Approaches to treatment for common causes of degradation in historic tiles

摘要

This paper will address the common causes of degradation found in historic tile schemes, both wall and floor, as well as the most appropriate methods of repair and conservation. It will focus on the causes of degradation primarily in late 19th and 20th-century tiles but will also take a brief look at 18th-century and medieval tiles. The first part of the paper covers the history and identification of tiles from different eras, with an emphasis on understanding the material and its differences through the ages rather than instruction. While the causes of degradation are often common to many different materials, the paper attempts to highlight the complexities of identification which might or should lead to differences in approach to restoration or conservation.