Tile Terminology

Adhesive: A component that bonds tile to its surface.

Battiscopa (AKA covebase): Translates to “skirting board” in Italian; a tile with one finished edge that creates a trim between the wall and the floor. 

Border: An added strip/strips of tile with colors and textures to complement a larger tile design. 

Breaking Strength: The amount of weight a tile can withstand before it breaks.

*Broken Joint: Installation pattern where each row is offset for half of its length. (Also referred to as brick joint or staggered.)

Brushed Finish: A rough, textured finish on stone tile that’s created from a coarse wire rotary brush.

Bullnose: Tile with a rounded edge used to finish off the top of a wainscot, floor base, corner, or wall.

Buttering/Back Buttering: The spreading of adhesive component to the backs of porcelain or ceramic tile directly before installation. 

Caulk: A water-resistant, plastic filler used to seal joints.

Ceramic Tile: Tile made from clay that has been permanently hardened by heat. They’re often finished with a decorative glaze.

Color Body Porcelain:  Continuous coloring from the glaze surface throughout the body of the tile, which lessens the visibility of any chipping. 

Cove: A tile that has a concavely curved edge and a glazed, rounded top edge to join the floor and bottom of the wall course, or to finish an inside corner.

Cure: The time period a tile is left undisturbed from when its installed until it reaches its full strength.

Decorative Tile: Any tile featuring motif on its surface.

Deep Abrasion Test (DAT): A test that determines the resistance of any unglazed tile to abrasion.

Dry-Set Mortar: Setting material for thin-bed installations that are cement based.This type of cement is meant to adhere well in a thin layer (typically not greater than 3/16th thick).

Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (DCOF): An industry standard that measures a surface's slip resistance during motion.

Epoxy Adhesive: A two-part adhesive system consisting of epoxy resin and epoxy hardener, used to bond ceramic tile or stone to backing material.

Epoxy Grout: A two-part adhesive system consisting of epoxy resin and epoxy hardener, used to fill joints in-between tiles. Epoxy Grout is stain and chemical resistant. 

Field Tile: The primary or “main” tile used in a floor or wall tile design.

Floor Tile: Ceramic, porcelain or natural stone tile that is rated durable enough to withstand high-traffic areas and abrasion.

Frost-Resistant: Vitreous tile that can withstand freeze/thaw conditions with minimal effect, having porosity and water absorption levels between 0.5% - 3%.

Frost-Proof: The strongest tile for outdoor use that has porosity and water absorption levels between 0% - 0.5%.

Grout: A mixture of silica sand, cement and chemical used to fill joints in between tiles. Grout is available in a wide variety of colors; 21st Century Tile recommends grout from either our Laticrete or TEC brands!

Glazed Tile: Tile that undergoes an additional phase in the firing process, where a layer of liquid glass is added to the surface.

Granite: A natural, extremely durable stone which comes from molten lava that never rose above the Earth’s surface. Granite is available in polished, honed, or brushed finishes.

Impervious Tile: Has a water absorption level no more than 0.5%.

Lappato: A semi-polished finish on the tile’s surface.

Levigato: A polished finish on the tile’s surface.  

Limestone: A sedimentary stone that usually comes with a honed finish. This stone doesn’t have a wide variety of color and vary little between pieces. 

Listello: A decorative, visual break in between tiles; mainly used for walls.

Marble:  A hard, crystalline limestone that is sometimes streaked or mottled. It can take a high polish and is available in a wide variety of finishes and colors.

Mastic: A resin that exudes from the bark of a Mediterranean tree, used in the making of organic glue. 

Monocuttara: An Italian term meaning “single-fired,” meaning body and glazes are fired in kilns over 2,000 degrees.

Mosaics: Smaller scale ceramic, porcelain, metal and stone tiles that are mounted on mesh-backing for ease of installation. Mosaics are available in squares, octagons or hexagons among many other shapes.

Mud: A thick-bed mortar consisting of sand and cement. 

Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI): The PEI rating indicates the tile hardness. The scale ranges from one to five, with five being the strongest and most durable.

Porcelain Tile: Tile that is built with clay that is dense enough for use on the wall or floor. They can either be glazed or unglazed.

Quarry Tile: Tile made by made either the extrusion process or more commonly by press forming and firing natural clay. It’s usually ​¹⁄₂ to ​³⁄₄ inch thick and naturally stain and slip-resistant. 

Sealer: Applied to tile to prevent the absorption of liquids or other debris, especially with porous materials. (Examples where sealer may be used: quarry tile, grout, and natural stone.)

Slate:  A natural stone that is quarried from out of the earth, usually from mountains. Its characteristics include earthy pattern and colors. 

Spacers: Plastic tools that vary in thickness and shape used for installation to evenly separate tile placements.

Substrate: An underlayment surface for ceramic tile installation.

Thin-set: A mixture of sand, cement and (usually) a latex additive to create a bond coat in a thin-bed installation.

Through-Body Porcelain: Porcelain tile incorporating color and pattern features seen on the surface and all the way through the tile body.

Tile: A glazed or unglazed unit composed of clay, concrete, or other material - usually thin and square/rectangular in shape. 

Travertine: A natural stone similar to Limestone but with holes created by hot springs. Travertine is mainly seen in colors like red, orange, yellow, brown and beige. Each piece has a unique variation in pattern and color.

Trim Piece: Tile pieces which finish off a design in forms of bases, caps, corners, moldings, pencils, etc. Most ceramic, stone and porcelain tiles have their own selection of coordinating trim pieces.

Tumbled: A finish on natural stone that is achieved by a tumbling machine, and sometimes an addition of acids, which gives the stone a worn look with softened edges and unique imperfections. 

Unglazed Tile: With no glaze, these tiles offer an earthy aesthetic quality colored by the mineral deposits from where the clay was originally taken.

Vitreous Tile: Very soft tile made of materials that absorb less than 3% moisture. (Examples: Clay, Terracotta.)

Wall Tile: Glazed tile suitable for interior walls, since it doesn’t withstand the excessive impact of foot-traffic and freezing/thawing conditions like floor tile.