying the underlayment into your estimates. As you can see from the above it can make a considerable difference to the final cost of the project. Ceramic tile is great but if the cost is prohibitive switch to something more reasonable.

You can use the same method for removing a single tile or many tiles, assuming they are all adjacent. You will want to have the following tools: a hammer, a chisel, a grout saw or utility knife. Also, you will have to have adhesive (the same type as is already on the floor or counter), grout and one or more tiles - unless you plan on leaving a hole in the floor.

The most important step is the first: remove the grout. If you don't vibrations from the hammering will be carried by the grout to the adjacent tiles and may crack them.

Taking the hammer and chisel, or the hammer alone, crack the tile(s) into small pieces. Light, gentle taps are best. With a little luck, or practice, you can sometimes do it with a single blow. Remove the pieces by hand.

Scrape away the adhesive remaining on the bed with a utility knife. Leaving even a small amount will cause the new tile to be slightly taller than the surrounding field. Remove any remaining grout, if necessary. Carefully vacuum the area to remove any debris and dust that may be left over.

Take your new tile and coat the back with adhesive, and also apply adhesive to the bed. Put the new tile in place and clean up the edges if any of the adhesive comes up around them.