If cement tiles are new to you, rest assured that in other parts of the world they have graced the floors and walls of homes, cafes, hotels, and stately institutions for well over a century. They are far from new and are today one of the worlds most sought-after tiles.
Each one of our encaustic cement tiles is hand formed, they are not the work of a machine but of a skilled artisan who has created them. They have a distinctive matte, soft-to-the-touch surface and subtle shade variation arising from the natural mineral pigments and hand formed process.
The surface is not printed nor painted, and the tiles are not fired in a kiln. They are masterfully created following a recipe passed down through generations. There are three distinctive layers, an artful top layer, a reinforcement layer, and a strength layer.
The artful top layer, a slurry composed of natural mineral pigment mixed with marble dust and fine white Portland cement is precisely poured into a pattern mould set within a frame. The mould is skilfully removed before the middle layer of sand and cement and final layer of aggregate and cement are then added. A press is used to compact the components with enough pressure to drive out the air and equalize the moisture from the colour layer. The tile is then submerged in water and racked where it is left to cure for up to four weeks, gaining strength with each day that passes.
The handmade process of cement tiles means that no two tiles will be alike, variation of colour, irregularity in pattern and ‘distressed’ edging are all to be expected; they will be perfectly imperfect. In short, if your design tendencies do not lean towards a natural look and a little imperfection, then our cement tiles are probably not for you.
