Jerusalem Stone
Tiles
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as
ceramic, stone, metal or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering
roofs, floors, and walls, or other objects such as tabletops. The word is
derived from the French word tuile, which is, in turn, from the Latin word
tegula, meaning a roof tile composed of baked clay. Less precisely, the modern
term can refer to any sort of construction tile or similar object, such as
rectangular counters used in playing games.
Jerusalem stone tiles can be exceptionally beautiful. However,
as a natural product they are a little less uniform in color and pattern and
require more planning for use and installation. Since stone tiles are
mass-produced, they have very uniform width and length dimensions. Stone tiles
such as those of granite or marble are sewn on both sides and then polished or
finished on the facing up side, so that they have a uniform thickness. Other
natural stone tiles such as slate are typically "riven" (split) on the
facing up side so that the thickness of the tile varies slightly from one spot
on the tile to another and from one tile to another. Variations in tile
thickness can be handled by adjusting the amount of mortar under each part of
the tile, by using wide grout lines that "ramp" between different
thicknesses, or by using a cold chisel to knock off high spots.
| 
