The tile and stone industry uses a wide range of technical terms that can be confusing for homeowners, designers, and even experienced installers. The Tile Choices Glossary of Terms is designed to make those definitions clear, practical, and easy to understand. This resource explains commonly used tile and stone terminology in plain language, helping you make informed decisions at every stage of a project.
From surface finishes and tile sizes to installation methods, safety ratings, and performance standards, this glossary breaks down the words you’ll see on product pages, specification sheets, and installation guides. Whether you’re researching floor tile durability, understanding slip resistance ratings, or learning the difference between porcelain, ceramic, and natural stone, each definition is written to be accurate, helpful, and relevant to real-world use.
This glossary is also a valuable reference for understanding industry measurements, layout patterns, edge details, and maintenance terms that impact how tile performs over time. By clearly defining these concepts, Tile Choices helps eliminate guesswork and supports better planning for kitchens, bathrooms, showers, fireplaces, pools, and outdoor spaces.
Knowing the correct tile and stone terminology helps improve communication with designers, installers, and suppliers while reducing costly mistakes. Clear definitions allow you to compare products accurately, understand technical specifications, and choose materials that match both performance requirements and design goals.
Use the Tile Choices Glossary of Terms as a trusted reference whenever you encounter unfamiliar tile or stone language. It’s built to support smarter choices, clearer communication, and more confident decisions—whether you’re starting a renovation, comparing materials, or refining the details of a finished design.
Tile adhesive is a high-performance bonding material designed specifically to secure tiles to floors, walls, backsplashes, and other interior or exterior surfaces. Typically formulated as a polymer-modified cement, modern tile adhesive delivers enhanced bonding strength, improved flexibility, and increased water resistance compared to traditional mortar. Available in both ready-to-use premixed formulas and dry powders mixed with water, tile adhesive creates a dependable bond for ceramic, porcelain, glass, and natural stone tiles. It adheres effectively to a wide range of substrates, including concrete, cement board, drywall, and properly prepared wood surfaces. Because of its durability and moisture resistance, tile adhesive is the preferred choice for tile installations in kitchens, bathrooms, showers, and other wet or high-traffic areas, helping ensure long-lasting, professional-quality results.
In tile terminology, anti-slip refers to a tile surface that is engineered to provide increased friction and improved traction underfoot. Anti-slip tiles feature textured finishes or specialized surface treatments that reduce the likelihood of slipping, making them a safer choice for wet, damp, or high-traffic areas. These tiles are commonly used in bathrooms, kitchens, showers, entryways, and outdoor patios where moisture is present. Slip resistance is often measured using industry safety classifications, such as R-ratings, which indicate the level of grip a tile offers. Choosing anti-slip tiles helps enhance safety while maintaining durability and performance in both residential and commercial spaces.
The PEI rating indicates how well a tile can resist surface wear from foot traffic and daily use. Lower PEI ratings are intended for walls or low-traffic spaces, while higher ratings are recommended for floors in busy residential, commercial, or industrial settings. Choosing the correct PEI-rated tile helps extend the life of the installation and preserves the tile’s appearance.
In tile and ceramic design, appliqué describes a decorative method in which an additional material, commonly clay, glass, or ceramic, is applied and bonded to the surface of a base tile. This technique creates raised patterns, layered textures, and added visual depth that cannot be achieved with flat surfaces alone. The term appliqué originates from the French word appliquer, meaning “to apply” or “to place onto,” reflecting the process of attaching decorative elements to enhance the tile’s overall appearance. Appliqué tiles are often used to create accent walls, artistic backsplashes, and feature installations where texture and craftsmanship are key design elements.
In the tile industry, ANSI standards—developed by the American National Standards Institute—establish nationally recognized guidelines for the manufacturing, testing, and installation of ceramic and porcelain tiles. Key standards, such as ANSI A137.1 for tile material specifications and ANSI A108 for installation practices, define requirements for quality, sizing, performance, and workmanship. These standards address critical factors including tile dimensions, slip resistance, grout joint spacing, substrate flatness, and installation tolerances. By following ANSI standards, manufacturers, installers, and buyers can ensure tile products meet consistent safety, durability, and performance expectations across residential and commercial applications.
In the tile industry, ASTM standards, established by the American Society for Testing and Materials, provide widely recognized testing methods used to evaluate the quality, safety, and performance of tile products. These voluntary technical standards measure key characteristics such as breaking strength, abrasion resistance, water absorption, and overall durability. Common ASTM tests, including ASTM C648 for breaking strength and ASTM C1027 for surface abrasion, help define performance expectations for ceramic, porcelain, and natural stone tiles. When used alongside ANSI standards, ASTM testing plays a critical role in classifying tile grades and ensuring materials meet consistent performance requirements for residential and commercial applications.
In the tile industry, back-buttering refers to the installation technique of applying a thin, even layer of thin-set mortar directly to the back of a tile before placing it onto a prepared wall or floor surface that already has mortar applied. This method increases mortar-to-tile contact, helping achieve near-complete coverage and eliminating voids behind the tile. Back-buttering improves bond strength, compensates for minor tile warpage or surface irregularities, and reduces the risk of hollow spots, movement, or cracking over time. It is especially recommended for large-format tiles, glass tiles, and installations in high-stress or wet areas where long-term durability and performance are critical.
In tile installation, backer board is a rigid, moisture-resistant underlayment installed over wall framing or subflooring to create a stable and durable surface for thin-set mortar and tile. Designed to resist water exposure and structural movement, backer board helps prevent cracking, shifting, and moisture-related damage over time. It provides a flat, even foundation that allows tile to bond securely, making it essential for installations in high-moisture areas such as bathrooms, showers, kitchens, and laundry rooms. Unlike drywall, which can soften and deteriorate when exposed to moisture, tile backer board delivers long-lasting performance by supporting a strong, reliable, and tile-ready surface.
In tile and ceramic manufacturing, bisque, aka, biscuit, refers to a clay body that has undergone its first firing in a kiln but has not yet been glazed. During this initial process, known as bisque firing, raw clay (often called greenware or bone-dry clay) is heated to remove all chemically bound water and burn off organic materials. This firing causes permanent physical and chemical changes that transform the clay into a hardened, stable ceramic form. Once bisque-fired, the tile becomes durable and ready for glazing and a second firing, which gives the finished tile its final color, surface finish, and performance characteristics.
