Tile and Stone Floor Manufacturers Key Terms

Understanding the terms used by tile and stone floor manufacturers

By Kim Finn

Stone and tile floors create bold statements in homes, office buildings and even on decks and porches. Durable and versatile alternatives to linoleum or even wood flooring, stone and tile are touted by manufacturers for the ease of incorporating customized designs, unique glazes and special effects. If you're considering a stone or tile flooring manufacturing business, you'll need to familiarize yourself with terms relevant to the industry. Terms covered in this guide include slurry, portland cement, terrazzo tile, salt glaze, vitrified and lippage.

Slurry (slip)

A slurry is a mixture of water and any finely divided insoluble material like clay or portland cement in suspension.
Try: The World Floor Covering Association explains how slurry fits into the tile-making process.

Portland cement

A calcium silicate hydraulic cement produced by pulverizing clinker (solid material that's formed into lumps or nodules during the cement kiln stage) and usually containing calcium sulfate and other compounds. It's commonly used as the base for grout for tile work.
Try: Learn about the history of Portland cement from the Portland Cement Association.

Terrazzo tile

Terrazzo refers to flooring made with Portland cement and sand body. The terrazzo flooring surface is made from small chips of marble that are set on a Portland cement and sand body and then polished or ground smooth.
Try: The Aldon Corporation offers an online cleaning, problem-solving, protection and care guide for terrazzo tile.

Salt glaze

A salt glaze is a gloss finish produced by the thermo-chemical reaction between the ceramic body surface and salt fumes produced in the kiln at elevated temperatures.
Try: Learn more about how salt glazes and other types of glazes are used on flooring tiles at FlooringKnowledge.com.

Vitrified (vitreous)

Vitrified refers to the degree of vitrification evidenced by low water absorption. Vitrification is the progressive reduction in a ceramic composition's porosity due to heat treatment or other process. It is a characteristic that helps define a tile's quality. Vitrification is measured by the degree to which the tile elements absorb water, and less absorption equals increased vitrification. Vitrified tile characteristics include higher resistance and greater quality.
Try: Read more about the benefits of vitrified tile at Machine Design.

Lippage

Lippage refers to a condition where one edge of a tile is higher than an adjacent tile, resulting in an uneven appearance on the finished surface.
Try: Learn more about lippage at Wood Pro.