TILE TALK: Glossary of Terms

Adhesive - Organic adhesive used for bonding tile to a surface.

Backer-board - A strong water damage resistant tile base for tub and shower areas. Also good for floors, wall and counter top areas in new construction or remoldeling.

Body - The structural portion of a ceramic article. This term also refers to the material or mixture which the article is made.

Bond - The adherence of one material to another.

Bond Coat - A material used between the back of the tile and the prepared surface. Suitable bond coats include pure Portland cement mortar, organic adhesive, and the like.

Bright Glaze - Colorless or colored ceramic glaze having high gloss.

Bullnose - A trim tile with a convex radius on one edge. This tile is used for finishing the top of a wainscot or for turning an outside corner.

Bullnose Corner - A type of bullnose trim with a convex radius on two adjacent edges.

Cement - Usually refers to Portland cement which when mixed with sand, gravel and water forms concrete. Generally, cement is an adhesive which sets by virtue of a chemical reaction.

Cement Grout - A cementations mixture of Portland cement, sand or other ingredients and water that produces a water resistant, uniformly cored material used to fill joints between tiles.

Ceramic Tile - A ceramic surfacing unit usually relatively thin in relation to facial area, made from clay or a mixture of clay and other ceramic material call the body of the tile, having either a "glazed" or "unglazed" face, and fired above red heat in the course of manufacture to a temperature sufficiently high to produce specific physical properties and characteristics.

Colored Grout - Commercially prepared grout consisting of carefully graded aggregate, portland cement, water-dispersing agents, plasticizers and colorfast pigments.

Cove - A trim tile unit having one edge with a concave radius. A cove is used to form a junction between the bottom wall course and the floor.

Cove Base (Sanitary) - A trim tile having a concave radius on one edge and a convex radius with a flat landing on the opposite edge. This base often is used as the only course of tile above the floor tile.

Crazing - The cracking which occurs in fired glazes or other ceramic coatings due to critical tensile stresses.

Crystalline Glaze - Glazed tile with an extra heavy glaze produced for use on counter tops and light duty floor surfaces where abrasion or impact is not excessive.

Cure - The time period that a tile installation setting material must be undisturbed and allowed to set for it to reach its full strength. These times may vary because of type of setting material used, thickness of the tile, etc.

Decorative Tile - Tile with a ceramic decoration on the surface.

Epoxy Adhesive - A two part adhesive system employing epoxy resin and epoxy hardener used for bonding of ceramic tile to back up materials.

Epoxy Grout - A two-part grout system consisting of epoxy resin and epoxy hardener, especially formulated to have impervious qualities, stain and chemical resistance used to fill joints between tiles.

Field Tile - An area of tile covering a wall or floor.

Frost Proof Tile - Tile produced for use where freezing and thawing conditions occur.

Impervious Tile - Has water absorption of 0.5 percent or less.

Latex - A water emulsion of a synthetic rubber or plastic obtained by polymerization and used especially in coatings and adhesives.

Matte Glaze - A colorless or colored ceramic glaze having low gloss.

Mortar - A mixture of cement paste and fine aggregate; in fresh concrete, the material occupying the interstices among particles of coarse aggregate; in masonry construction, mortar may contain masonry cement, or may contain hydraulic cement with lime to afford greater plasticity and workability than are attainable with standard hydraulic cement mortar.

Mud - Slag term for mortar.

Porcelain Tile - A ceramic mosaic tile or paver that is generally made by the dust-pressed method, of a composition resulting in a tile that is dense, fine grained, and smooth with sharply formed type are Usually of a clear, luminous type or granular blend.

Quarry Tile - Unglazed tile, usually 6 x 6 or more in surface area and 1/2 " to 3/4 " thick In thickness, made by the extrusion process from natural clay or shale's.

Sealer - A continuous film or penetrate to prevent the passage of liquids or gaseous media; a high-bodied adhesive generally of low cohesive strength to fill voids of various sizes to prevent passage of liquid or gaseous media.