The history of fixing wall tiles on the building surfaces is as old as the architecture itself. The word ‘tile’ originally comes from the French word, tuile, ultimately derived from the Latin word tegula, which means a roof tile composed of baked clay. In fact, there is word in English, tegular, an adjective which mean “of or relating to or resembling a series of tiles.”

Wall tiles are typically employed in covering the surfaces of rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, showers and floors and almost all vertical and horizontal surfaces as well as ceilings. The purpose may vary from decorative to waterproofing.  Bathroom wall tiles or shower tiles are typically set in various patterns with a mortar consisting of cement, sand and waterproofing additives.

Wall tiles come in various materials, shapes, sizes, thickness, colors and patterns. These are generally made of ceramic or stone although modern tiles come in a variety of forms, including glass tile, rubber tile or plastic tile.

A ceramic tile (also called a porcelain tile) is a kiln-baked piece of slab, usually rectangular or square, though hexagonal or other polygonal shapes can be found. People generally prefer a glazed ceramic tile instead of a stone tile for places where there is much use of water, for example bathrooms, showers and kitchens.

Ceramic wall tiles are usually glazed (i.e. they have a shiny and polished surface) and are used for bathroom walls and floors, the purpose being that water can easily flow over the tiles to the drainage line. Kitchen wall tiles are often glazed as these are easier to clean and wipe in contrast to stone and other materials.  

As far as tile designs are concerned, there is no end to human ingenuity, from simple plain white to thousands of colors and from simple geometric to most intricate patterns, including small mosaic tiles for creating the most elaborate wall paintings.