Evolution of Tile

Tile—the material you tread on daily without thinking—is way old. And even in this fast-moving, high tech age, tile hasn’t changed that much. Here’s a brief timeline of tile, from adobe tombs all the way to your bathroom floor.

c. 8000 B.C.:

The earliest textile art began in Peru, South America. In addition to drying clay for the their floors and walls, some cultures used ancient tile to adorn cups, bowels, and other useful objects.

c. 200 B.C.:

Ancient Chinese, Egyptian, and Babylonians began forming tiles out of clay and firing them before adding decoration. The process is pretty much the same today.

c.1300-1500 A.D.:

In addition to paintings and marble sculptures, The Renaissance Period used tile in popular art as well. Many Italian artists chose fired clay as a medium for their decorating skills, and they solidified Italy as the home for the best tile art and advances.

c. 1890:

When bricks became the go-to material for American buildings, tile took off as well. Fired-clay tile manufacturers started small businesses, and settlers of the west discovered that uncharted land was ideal for manufacturing clay tiles, as the three main materials–clay, kaolin, and feldspar–were all readily available.

c. 1950:

With the improvement of the firing process rose the popularity and demand for ceramic tile. Kilns once were long tunnels with low heat, and filtered the tiles through, slowly. Afterwards, painting and re-firing strengthened the tiles. With the invention of roller kilns, which had higher temperatures and shorter firing cycles, the manufacturing process shortened, which improved efficiency industry wide.

c. 1980:

The Italians developed the modern porcelain tile capable of staying stable through freezes and subsequent thaws because they absorb less than 0.5 % of water. Space shuttles use these strong tiles, as other materials would burn during re-entry.

Present Day:

The most recent tile advances allows for the same color to permeate the entire tile, not just the surface, eliminating the development of wear patterns that reveal the tile’s base color. The permanent color uses no glazes and the tiles can even be silk-screened and digitally inked to replicate photographs. Italy, Mexico, China, Brazil, Turkey, and Spain all contribute to the recent tile advances in both size and color.

With tile steadily improving for thousands of years, throughout many cultures, civilizations, and revolutions, it truly has stood the test of time to display beauty and durability. Think about that when you add tile to your home. Who knows? Maybe a c. 3000 A.D. excavation will dig up artifacts once found at your address!