Ceramic Tile Basics
Crafted from real clay and fired at high temperatures in a clay oven or kiln, tile becomes incredibly hard, making it a highly durable flooring material.
This process yields two basic types of tile: glazed and unglazed. Unglazed tile is finished once it leaves the kiln for the first time, and will only be seen in natural clay tones.
Glazed tile, however, is tile that has had a glass coating of glaze applied to its surface. At this point, the tile is re-fired in the kiln, where the glaze fuses to the surface. This is the process that creates the many colors and patterns you see on tile today.