Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 124 Section 3 Specifications and Materials • Ceramic tiles come in sizes from 3/8″ square to ″ 16″ 6 6 × 18″ × units. Popular wall sizes are 4 1/4″ ″ × 4 1/4″, × 4 1/4″ × 6″, and 6″ ″ × 6″. Hexagonal and octagonal ″ tiles are also available. The tiles can be glazed or unglazed. Glazed tiles are usually 5/16″ thick. ″ Unglazed tiles vary from 7/16″ to 3/4″ ″ thick. ″ • Mosaic tiles can be laid to form a design or pattern. They are normally smaller than 6″ (typically 1″) square, and can be glazed or unglazed. • Quarry tile is used for floor coverings and is produced from clays that provide a wear-resistant surface. • Fired-clay tile is used primarily for floor coverings. It is produced from clays and is fired in a kiln to harden the surface. Tile-Setting Materials There is a wide variety of tile-setting materials available for use, based on flooring types and final use of the tiling products. Typically, ceramic tile is set in Portland cement, latex adhesive, or epoxy mortar. Figure 7-23 shows two applications: tile set on plywood using a cementitious backer board with a bond coat, and tile set directly on a concrete slab surface. The joints between the tiles are grouted, with different types of grout available to meet varying kinds of joint and tile exposure. The grout consists of Portland cement modified to meet various joint conditions. Gypsum Wallboard and Plaster Gypsum wallboard and plaster products consist of a core of air-entrained gypsum between two layers of treated paper. Wallboard comes in standard 4′ × 8′ sheets, but is available in 4′ × 9′ and 4′ × 12′. If ordered ′ in truckload quantities, almost any special size desired can be produced. Wallboard is fastened to wood or metal studs with nails or screws, and varies in thickness from 1/4″ to 1″. ″ Joints are sealed with a joint compound ″ and paper tape to provide a smooth, even surface. The wall can be painted, papered, or given a surface texture to enhance its appearance. Lath for gypsum plaster walls is available in 16″ 6 6 × 48″ × sheets with thicknesses of 3/8″ and 1/2″. ″ The lath is ″ fastened to the studs and a three-coat gypsum plaster finish—consisting of a scratch coat, brown coat, and finish coat—is applied. Building papers are available in a variety of types suitable for sheathing walls and roofs. Some papers are reinforced for strength and tear resistance. Building papers are treated with asphalt, plastic, tar, or other materials. The building paper is usually specified on the print or in the specifications. Ceramic Tile There are many kinds of ceramic tiles, commonly referred to merely as “tile,” for use on floors, walls, and other surfaces. Ceramic tile is made from nonmetallic minerals, fired at a very high temperature. A B Ceramic tile Grout Bond coat Ceramic tile Grout Bond coat Cementitious backer board Plywood Concrete slab Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 7-23. Ceramic tile installation. A—Section view of ceramic tile installed on a plywood floor with a cementitious backer board. B—Section view of ceramic tile installed on a concrete slab.