ABSTRACT
Historical uses of tiling are worth considering since ceramic technology has been available for thousands of years. The development of glazes on a solid skin finish to a building allowed for richness of decoration and for an applied finish that had a developed craftsmanship, whether by painting, a choice of inlaid marbles or selected mosaics. The Italian Ministry for the Environment are currently drafting studies for proposed eco-labelling of ceramic tiles for the EC. The European Committee for Standardization have agreed a classification for tiles based on water absorption, which is related to their porosity and method of manufacture. A number of specially shaped tiles can be obtained, such as coves, round edges, angle junctions, beads channels, and water outlets. To minimize any movement in tiling, backgrounds should be completely stable. Guidance on joints for tiling is often vague and sometimes contradictory.
