﻿774 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  FLOOK 
  TILE 
  

  

  Tilee 
  made 
  of 
  burned 
  clay 
  are 
  now 
  used 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  for 
  

   flooring 
  as 
  a 
  substitute 
  for 
  marble 
  and 
  slate, 
  for 
  tbe 
  reason 
  that 
  tbey 
  

   are 
  often 
  more 
  durable, 
  wear 
  more 
  evenly, 
  are 
  harder, 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  

   made 
  in 
  a 
  greater 
  variety 
  of 
  colors 
  and 
  shapes. 
  

  

  While 
  floor 
  tiles 
  are 
  made 
  in 
  this 
  state, 
  in 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Brooklyn, 
  

   yet 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  materials 
  used 
  in 
  their 
  manufacture 
  are 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  other 
  states. 
  

  

  In 
  floor 
  tile 
  of 
  a 
  solid 
  color, 
  the 
  tint 
  extends 
  through 
  the 
  tile 
  

   from 
  the 
  face 
  to 
  the 
  back. 
  In 
  " 
  encaustic 
  tile 
  " 
  the 
  pattern 
  or 
  face 
  

   color 
  is 
  only 
  about 
  ^^ 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  thick, 
  while 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  tile 
  is 
  

   made 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  kind 
  of 
  clay. 
  

  

  Floor 
  tile 
  are 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  dry 
  press 
  process, 
  and, 
  like 
  dry 
  press 
  

   brick, 
  are 
  exposed 
  at 
  times 
  to 
  the 
  danger 
  which 
  accompanies 
  this 
  

   method 
  of 
  molding, 
  viz 
  cracking 
  of 
  the 
  green 
  tile 
  with 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   pansion 
  of 
  the 
  imprisoned 
  air. 
  When 
  properly 
  pressed, 
  this 
  does 
  

   not 
  happen. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  highly 
  essential 
  that 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  should 
  

   be 
  such 
  that 
  the 
  ware 
  will 
  both 
  dry 
  and 
  bum 
  without 
  cracking 
  or 
  

   warping. 
  The 
  temperature 
  attained 
  in 
  the 
  burning 
  of 
  these 
  tile 
  

   depends 
  naturally 
  on 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  clay, 
  but 
  it 
  often 
  reaches 
  thfe 
  

   melting 
  point 
  of 
  feldspar, 
  as 
  this 
  material 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  

   to 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  vitrification 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  

  

  Tiles 
  are 
  open 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  trouble 
  from 
  efilorescence, 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  soluble 
  salts 
  in 
  the 
  clay, 
  as 
  other 
  clay 
  products, 
  and 
  the 
  

   trouble 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  corrected 
  in 
  the 
  customary 
  manner 
  with 
  barium. 
  

  

  Another 
  method 
  of 
  preventing 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  these 
  coatings 
  

   on 
  the 
  surface, 
  is 
  to 
  coat 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  tile 
  with 
  petroleum 
  or 
  tar 
  

   so 
  that 
  the 
  evaporation 
  in 
  drying 
  can 
  take 
  place 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  back 
  

   of 
  the 
  tile. 
  (Langenbeck's 
  Chemistry 
  of 
  pottery, 
  p. 
  154) 
  In 
  the 
  

   firing, 
  this 
  coating 
  of 
  oil 
  or 
  other 
  material 
  burns 
  off, 
  without 
  having 
  

  

  