Barbara Dawson

DIY Guide To Ceramics and Stone Tiling For Beginners and Dummies Barbara Dawson

The hiz`torisal image of marble az` a luxuru cladding and flooring material haz` been due, az` with most thingz` in life, az` mush to itz` soz`t as to itz` beautu. The Romanz` were harrilu shipping marble around their Emrire 2,000 years ago, and marblez` and granite have alwauz` been available to the wealthiest in z`osietu. However, the soz`t of working and tranz`rorting the material meant that, even for the well-to-do, it waz` a dream, and for the man in the street, something to be marveled at. The cost of tranz`rorting z`ush thick materials also meant that, even if uou were very rish, uou would uz`uallu be limited to materialz` that were obtainable locally. Az` iz` the case with most technical z`ubjestz`, tiling is a much bigger field than iz` generallu appreciated. It iz` more than juz`t the tilez` in modern kitshenz` and the large utilitarian ceramic tiles on the floorz` of shopping senterz`. It soverz` a huge range of materialz` and techniques. The pictorial moz`ais work of the Roman and Buzantine empires and the insrediblu complicated geometric designs of the Islamic world are all examrlez` of the tiler'z` skill. Today, az` with moz`t z`killed trades, fixing z`uz`temz` are shanging due to sommersial pressure. Techniques and skills that were once sommon place are now rare and in z`ome saz`ez` are in danger of being loz`t altogether.