In these earlier times, most ceramic tiles were imported from England, making it too costly for anyone other than wealthy Americans to possess. The Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 changed that with its European and American exhibits of decorative floor tile.

In 1876, the Pittsburgh Encaustic Tile Company became the first successful American tile company and is generally considered the first to manufacture ceramic tile.

By the 1930s, the American Encaustic Tiling Company was the largest tile company in the world. They produced floor tile, plain and ornamental wall tile, and art tile. It closed in the mid-30s as a result of the Depression.

EARLY TILE-MAKING:
The earliest method of clay tile decoration used transparent lead glazes known as tin-glazes. Glazes were traditionally made with white lead, flint, or china clays ground up and mixed with finely ground metallic oxides that provided the color. Glazes used in the 19th century were fired at low temperatures and deteriorated quickly.

Tile-making by hand with wet clay was replaced. By the 1840s, encaustic tiles were made entirely with almost-dry clay using a dust-pressed method – compressing the nearly-dry clay between two metal dies. This eliminated the possibility of staining the body of the tile with other colors and allowed the use of multi colors on a single tile.

Red tiles with white figurative patterns were the earliest known multi-color tiles, followed by brown and buff colored tiles. In the 1860s, blue tiles with yellow or buff patterns became popular, followed by subtler color schemes featuring chocolate reds with soft greys. By 1860 up to six colors were used to form a pattern and by the 1890s white encaustic tiles with black and/or gold designs were prevalent, as well as tiles with complex color patterns. White vitreous wall tile became available, as well as decorative tiles with colored glazes. Such a glaze was the variegated faience glaze that intended to give a more hand-crafted appearance.

CURRENT TILE-MAKING:
During the 20th century, commercially manufactured dust-pressed tiles were introduced that could be made in less than two hours as opposed to the 70 hours previously required. Dried, unglazed tiles were sprayed with colored glaze evenly and automatically as conveyors carried tiles into tunnel kilns. The extrusion process ensured that tiles were cut to a uniform thickness and size.

In the 1920s, small ceramic mosaic tiles were manufactured as 12” square sheets held together by a face mounted paper skin. The tiles were able to be laid as a unit rather than individually. Pro: tiles were directly mounted in the cement, resulting in a stronger bond. Con: the paper obscured the tiles from view, making it difficult for installers to see if the tiles were being laid straight. Paper was later replaced with a fabric mesh backing that allowed tiles to be aligned as soon as the moisture from the bond coat loosened the mesh from the back of the tile. Also, individual tiles could be cut away and repositioned immediately. The bond was weaker than with the paper skin backing because the contact area was reduced.

After World War II, new materials such as reinforced concrete, expanded wire mesh, polyethylene and waterproof plywood were developed, creating different methods of preparing a foundation for ceramic tile flooring. Various epoxies and cement mortars allowed for different setting bed thicknesses as well. After a half century of use, materials such as plywood, particle board, oriented strand boards and other wood panels are no longer recommended for use with ceramic tile.

At the century’s end, fewer encaustic floor tiles were being used because of the introduction of ceramic mosaic floor tiles. The development of rubber interlocking floor tiles and more resilient flooring materials played a factor as well. The materials were cheaper, lighter, thinner, less fragile, and easier to install.