How Modern Ceramic Tiles Became The Most Promising Surface Coverings

DINESH VYAS, BUILDING MATERIAL EXPERT

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More than 26,000 years ago our ancestors knew about one very wonderful material - ceramic! In fact, they created some long-lasting objects by using clays, shaping it, and then 'cooking' it in fire so that it gained the required mechanical strength. Bricks and pottery were the first popular ceramic objects.

As man continued his journey and started creating products to make life and shelters more comfortable and visually appealing, he developed a flat plat of ceramic for wall decoration and protection. Beautiful ceramic wall covering still attracts us from the Babylonian era!

Cutting the long story short, after the initial lot of wall only decorative tiles, the space creators realised that ceramic material, if made little stronger, could be used as flooring too. And that is how 'ceramic floor tiles' came into existence. It was possible with previous century's advancement in industrial technologies, high-capacity presses and longer, faster, new age kilns.

But still, till 1980s, something was lacking in floor tiles. Mechanical strength and glamour of shine like marble and granite! And then came the turn of 'Porcelain' (vitrified) tiles which perhaps had everything that a floor needed. Now popular unglazed polished porcelain tiles were born.