A tile is a piece of hard-wearing material such as
ceramic, stone, metal or even glass, which is manufactured for general
use in covering roofs, floors, and walls, or other objects such as
tabletops.
Another type of tiles is ceiling tiles, which are
made from lightweight materials such as perlite, wood, and mineral
wool. The word is originally derived from the French word tuile, which
is, in turn derived from the Latin word tegula, which means a roof tile
composed of baked clay.
Marble Floor Tiles Are Suited For Indoor And Outdoor Use
The sophistication and chic design attributes of
marble have long been famed in the history of architecture and home
design. Marble tiles have been widely used in large buildings,
churches-mansions and small homes as well for centuries. There are many
variants of marble tile used in residential and commercial applications.
Their uses usually range to include indoor and
outdoor flooring, countertops, wall covering, fireplaces and exterior
facades. However, since marble is not considered the hardest of natural
stones, it would not suit well as a floor covering in extremely high
traffic areas, though marble tiles are well-suited and perfect floor
tiling for residential and light commercial applications. The most
popular and common residential uses of marble are for window sills,
fireplaces hearths, decorative foyers, bathroom floors as well as
outdoor garden pathways, columns, steps and other surfaces.
Other bathroom applications for marble tiles
include wall covering, backsplashes, tub decks and showers. Thanks to
their durability, and their ability to not suffer the ravages of time
and the strain of daily, public use, some marble tiles have proven to
be ideal for outdoor furnishings. And with the placement of special
finishing's, marble floor tiles could manage to combine class and
functionality in each element. Marble's other outdoor uses include
covering for stone posts, benches and flower boxes.
Which Type Of Marble Floor Tiles Are Good For Outdoor Use
Natural
stone tiles like marble can be especially beautiful and appealing to
the senses. However, as a natural product, they are a little less
uniform in color and pattern and require further planning for use and
installation. Since most stone tiles are mass-produced, they have very
uniform width and length dimensions.
Stone tiles such as those of granite or marble are
sawn on both sides and then polished or finished on the facing up side,
in order for them to have a uniform thickness. Some stone tiles such as
polished granite and marble are inherently very slippery when wet. A
process is generally done to enable a marble floor to be slip-resistant
when used for outdoor purposes, such as installing them in outdoor
foyers and pathways.
Stone tiles with riven, or split surfaces are
sandblasted to help them become more slip resistant. The hardness of
natural stone floor tiles could vary such that some of the softer
stone, like limestone tiles, are not suitable for very heavy traffic
floor areas. There are marble tile types that are literally "tumbled"
in a machine process that knocks off the edges and roughens the
textures to create an "antiqued", or aged effect. Tumbled marble has a
rather rough or lightly sand-blasted feel, which makes it less
slippery, and could be used effectively for outdoor use, such as lawn
or outdoor pathways.