Ceramic And Cement-sand Tiles

Ceramic roof tiles

Ceramic (clay) tiles are an elite, prestigious material that requires virtually no maintenance.

For the manufacture of ceramic tiles, low-melting clays are used, which, unlike the clays used for making bricks, are more fat and plastic.

The production of ceramic tiles is usually located next to a quarry, from where natural raw materials (clay) are taken. Very often, brick factories are engaged in the production of tiles, although their production can be independent.

First, the clay mass is molded in the form of tiles (in special forms), and then fired in ovens. Firing is a very energy-intensive technological process, which is the reason for the high price of manufactured products. But, on the other hand, the high cost fully corresponds to the quality of this elite roofing material.

Modern production of ceramic tiles is distinguished by the fact that it is almost completely automated and manual operations are minimized. This allows you to significantly increase productivity, improve product quality, including significantly reduce the tolerances of deviations from the specified geometric parameters.

The natural brick-red color of the material is given by the iron oxides contained in the clay. No special colorants are added. At the same time, ceramic tiles produced by different factories differ in shades, which is associated with the characteristics of the clay used.

You can distinguish natural ceramic tiles by knocking on them. The sound should be clear and clear, not rattling. And outwardly, it differs from the cement-sand tile in the thickness of the tiles, the shape of the edge, and the natural brick color.

Cement-sand tile

Cement-sand tiles are made of cement, natural quartz sand and iron oxide pigments. Such tiles do not undergo firing, but gain strength as a result of cement hardening. The quality of cement-sand tiles to a large extent depends on the quality of the raw materials used and compliance with the production technology.

Unlike ceramic tiles, the color of cement-sand tiles is determined by special dyes that are added to the concrete mass before molding. These dyes do not affect the strength of the tiles and are resistant to solar radiation. After shaping, a special compound is usually applied to the surface of the tiles to seal the concrete surface and improve the appearance of the tiles. There is also an unpainted gray (concrete) color tile, which is used mainly for the reconstruction of historical buildings.

Cement-sand tiles can be produced in almost any color. The most common and, almost always, colors available from manufacturers in stock are brick red, black, green, brown. Roof tiles in other colors are usually made to order.

Cement-sand tiles are somewhat cheaper than ceramic ones, although they have practically the same technical characteristics: tensile and bending strength, very high heat and frost resistance, water resistance, and good form stability. In addition, cement-sand tiles are also good at dampening noise during rain or wind. The predicted durability is over 100 years.

Text: interior-base.ru