Ancient Greek Tiles
In 700-650 BC, roof tiles where first found in a very restricted area around Corinth (Greece), where roof tiles were to replace thatched roofs at two temples of Appolo and Poseidon. These roof tiles spread rapidly around a number of large sites in the Eastern Mediterranean, including Mainland Greece, Western Asia Minor, Southern and Central Italy. Early examples of the roof tiles was an S shape with the pan and cover forming one peace. They were fairly bulky, weighing around 30kg apiece. This made them very expensive and labour-intensive to produce than thatched. They were also fire resistant, which gave desired protection to the costly temples.
Tiling in Ancient Rome
Tile decorating typically takes the form of mosaic upon the walls, floor, or ceiling of a building. This was known to be practiced in the ancient world (as evidence in the magnificent mosaics of Pompeii and Herculaneum).
Early designs of mosaics were a hit and miss in construction and they were used as walkways in public areas. Designs relating to people, scenes from history and animals became more popular and stylish. These early designs had geometric patterns that created impressive colourful designs.
As art became more and more popular people began to manufacture pieces for use in mosaic production. Tesserae tiles were produced in different sizes ranging from a couple of millimetres to larger pieces used to fill block sections of colours. Tesserae tile mosaics were on a par with painting because artist had the freedom to create what they wanted in terms of representation of form and blending of colours.
Modern Tiling Styles and Designs
Tiles are a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material and can vary from ceramic, stone, metal or even glass. These are usually used to cover walls, floors, roofs, or other objects such as tabletops. Ceiling tiles are also another type, which are made of lightweight material such as perlite or mineral wool.
Tiles are often used to form wall and floor coverings, and can range from simple square tiles to complex mosaics. Tiles are most often made from ceramic, with a hard glaze finish, but other materials are also commonly used, such as glass, slate, and reformed ceramic slurry, which is cast in a mould and fired.
In the past twenty years, the technology surrounding porcelain tile and glass tiles have increased, moving both from a niche marketplace to a place of prominence in the tile community.
History Of Tiling
