Evolution Of Tiles

Interior designs have undergone a lot of transformation over the years. Tiles, an integral part of the decor today, has witnessed a shift from the traditional offerings to technologically enabled designs. While the future of the sector is tech-driven, the evolution of the tiles industry is more fascinating.

According to the 'Victorian Emporium', the word "tile" is derived from the French word tuile, which is, in turn from the Latin word tegula, meaning a roof tile composed of fired clay. The expression is apparently of relatively recent duration. It refers to the custom among cats of having fun at night on rooftops, which in Britain are often made of tiles. The first reference to its use appears to be in the first decade of the 20th century.

Early Days

Tiles date back to 4,700 BC in Egypt while glass tiles were popular in 2,500 BC. At Wittenham in Oxfordshire masses of Roman roof tiles were discovered in 2004 indicating that large  Roman buildings

According to tile and flooring specialist Rockform, around 3300 BC, ancient cities like Babylon created bright blue, high sheen tiles, which were given their colour by a cobalt glaze. These tiles were used to create beautiful decoration within the ancient buildings. Roughly around the same time period, the ancient Egyptians created similar tiles to line their embellished tombs and religious temples, as well as many well-known pyramids.

"Yes, the history of tiles dates back to 4000 BC when the technology wasn't at its much advance stage and Glazed Clay Bricks were used to decorate the surface in Egyptian cities. These bricks were mostly used in churches, palaces and other important places. These bricks were porous and lacked strength. Around 500 years ago China started producing and using ceramic tiles. 200 years ago, a British potter named Joshua Wedgewood started producing tiles and is considered the father of tiling in England. Italy and Spain also started producing tiles around the same time," T Chandra Sekhar, Director - Technical, Aparna Enterprises said.

Journey To India

According to Rahul Bhugra, Director- Antica Ceramica, the origin of ceramic tiles in India is a really interesting and has historical story to remember. A lot of our products like, coffee mugs, tea services, fancy washtubs, commode seats, basins and hundreds of glazed ceramics in use today - and since long, not only in India but all over the world - owe much to the ceramic making and glazing techniques that evolved in China early in the days.

These techniques then travelled through the Silk Route to Central Asia and Turkey, before arriving in India with the Turks.The people who were trading with the Chinese soon acquired the know-how and tile making, especially mosaic tile work, spread rapidly through the lands of the Turks, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Iranians and Afghans. It is through this route that it arrived in India during the Sultanate period.

"So, in short, the Mesopotamians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Byzantines, the Chinese and the Turks have all contributed to the evolution of the glazed tiles, some through production techniques, some through form and others through the final look and feel and the aesthetics of the art. And it is this art that travelled to India in the Sultanate period," he said.

Evolution in India

"India saw the concept of tiles only towards the end of the 13th century and the industry has evolved to a great extent. Today, ceramic tiles have become an integral part of home improvement as these can make a huge difference to the way your interiors look. India ranks in the top 3 list of countries in terms of tile production in the world," Subrata Basu, Vice President, NITCO said.

From the 13th century till today ceramic tiles have evolved in style, size, colour, shape, design, texture, finish, warpage, application, material…etc.

"Over the last few decades, the ceramic and tile industry has showcased wide variety of options to offer to their clients. From Matt finish to Moroccon Tiles to Classy Grande and Legend collections. The best part is, consumers in India have started accepting the concept of wall tiles over paint or wallpaper and this has made manufacturers like us produce tiles that are dual in nature and can be used for wall and floor as well," Sekhar said.

In India, Johnson and Somani Pilkinton started tile production some 78-80 years ago. At that time tiles were used mostly on walls. These tiles were less porous and tougher than glazed clay bricks.

"In 1985 Spartek started producing tougher floor tiles with 6-7% porosity. As technological advancements took place, companies started producing tiles with less porosity and more strength. Today we manufacture floor and wall tiles with less than 0.05% porosity," Sekhar added.

As consumer preferences changed, the tile industry also moulded itself to meet their demands.

"Today, the consumer is well aware of his needs and a major portion of the retail segment is focusing on revamping its home décor, especially given the current pandemic situation, where consumers are forced to stay indoors. Today's consumers don't just seek tiles but also look out for qualities like anti-bacterial, anti-skid and highly durable material," Basu said. 

Technology and Tiles

The future of the ceramic/tile industry is going to be blooming with the way technology is taking over. Technological advances like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence and the shift in consumer behaviour after Covid19 will make it easy for every consumer to sit at home and buy tiles safely with a better experience than walking in stores, Bhugra noted.

Expressing similar views, Basu said "Technology has made it possible to provide the customers with all such possibilities. Our tile designs are a result of in-depth research and our technology prowess enable us to realistically capture the very essence, qualities, uniqueness and variations, using our own natural marble and stone."

Digital Shift

Consumer is the king! The king has moved online.It would factually be wrong if I say there has been a 100% digital shift. No that isn't the case obviously. But if we compare, since 2010 to the present, as per stats, nearly 68% consumers have moved online and prefer shopping online.

Tile as a commodity, as such is still difficult to buy online. Consumers still prefer to come to the store, touch, feel and decide if they want to make a purchase. What has changed though is the way our customers are finding us. There 1000's of tile shops, manufacturer in my local industry. The competition is tough but the formula to win this competition is to have a strong digital presence.

"Over the last 1 year, consumers are moving online, and we at Antica Ceramica have also strengthened our digital presence. We are present on Google/Google My Business, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Quora, among others. This wide presence is important to cater to my scattered customers across the internet. Hence not only has the consumer's choice in tile, its colour, size, design, texture, thickness, warpage etc changed but also the way they get aware, they engage and make a purchase with a brand has drastically transformed," Bhugra said.

Way Forward

Consumers today are well aware of what they desire, when it comes to doing up their spaces. The need to stay indoors, coupled with the constant exposure to digital media, has made them experts in interior designing to some extent. Or at least, their narratives to their décor experts have become more specific with respect to what look or finish they seek in their products, what inspires them, etc.

"To summarise, customers are definitely keen to explore newer ideas, reach out to surface brands directly, seek expertise and opinions and get the best result for their homes," Basu noted.

BOX

NITCO

NITCO was born with the versatile Terrazzo tiles. Be it traditional or contemporary, Terrazzo has never gone out of style and this timeless product is still available with us. Our latest offering is the Made In Italy collection. The difference is of course the tile size and the add-on value and qualities that the later brings in the current scheme of things.

The NITCO 'Made in Italy' collection is one of its kind, available in large sizes of 8×4 ft in 6mm thickness, and the only tiles in India suitable for heavy-duty areas like shopping malls, airports etc. Globally certified as Covid-19 sanitization resistant, these tiles have the highest durability and unique Italian designs that captivate all the senses.

The 3 new XL designs in the Made In Italy Collection are available in interesting colors like Blue Concrete (Azul), Black (Graphite) and Decor (Moda Bleu).

ANTICA CERAMICA

Antica Ceramica for the last 30-35 years has always believed in moving with the trend and has matched the pace of the industry.

When we had initially entered the industry, smaller size ceramic tiles were trending. Tiles of size 8×4 inches and 4×4 inches were the demand of every client. Clients back then just looked at tiles to be used on the floor. Paints, wallpapers were options for the wall.

With small size, these tiles have limited colour options too. They were majorly available in shades of white and beige. This is because the technology used earlier was called Rotto technology.

Today, customers show an image on Pinterest and enquire if the tile is available. So now there are unlimited options to offer to each client as per their style and choice, thanks to various digital technologies. 12 ink digital technology is the latest machinery where you can print difficult colours like red, yellow & green.

With time, the trend in tiles has changed too and so has our offering at Antica Ceramica. We have 1000+ SKUs to offer our clients present to match the taste and choice of our clients. The trend these days in India is tiles and marbles of big sizes like 8×4 ft. and 4×4 ft. The latest update is a launch of 15mm thickness tile slabs to replace the old granite kitchen slabs.

VITERO

Vitero tiles started its production with Double Charged vitrified and polished tiles. Every day the manufacturing facility of Vitero tiles produces 15000 M2 of tiles in its 265 mt long kiln, equipped with an environment friendly manufacturing process powered by SACMI.

Currently Vitero deals in a wide range of wall and floor tiles including Soluble salt tiles, Double Charged tiles, Glazed Vitrified tiles, Digital wall tiles and full body tiles. Vitero tiles is already in process of doubling its production capacity by end of 2021.

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