Tiles

Natural stone tiles are paving units obtained by cutting or cleaving, whose nominal thickness is over 12 mm and whose width is over twice their thickness. These are supported on a structure by means of mortars, adhesives or granular materials.

In the case of stairs, the thickness of the riser can have a minimum thickness of 10 mm, provided stability is ensured. 

In the case of outdoor use, they can be used both on pavements (pedestrian areas) and roadways (areas for vehicles). It should be noted when it comes to designing pavements, that these are used not only by pedestrians but also by bicycles, shopping carts, street cleaning vehicles or trolleys for loading and unloading, etc. This involves making decisions when choosing the type of granite and calculating its thickness.

In the case of indoor use, the type of traffic is restricted almost exclusively to pedestrian traffic, of greater or lesser intensity and, in specific cases, such as factories or warehouses, to light vehicular traffic.

Stone tiles are also characterized by the type of stone selected, their plan dimensions, their thickness, their shape and their surface finish.

Regarding their dimensions, the product trade catalogues contain a wide range of formats to supply the markets, although the formats most demanded today are increasingly large.

The normal shape of tiles is rectangular, although today’s technology allows curved shapes to be produced, achieving attractive and innovative compositions for the choice of prescribers in general.

With regard to the surface finishes of tiles, these have a dual function: providing different visual appearances to the paving, increasing design possibilities, and meeting the anti-slip safety parameters required in each application. 

In indoor paving, the most widely used finishes are those with a smooth appearance, such as polished and honed finishes. On the other hand, for outdoor paving, rough finishes are usually used, for reasons of safety against slipping.

The reference standard that specifies the requirements to be met by tiles is as follows:
UNE-EN 1341: Natural stone tiles for outdoor paving. Requirements and test methods.
UNE-EN 12058: Natural stone products. Tiles for paving and stairs. Requirements.
UNE 22202-1: Natural stone products. Paving with natural stone. Part 1: Paving tiles for floors and stairs.