Presents
The Art of Making Cement Tiles
Cement tiles have been admired for centuries for their vibrant colors, striking patterns, varied shapes and durability. The colors of encaustic cement tiles are more than surface deep, giving them a lasting beauty. Each cement tile is a handcrafted, unique piece of art.
Table of Contents: ❖ How do cement tiles get their shapes and patterns? ❖ What are cement tiles made out of? ❖ Grey cement and sand are used to make the tile’s body layer. ❖ How are cement tiles made? ❖ The grey cement mixture is added to the mold on top of the pigment layer.
How do cement tiles get their shapes and patterns? ❖ Usually square, hexagonal, or colonial. ❖ Get shapes from hand-made molds that have two parts. ❖ The outside part of the mold makes the shape of the tile. ❖ The inside part of the mold informs the pattern.
What are cement tiles made out of? ❖ Contain two layers made of different types of cement: grey or white. ❖ Composed of finely ground minerals, usually limestone. ❖ Grey cement gets its color from small amounts of materials like iron, manganese and chromium oxides. ❖ White cement is more finely ground than grey cement. ➢ Gives it a smoother, shinier finish.
Grey cement and sand are used to make the tile’s body layer. ❖ The tile’s coating layer is made of a mixture of white cement and marble dust. ❖ This layer gets its colors from natural mineral pigments. ❖ Pink and red come from iron compounds. ❖ Greens and blues are from copper compounds. ❖ Blues and purples come from cobalt compounds.
How are cement tiles made? â?– The tile maker first mixes together the white cement with the different pigments. â?– These pigment slurries are carefully poured into different sections of the mold. â?– Tile maker lifts out the pattern mold, making sure not to disturb the pigment layer.
The grey cement mixture is added to the mold on top of the pigment layer. ❖ After both layers are added, tilles are compressed under high pressure. ❖ Uses a mechanical hydraulic press to seal all the constituents. ❖ The press can apply much more force than a human alone ➢ making the tiles rock-solid and durable.
❖ After being removed from the mold ➢ Tile is soaked in water until saturated, which increases its hardness. ➢ Then it is put out to cure and set, and get even stronger. ➢ The tile will continue to cure.
Contact Us: Canterbury Tile & Home DENVER DESIGN CENTER EAST #108 B.-595 SOUTH BROADWAY DENVER, CO 80209 Phone: 303-777-1866
For more information visit:
canterburytile.com
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