Depending on the locale, cement tiles have many names and techniques that were used to create them.
Encaustic Tiles
Cement or clay tiles in which the pattern on the surface is a product of different colours of clay. They are usually created with two colours, however may be composed of as many as six. The pattern is inlaid or moulded into the body of the tile millimetres thick so that the design remains as the tile is worn down. They are left to dry for between 2-3 weeks which gives them their durability.

Hydraulic Tiles
Hydraulic tile production originated in Spain, but quickly spread around the world, as the technique excluded the need for firing, therefore allowing for faster and more affordable cement tile production. This involved using a hydraulic press and a mould to apply a multi-coloured pattern into the tile. The materials used to create these tiles were Portland cement, marble sand and pigments.

Cuban Tiles
The Hydraulic Tile technique made its way to Havana, Cuba in 1886, with local designers quickly stamping their dramatic signature style on this technique, thus the name Cuban Tiles was borne. In Havana today, there are many old buildings that still have the original Cuban Tiles from this era – their history and beauty is irreplaceable.

Carreaux de ciment
In France, encaustic tiles are referred to as Carreaux de ciment. They first appeared in the late 1800’s in the South of France. These Cement tiles with their wonderful colours and patterns and durability were used in many landmark public buildings and palaces throughout France, and remain popular today with many manufacturers creating new designs for architects and designers worldwide.

Tessellated Tiles
Tessellation describes a pattern being repeated continually with no spaces between the patterns. It is derived from the Greek word “tesseres” which means 4, and thus the pattern is created with 4 tiles, repeated over and over on a floor or wall. Encaustic tiles today are often referred to as tessellated tiles due to the repetition that is created with the pattern.

Mosaic Tiles
As with tessellated tiles, the term Mosaic tiles refers to the pattern created from the use of encaustic tiles as opposed to the means used to create the styles. Mosaic is a technique of decorative art that can refer to many different mediums. Images or a pattern are created by assembling the tiles, or pieces of tiles into an artwork.

Moroccan style tiles
Morocco, like Cuba, developed such a distinctive design style, that the tiles created by these master tile craftsmen, are now simply referred to as Moroccan tiles.
Mosaic tiling is one of the traditional cultural practises in Morocco and it is known for intricate and stunning tile designs and artworks. Many cement tiles created today are recreating the beautiful designs that originated in Morocco.