Tile facts for kids

A tile is a flat piece of strong material like ceramic, stone, porcelain, metal, or even glass. People use tiles to cover roofs, floors, and walls. They have been made for thousands of years!

Tiles can be simple squares or put together to make amazing pictures called mosaics. Most tiles are made from ceramic. They often have a hard, shiny coating called a glaze on top.

Towards the end of the 1900s, new ways of making porcelain and glass tiles made them cheaper. This meant more people could use them in their homes and buildings.

Roof Tiles

Ancient Greek roof tiles

Roof tiles are mostly designed to keep out rain. Long ago, they were made from materials found nearby, like clay or slate. Today, people also use materials like concrete and plastic. Some clay tiles even have a waterproof glaze.

There are many different shapes and styles of roof tiles. Each shape helps protect buildings in different ways.

People have used roof tiles for a very long time. Some of the oldest ones, made from baked clay (called terracotta), were found in Lerna, Greece. These ancient tiles are over 5,000 years old!

Images for kids

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  Art Nouveau tiles in Bruxelles (Belgium)

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  Relief made with glazed brick tiles, from the Achaemenid decoration of Palace of Darius in Susa.

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  The Shah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran

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  Tumurid turquoise-glazed muqarna. First half of the 15th century, Shah-i-Zinda

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  Two panels of earthenware tiles painted with polychrome glazes over a white glaze. (Iran 19thC)

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  Phoenix on the portal of Nadir Divan-Beghi Madrasah, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

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  Zellige tilework in the Palace El-Hedine, Meknes, Morocco

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  Casa de los Azulejos, Mexico City, 18th century, with azulejos

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  Medieval encaustic tiles at Cleeve Abbey, England

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  17th century Delft blue and white tile with sea monster

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  Tiles in a pub in Utrecht, Netherlands

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  Roofs with "beaver tail" tiles in Dinkelsbühl, Germany

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  Floor tile in Karpas, northeastern Cyprus

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  Patio with stone tile, Hawaii, US 1960

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  Tilework in Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

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  Tile in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey

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  Enderun library, Topkapi Palace

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  Window Apartments of the Crown Prince, Topkapi Palace

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  Quadra (architecture) of St. John the Baptist covered with azulejos in carpet style (17th c.); Museu da Reinha D. Leonor; Beja, Portugal.

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  The Battle of Buçaco, depicted in azulejos.

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See also

In Spanish: Baldosa para niños