Tiles with a polished surface can be used for: footpaths, plazas, parking roads, and tiles and access roads in locations such as airports. Depending load transferred, it can be used for:
- unreinforced concrete – pedestrian traffic with minimal wheeled traffic.
- singe-reinforced tiles – car and light truck traffic, suspended pedestrian crossings,
- double-reinforced tiles – car and light truck traffic, suspended crossings for light cars.
It is recommended that the entire lower surface of the tiles be placed on a base layer, which assures their optimal performance and reliable use of the surface. For pedestrian traffic, the tiles may be placed on compacted sand or a cement and sand ballast, as with ordinary pavement tiles.
Due to thermal expansion and conditions of use, a gap is required between the tiles. The gap between the tiles may be filled with sand where it is required by architectural considerations and where tiles are cleaned by hand. Where mechanical cleaning is employed or in places of dense wheeled traffic, the gaps should be filled with a plastic material such as rubber or polyurethane, which join the tiles and eliminate the possibility of distortions. Traditional cement mortar can also be used to join the tiles.
In yards where wheeled loads are present, unreinforced tiles may be used, as may single- or double-reinforced tiles. The tiles should be placed on a stabilised cement base. In the case of the use of the tiles in a yard with high loads, such as access roads and airport runways, it is necessary to draw up a technical design taking into account an analysis of ground conditions and definition of base layers depending upon projected surface loads.
The advantages of the use of these tiles are the speed of placement, easy access to natural earth, ease of movement of tile at sites threatened by aggressive factors, including chemical hazards, or on landfills. The use of the tiles allows rapid creation of surfaces even in winter. In places where the top layer of the base is flexible, such as on asphalt, the use of reinforced tiles is necessary.