Four encaustic cement tile designs from the Villa Lagoon Tile ............Some
shown with border tiles, others not.
Look to Villa Lagoon Tile for
Encaustic Cement Tiles . The
patterned mosaic tiles create fanciful floors and the tranquil solids bring back the old world charm
of satin finish encaustic cement tile floors. Also Antique
cement tile reproduction in USA
Here you will fine the information
on Encaustic Cement Tiles also called cement tiles, hydraulic floor tile,
encaustic tiles, hidraulico, hydraulic tiles, ladrilhos hidráulicos, carreaux de
ciments, Spanish mission tiles, mosaics de pasta, redondo tile, rajoles
hidràuliques,
baldosas hidráulicas, pasta potosi, hidraulicos antiguos, ladrilho de água, baldosas
decoradas,
mosaico hidraulico,
mosaicos hidralicos, hidráulicas de cemento...and Tile Floor tile Layout
Programs Online all gathered whilst researching this amazing floorcovering
for use in our own hurricane-proof home.
After much consideration and research, I have decided that
the best possible floors for this house are the old-fashioned Encaustic
Cement Tiles. These durable, strong, colorful, patterned tiles have long been used
around the world. They were manufactured in the States up thru the 30's
and 40's and have been used in stately homes especially in California and
Florida. Worldwide, the terms that are used
to describe this type of concrete tiles vary by region. Terms include: Cement
Tiles, Hydraulic Floor Tile, Encaustic Tiles, Hidraulico, Hydraulic Tiles,
Ladrilhos Hidráulicos, Ladril, Carreaux de Ciments, Spanish Mission Tile,
redondo tile, Rajoles hidràuliques. Baldosas hidráulicas, Baldosa Hidraulica, Pasta Potosi Tile,
mosaico calcareo and site surfacing product depending on the language and the country. They are still manufactured in
many countries (See Below)
These classic tiles are still made
outside the U.S. I have found evidence of plants existing and producing floor
and wall tile in Brazil, Mexico,
Spain, Dominican Republic, Turkey, Nicaragua and many other places. We have
decided to order our tile from Villa
Lagoon Tile. I like to conduct business in English as my language skills are
infantile :o)
Some say the original technique was developed in 18th century in Italy using natural colors of granite and marble dust and cement.
According to one website, " the
encaustic cement tile appeared at the end of the XIX century, in the south of France.
Several sources say the first encaustic tiles were made in France near the
country's first Portland cement plant. Until the 1920's, they were considered as
high-end ultimate flooring that decorated the palaces of the Tsar, the mansions of the Côte
d'Azure, Gaudi's Barcelona and Berlin's official buildings. Later on, the encaustic cement tile expanded as a creative and durable coating all over Europe, and the French, Spanish and Portuguese
colonies. Around the 50's the Mosaic Hydralico lost importance and was replaced by
less labor intensive, and less colorful floors.
At the beginning of the XXI century, the trend for authentic products has brought back into fashion the encaustic cement tile.It has never been possible to create an industrialized product that can substitute this handmade tile. The variety of colours, the matt finish and the soft silky texture are characteristics that make this tile absolutely unique. It is very important to note that no two tiles are
exactly alike.
How Encaustic Cement Tiles Are Made
The tilemaker creates a three part layered stack in a
(usually) square mold. A sectioned pattern die is placed in the bottom of the
open mold. Manufacturers put the color in the various sections first and them back the tile with other layers of
cement products. The liquid color material is composed of ground marble dust,
fine white Portland cement, and natural earth pigment. The stacked
concrete tile layers are pressed using a hydraulic press and then removed from
the mold. Generally the biscuit-like tiles are placed in a rack and submerged in water to allow the
correct moisture necessary for the chemical reaction in concrete. The tiles are
removed from the water, allowed to dry and stacked and allowed to age for some
period of time for curing to achieve adequate hardness before shipment.
The end result is a tile that is about 3/4 inch thick and quite heavy. One side is a
concrete and another side is a
mosaic type design.
The design layer is ¼" thick, giving the tile a great surface life, able to withstand all weather conditions
and decades of traffic. Encaustic cement tiles can be found in many historic
homes and public buildings throughout the world. Traditional
cement tile is often used as ornamental motifs similar to carpets, bordered rubs,
tapestries or mosaics.
Photo above from VIA of Germany
Encaustic cement is flooring with character, of great quality, outstanding for its clear, bright finishes, excellent ageing process, elegance and nobility.
This photo of cement tiles is one I took on a rooftop terrace at
Casa Batlló in Barcelona, Spain. Casa Batlló is a private residence
designed by Gaudi. It was built in the year 1877 and remodeled in the years 1905–1907.
Look how well the cement tile has endured, even outside of a rooftop terrace,
fully exposed to the elements.
Bénédicte Bodard
collects hydraulic tiles from dumpsters of apartments being remodeled in
Barcelona where she lives. She
gives them a new life, a second chance as elegant table tops and trivets. See them at
mesabonita.blogspot.com
Manufacturers of Encaustic Marble / Cement Tiles
around the world:
If you know of others that are not listed, please
email me w/ Encaustic Tile in the subject-line. If you have good photos I
can add, also please email. lundywilder@gmail.com
Balármoca
--www.balarmoca.com see their photo gallery at Google's Picassa site, Mosaicos.
I read that they are using the grandfather's old pattern molds once stored
in a basement. www.talcomoera.com
recovered old Spanish floor tiles. Spanish construction web. Hydraulic mortar cement
tiles.Authentic hydraulic mortar cement floor tiles and ornamental borders.
19th century floors recovered for your home or business. True historic jewels to dress up your home or your business.
www.mosaics.es
Mosaic Art and Design--A Spanish site with many designs, traditional and
moderne. www.pulidoscatalonia.com
--refinishers of mosaico tile floors. Great before and after photos. www.terrazosaljarafe.com/
Spain very slow frustrating website www.solmosaicos.com , Soleras
de Mosaicos, S.L., FÁBRICA DE LOSAS HIDRÁULICAS DE CEMENTO , Sevilla, Spain www.pulidosbaquedano.com
restoration, maintenance . www.mosaicosartesanos.com Mosaicos Artesanos
--fabrica losas hidraulicas para suelos o pared mediante un proceso manual y
artesano. They just love these all flash sites with music. I don't. But they have a online floor tile design simulator.
www.mosaicstorra.com Artesania--Highly annoying website is all flash,
Mosaico, Mosaico hidraulico, Baldosa, Baldosas hidraulicas, www.mosaicospino.com Mosaicos Pino--Nice, fast loading website. But you wish you could enlarge the images. Download the pdf catalog. Classic patterns. En 1917 Jesús Pino Ramírez funda la fábrica de mosaicos hidráulicos de cemento para suelos que lleva su
apellido.
Great tile designs made by Szilvia
Kauker. She wrote to me: "Since 2006 I run a small manufactory and
have been designing and producing cement tiles. Your website is probably
the best collection of cement tile manufacturers.
To make it complete I suggest you to list also my website as the sole
cement tile manufacturer in Hungary. This craft was very popular in
Hungary from 1890-1940, and also had small manufacturers until the
1970-1980. Since than all the manufactories had break off. I would like to
revive this almost forgotten traditional technique and make it popular
again in my country. I also trying to create our own unique style by
introducing new patterns and special colour combinations." www.moza.hu
www.historickadlazba.sk Making historical tiles both interior cement tiles and exterior
tiles.
Portugal
Artevida
www.artevida.net A mixture of classic and modern designs which yields a flexibility in design & colour combinations.Belgian & Irish founders, inspired by the local Alentejo arts, decided to stay in this beautiful region of Portugal, to help preserve these arts & to offer them new life. Lúcio José Oliveira Zagalo Telefone: 268081645 / 268322488
(Estremoz) Since 1941. Projecto Mosaico-- www.projecto-mosaico.com Projecto Mosaico Tiles are handmade floor and wall tiles. They are produced in Sintra, Portugal. In this region, as in the rest of Southern Europe, this type of tile goes back a long way in history and many old houses still have the original tile floors, often laid with chequer patterns or colourful motifs. www.azulejosantigos.com.br look under productos and the one in the drop down list. www.azulima.pt/mosaico_hidraulico.htm www.studiofirma.com Portuguese mosaic hydraulic (mosaic del sur), which makes artesanalmente http://www.castelo.com/ Arte do Cimento
Castelo handmade Portuguese TILES - Loenen ad Vecht NL Handgemaakte Portugese tegels in honderden patronen en kleuren
in Dutch. www.azulima.pt
---cool designs not seen elsewhere
Italy
www.recuperando.it
many types of used and antique tile,
including cement tiles.--RECUPERANDO
The Architectural Salvage Resource, Commercio all'ingrosso di materiali di recupero e accessori
Phone +39 0584 787016 fax +39 0584 786714, 55042 Forte dei Marmi (LU) Via G. B. Vico, 96 /A P.I.02067110466
Brazil
Brazil has many manufacturers of encaustic cement
tile. In Brazil mosaicos hidráulicos are also called "ladrilho de água". http://www.hibrasil.biz/tiles/story.htm
The Story of Pelotas Hydraulic Tiles http://www.ladrilhosaltense.com.br/ www.ornatos.com.br --Large
comprehensive beautiful looking website, made in Flash, so is a bit slow and
cumbersome. They have wonderful tile and one nice thing is if you click on an
individual tile, you get an enlarged actual photo of a real tile, not just an
artist rendering. www.dallepiagge.com.br
and Houston TX ?? Go to the Catalog page and click Simulator... it is a very
cool tool. www.br-imperial.com.br
Wonderful looking tiles www.ladrilhosartesanais.com.br A
nice website with inspiring photos of traditional mosaic cement tiles in
residential and commercial settings. Making cement tile since 1922. www.casafranceza.com.br
Download the huge colorful catalog in .pdf format www.ladrilart.com.br www.ladrilhosaltense.com.br Not
too much in the way of inspiring gallery photos, but obviously a supplier of
standard cement tile with traditional patterns. For over 50 years in the tile
and granilite business, working with quality, creativity and personalized customer service.
Supplying all Brazilian states. Their work includes the restorations of floors of churches. www.portaldaspedras.ind.br
this Brazilian Company makes cement tiles quite like the ones I saw when we
lived in Costa Rica 30 years ago. www.gaudiladrilhoshidraulicos.com.br
Great photos of the mold parts www.hibrasil.biz/tiles Pelotas
Mosaic Tile Factory--tile rugs custom handcrafted
Fabrica de Mosaicos- The Mosaic Factory was founded in 1914, amid the economic efervecência the city of Pelotas.
Fabrica
de Mosaicos in Brazil has an all Flash website which includes traditional
cement floor tile, esp. nice florals. They
encourage us to create a 'tapete de ladrilhos!' using their online tile layout
program. They have an online tile layout tool
that will allow you to play with colors in the tile as well as tile
combinations. http://fabricademosaicos.com.br/ www.ladril.com
They offer some vivid and bold floor
tile designs. www.adagostini.com.br a
moldmaker, I emailed him but got no reply. Imprec Preblok--- http://www.prebloc.com.br/index.php?id_pagina=107&f=
Several types of traditional tile plus outdoor pavers. www.ladriminas.com.br
delightful website with many photos, large collection of tile designs, and much
information, it uses flash, but is not difficult to navigate. Dalle Piagge armazemceramico http://www.armazemceramico.com.br/dallepiagge.php Dalle Piagge offers a wide variety of graphic patterns of different influences
in their ladrilho hidráulico. Azulejos Antigos http://www.azulejosantigos.com.br/hidraulicos/florais/index.htm This
comprehensive Brazilian company offers tile of all types and includes
Ladrilhos Hidráulicos in traditional florals
and geometrics. Uma fabrica de ladrilhos hidráulicos situada em Americana, São Paulo,
Brasil. Nice tile designs in many sizes. An all Flash website, a bit slow to
load here in the US. www.mosaika.com.br
Argentina
www.companiadepisos.com.ar An
Argentina company says they have been making these cement encaustic tiles since
1896. This Flash website is a joy to behold, slow loading but clever
artwork. www.mosaicoscurti.com.ar-Mosaics
Curti--This company founded in 1934 has extensive experience in the manufacture of floor tiles and mosaics .
The facilities are located in Vicente Lopez, Buenos Aires , Argentina.
Venezuela
Renato Andrade--He and his father
have been making cement tile for 30 years. He is experimenting with large cement
tile, 60cm por 30cm. Si es un formato experimental de 60cm por 30cm,estamos tratando de innovar y experimentar con este maravilloso arte que es la fabricacion de azulejos y el contacto directo con mi empresa es atraves de mi persona.
Maracaibo, Venezuela .Click
to see the large format cement tile.renato_332004@yahoo.com
France
http://www.lesterrescuites.com/carreauciment/intro.htm www.mosaika-creation.com www.139inclusions.free.fr
Artistic floors with inclusions of metal strips and tiles. Stone floors cement, stone floors of cement inlaid with mosaic.
Carreaux ciment, carreaux de ciment incrustés de mosaïque. www.couleurs-et-matieres.fr
A fun pdf
catalog that shows whimsical designs as well as classic cement tile
looks. French company , tiles are made in Vietnam. www.carocim.com
Begun in 1986. Christian Berthéas, educated at the Beaux Art and Arts Décoratifs Faculties in Paris, went to Marrakech to work on an architectural project. Here he was amazed and fascinated by the beauty
of the cement tiles. He found that architects from Marseilles , who had emigrated there around 1910, had originally designed these tiles.
After his return to France in 1986 Christian Berthéas launched Carocim Company.
In 1990 Martine Murat, a talented painter and decorator educated in New York and Paris,
joined Carocim . Together they have been recreating the sumptuous designs of the past as well as totally new ones.
Their catalogue presents over 350 models with a range of 18 colors. France-- www.antiques-forain.com
lots of pictures of styles, no info about ordering. except the contact page. http://www.carrelagesdumarais.com
seems to be a dealer that carries cement tile made in North Africa. www.emauxdelafontaine.com --not
sure if manufacturer or a showroom.I see they make or carry several types
of tile.
MOSAICO Fliesenmanufaktur--This site
is in German. If you fish around a bit, you can change the site to
English. I did. Click on "Sprache" and chose a language, then
look at the page called "Production" for some nice photos of a
cement tile being made. This is a nice quick loading website w/ good solid
content. Would you expect anything else from Germans? Look at the
patterns, the florals are exquisite and this is a huge range of wonderful
designs. www.zementfliesen.com
Netherlands
http://www.castelo.com/ Arte do Cimento
Castelo handmade Portuguese TILES - Loenen ad Vecht NL Handgemaakte Portugese tegels in honderden patronen en kleuren
in Dutch.
Tegel BV--Nice online
flash catalog with turning pages. They have good photos of
installations and graphics of suggested floor color schemes. Many are
two-toned and quite handsome and contemporary looking. These tiles are actually made in
Morocco. http://www.tegelbv.n
Morocco:
www.mosaicohidraulico.com
Art et Ciment--Gran Fabrica de mosaicos hidráulicos, Fabricantes de mosaico hidráulico
also atwww.artetciment.com Both sites are down now. www.saharadesigns.com Sahara Designs can provide you with exquisite handmade Moorish tile and Moroccan decor Rajae Ouechkifi, Address: Abderrahman Kaouakibi, Tangier, Tangier,
Morocco (Morocco) www.pophamdesign.com Popham Designs
--Striking designs and a fun website and design tool online. Based in Morocco,
but export worldwide; the company is owned and run by American husband and wife
team. www.abacoarte.com Located in Spain
but imports tile from Morocco, may not be Spanish quality www.andaluciamosaic.net
--Imports into Spain from Morocco. They offer 400 patterns of
tiles or 400 modelos de baldosas hidráulicas. www.mosaicdecor.net also www.mosaicdelsur.com Mosaic del Sur is
maintaining a Spanish business office but theyimport from Morocco.A traditional cement tile manufacturer that works with over 400 patterns and a 36-colour
palette creating authentic floors identical to those used throughout Europe during the first half of the last century. http://www.zelart.com/es/muebles/baldosas.htm
Mosaicos El
Gallo, founded in 1935.
Mission tile.
Craftman's perfection. Durable marble/cement based, fully handmade, work of art. Select from several colors and shapes or make a style of your own. Ideal for pubs, homes and public buildings.
Mostly the swirly marble-y type of cement tile.Aramberri No. 1445 Pte., Monterrey,
N.L., México. www.gallo.com.mx
Original Mission Tile-- www.originalmissiontile.com
Located in San Luis Potosi, Mexico and owned by the same family for four
generations. Really nice website, Original Mission Tile manufacturers hand-crafted, custom floor tile, which have been in use since the late 1800's. Many original floors are still in use today,
in commercial & residential areas, indoors and out. Endless color and pattern combinations can be chosen to match any desired design and decor.
Says they are sold to the trade only, so you will have to get a tile distributor
or decorator to order them for you. ph (52)(444) 817 3929. Original
Mission Tiles is aka Mosaicos de Diseño - Teléfono - 444 817 3929 - San
Luis Potosi Mexico. Fabrica de Mosaicos Santa Ines--Vera Cruz, website not working but Vera
Cruz was hard hit by a hurricane in 2007. Carretera Transistmica 11 - -
Cosoleacaque - VeraCruz
Kathleen Harvey who lives in Mexico has written
to me: "My cleaning lady back in the seventies showed me how she looked after the floors: When wet mopping, apart from the usual Ajax liquid (or similar) she added about half a cup of "petroleo" (mineral oil) to the water. To keep the floors shiny she "massaged" a mixture of paste wax and mineral oil into a cotton dust mop and dusted the floors with this a couple of times a week. I haven't been able to find any references to this material here in Mexico. I had the floors here repolished with oxalic acid..The tiles were normally originally buffed, when first installed, with oxalic acid and then "tierra inglesa" which I think is similar to ceriul (used for glass polishing)."
she also says that in Mexico the color layer on the tiles may not be as thick as
those made elsewhere. Some of her's have worn thru in doorways, but then she is
talking about a 100 year old home.
I feel sure there may be more cement floor tile manufacturing plants in Mexico,
they may not have websites.
Dominican
Republic:
Aguayo, is
the largest manufacturer in the Dominican
Republic. They have a
Flash website that is a bit of a pain to use. This company makes concrete items
other than the cement floor tiles. Their mission includes supporting local artists and
each year they have a contest amongst art students who submit tile
designs. http://www.aguayo.com.do/aguayoen.htmlAguayo
Cuban Heritage Collection Tiles available here.
Philippines:
Habitiles Baldozas y Azulejos de Cemento www.habitiles.com --Baldozas y Azulejos de Cemento. Lovely patterns, Islamic influenced patterns as well as antique tile designs from Spain and other European countries. Machuca Tile in Philippines www.machucatile.com --oldest tile manufacturing business in the Philippines. Baldozas mosaicos made there are now known as Machuca Tile. The business was originally called Mosaicos Machuca. Traditional patterns and colors.
India
http://www.royaltiles.com/boutique.htm
905/906, Aalap-A, 9th Floor,Limbda Chowk, RAJKOT-360 001 ( INDIA ), Tele. (+91) 0281 - 2482868 / 2481374.,
Fax : 91-281- 2466054. http://www.tilesforoutdoor.com/athangudi.htm
Athangudi floor tiles from Chettinad, India--Athangudi tiles, named after the place in Chettinad, Tamil Nadu, where they are manufactured, come in myriad colours and patterns and are made by a unique process, using local soil. These tiles are testimony to the rich cultural heritage of the Chettiars, who traded extensively in the days of yore, especially with Burma. The Chettiars effectively adapted many an influence, to their own brand of local craftsmanship. The designs and colours used in Athangudi tiles are still those of a bygone
era.
Dong
Tam Tiles Company--Cement Tile is traditional tiles of Vietnam. Dongtam is a member of Vietnam Building Ceramic Association which is the organization representing Building Ceramic Industry of Vietnam with the factories which produce and supply nearly 90 million square meter ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles for domestic market and
export. The total capacity of Dongtam tiles factories is equal to 12 million square meter per year, nearly 1/7 of total production in Vietnam.
Established on June 25th, 1969 initially as Dong Tam cement tiles manufacturing unit. www.couleurs-et-matieres.fr A fun pdf catalog that
shows whimsical designs as well as classic cement tile looks. French company ,
tiles are made in Vietnam. www.secoin.vn
Large company, makes many products, a few are basic encaustic cement
tiles.
Thanh
Danh Cement Tile- TDC is planning to expand their production line of 50
cement tile presses with the capacity to produce 12000 cubic meters per month.
This company makes traditional encaustic cement tile in the 'French tradition'
according to the web site. In addition to the simple geometric and traditional
mosaic designs, this company has some contemporary whimsical floral patterns.
(website down 8-30-2009)
Turkey
Karoistanbul--located in Istanbul, seems to have been established in
1997. They offer both modern and traditional patterns. Large product line. The
photo above is a favorite of a cafe wall done in patchwork tiles in groups of
four. It is a favorite of ours. Their website has wonderful photos of cement tile
installations. phone +90-216-660-1864 www.karoistanbul.com
EROL TAYMAZ Cement Tiles--no
main website located, mentioned in several world trade category sites.
Iran
Siman Tile, 60 Nasibi St.
-Valiasr St. -, Tehran, Tehran, Iran (Islamic Republic of)--according
to the international trade website that lists them, "Siman Tile" produces high quality Cement Tiles in a diverse variety of designs,sizes and colors for any need and taste.
www.baldosas-super.cl
Looks like an interesting website, but it is highly irritating the way the
all Flash site opens without a toolbar and full screen is the only option.
Many illustrated baldosas.
Italy
www.pisamarmi.com.it Unable
to reach a website here, but it is mentioned by others,
Costa Rica:
I found a list of what might be mosaicos
hidráulicos cement flooring tile
plants in Costa Rica but no websites. Some of them might just make plain
tiles. I once lived in Costa Rica and laid heavy, large solid color
reddish encaustic tiles on a 20 x 20 ft. concrete slab that were made in the
Limon area. My husband went after them in our pickup and the weight was
almost too much to get back with.
1. Mosaico Doninelli S.A. Mosaic Doninelli SA, Desamp, San Jose
2. Fabrica de Terrazos Escama y Alvarez Ltda. Fabrica de Terrazos scale and Alvarez
Ltda.,
Sn Fco de Dos Ríos, San Jose
3. Fabrica de Terrazos Costa Rica Escama & Alvarez Ltda. Fabrica de Costa Rica
Terrazos Luska Alvarez & Ltda.Sn Fco de Dos Ríos, San Jose
4. Fabrica de Terrazo y Paladiana Oscar Solera Fabrica de Terrazo and Paladiana Oscar
Solera,
San Miguel Desamp
5. Fabrica de Terrazo y Mosaicos Don Bosco S.A. Fabrica de Terrazo and Mosaics Don Bosco HS,
Tejar El Guarco, CARTAGO
6. Fabrica de Mosaico y Terrazo El Castillo Manufactures of Mosaic and Terrazo Castle,
Bo Sn José Alajuela, Alajuela
7.Solobloc, Apdo 90-2250, Tres Rios, Costa Rica
8. Pisos Honey Telefono : (506) 441-3944, 1 km Oeste Aerop Juan
Santamaría,
Autopista Bernardo Soto, San José, Costa Rica
9. Pavimientos Creta S.A., Telefono : (506) 4282-2873,
Fax : (506) 282-2873, Celular : (506) 396-6608
Santa Ana - Brazil de Mora, San José, Costa Rica
Mosaicos Doninelli, Telefono : (506) 250-6070, Fax : (506) 259-3333, Apdo 5287-1000,
San José, Costa Rica
10. Mejías, Telefono : (506) 433-8696, Fax : (506) 433-8696, 100 m norte del club de
Leones,
Barrio San José, Alajuela, Costa Rica
11. Maca, Telefono : (506) 237-2882, Fax : (506) 237-6966, Apdo 122-3000,
Heredia, Costa Rica
12. Decantera, Telefono : (506) 203-3690, TeleFax : (506) 282-7654, Centro Comercial Tejas del Sol,
500 m Este de la Cruz Roja, Santa Ana - Costa Rica
13. Castillo (el), Telefono : (506) 433-8110, Fax : (506) 433-3813, Pedidos : (506) 380-2825
14. Barrio San José de Alajuela de la Iglesia, 100 m al oeste, Alajuela, Costa Rica
15. Alajuelense (la) Telefono : (506) 244-0809, Fax : (506) 244-0809, Santo Tomás de Santo Domingo de
Heredia,
100 m al este de la Iglesia, San José, Costa Rica
www.conipisos.comgreat little simulator for floors in place. Explore all the
options. In the Catalog, you can try different tiles in different settings and
then change the colors in the tile and watch it change on the floor.
Located in Managua Nicaragua and the website includes a nice LA Times article.
If you know of others that are not listed, please email me
w/ Encaustic Tile in the subject-line. If you have good photos I can add, also
please email. lundywilder@gmail.com
Machinery: from India, for making
encaustic cement tiles: Mold maker-hydrolic molds, HIMAT MACHINE TOOLS No2, Lati Plot, Morbi, Gujarat, India. Tel : 91-2822 - 50267,51267 Fax : 51597, E-mail :
info@himatmchinetools.com
Science Articles: InSciences.org--A
Scientific Article promoting the use of cement tile as an sound ecological practice.
Havana Tile Design and CD for graphic artists and
researchers Go to Tile Books
Barcelona
Tile Designs by Mario Arturo Hernandez Navarro . Portarricense graphic designer, trained in the USA, a researcher of the hydraulic design of pavements. Go to Tile Books
Cement Tile Manufacturers Association--The CTMA is a nonprofit association comprised of concrete tile manufactures and allied product manufacturers that was formed in the late 1990's.As
far as I can tell, they do not have any members making traditional encaustic
concrete tiles. www.concretetile.org
World famous Casa Batlló cement tile floors in
Barcelona Spain. If you have been there, you will recognize the arched roof
supports in the roomy attic area. More
photos of Casa Batillo.
My favorite tile
floor simulator because you can rotate the tiles yourself to see how the
patterns change using different rotational schemes. This
site is now down--I do not know why. It once operated on several different
domains.
Mosaic Simulador Tool-you
can rotate the tiles and add borders, but the selection of tiles is limited.
(Internet Explorer only it seems.)
6.
Conipisos design Center tool takes a few tries
to figure out all the options, but it has cool features and lets you rotate
tiles, change colors in the tiles and save your own creations from session
to session. You have to register to get access to the online tool, but it
is easy.http://www.conipisos.com/designcenter
7.
This floor tile layout program is on the
Argentina websitecompaniadepisos.com
design tool.
You can't tessellate the individual tiles, but you can change their colors
which is fun. The whole website is fun...slow but very cleverly
done. www.companiadepisos.com.ar
8. This Spanish company,
Andalucia has over 400 tile styles, so you should be able to find something
that pleases you with their tile floor simulator. Another
one is no longer available, have no idea why.
13. www.conipisos.comgreat little simulator for floors in place. Explore all the
options. In the Catalog, you can try different tiles in different settings and
then change the colors in the tile and watch it change on the floor.
Located in Managua Nicaragua and the website includes a nice LA Times article.
15.
If you speak Dutch, (or install a translate toolbar button) this is a great tile floor simulator tool for you.
Now two tools, Make your own
tile simulator. Now make
your own floor by size of room. Updated since this screen-shot was placed
here. Creates a pdf of yoru tile design for you if you want it to.
16.
This tile design simulator is cool in many ways,
and lets you change the colors in a tile, but only in grouped chunks of color
which might not be what you have in mind. The Fábrica de Mosaicos has some
interesting floral patterns reminiscent of Art Nouveau. Also, the purple that
they show may be a bit unrealistic in natural pigments. Seems to have gone away.
Tile Patterns
Well designed tiles often have elements that
match up whether the pattern is arranged in what I call a 'straight tiles'
manner or if it is arranged in an "offset" manner. This example from a
Portuguese floor tile makes illustrates.
Both of these floor tile patterns are created using this one tile:
Then offsetting in both directions gives a
pattern with a missing square that could be filled in with a solid color tile. : The intersecting grey lines all match up but this design would have
a strong diagonal feel to it.
A similarly interlocking pattern is formed by
tiles from a Portuguese company: This
example is created using 16 individual, identical tiles, used in 4 different
directions of rotation.
Cement tiles in Paris.
I found this nice photo at http://parisconnected.wordpress.com
a blog about attractions in Paris. The Passage des Princes is the latest of all the XIX century Paris covered passages. It is close to the Garnier Opéra, and is also an example of the style usually named after baron Haussmann, the Paris prefect who radically transformed the city. The passage opens in one of the Haussmannien wide straight boulevards.
Restoration of some French cement tiles
is described here:
The floor is made of colored cement tiles, very rare. These tiles were treated with Hydrorep and
Filafob and sealing it with wax Veneziana. The routine maintenance is carried out by means of
FilaCleaner.
Care of Cement Floors
I find Miracle 511 to do a
great job of sealing cement tile. See my test results sealing
cement tile here.
Fila Chemicals USA, Corp. 10800 NW 21st Strett # 170 Miami (FL) 33172
Tel. 305 513 0708 - Fax 305 513 0728
is an Italian distributor of floor care products:
To effectively protect absorbent surfaces from oil stains, without altering the surface’s original color
Fila recommends the use of FilaFob.
Find a
Fila Dealer
Great videos of the making of hydraulic cement
tile near Barcelona, Spain.
Using the Google translation tool, I did an
auto-translation then pasted the quasi-English version of some interesting text
here. It is about the restoration work done on some historic cement tile floors:
Anyone who has visited the Solar Marquise may not have noticed that, beyond the architecture, the objects and works the floor of the house next to guard a lot of history and subtle art.
The tiles of the entry of the House No. 1 are hydraulic, which is manufactured through a process of pressing craft that uses water, as the name says.
"Depending on the design, the work may take months, as each ladrilho is done individually," explains Zilton Michiles, partner at Ornatos Nossa Senhora da Penha, responsible for the restoration of tiles of the house and one of only workshops in the world to make such work.
"It is a technique on which there is not much record," he explains. "There are some books, there is some information on the Internet, but who has the knowledge learned from another person who knew how. It is an art that is transmitted through generations. "
Zilton entered the business by accident. Graduated in journalism, he went to New York in the early 80 trying to work in the area (he had a friend who worked at a newspaper for Brazilians) and gain experience of
life There he spent two and a half years and met Élida of Biasi, with whom he married. Meanwhile, in Sao Paulo, Élder of Biasi, his sogro, seeking a
The original tiles of the Teatro Municipal (left) and House n º 1
To restore the factory floor of the two houses he owned-one in the neighborhood of Bethlehem and another in
Moóca. "Almost no factories of hydraulic tiles. This, which was founded by two brothers Italians around 1908, was virtually disabled, "recalls
Zilton. Élder Biasi decided to buy the factory and resume production. To assist you, drew daughter and genro and managed to bring them back to New York.
"We understood nothing of hydraulic and tiles, with the lack of literature, learn was even more difficult," says the industry."We seek the expertise to the few people who still knew the technique."
Today, the Ornatos, located in a warehouse with an office above, in the neighborhood of Penha, is one of the most in the world. Beyond the Box 1, the plant has already restored the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo, the Patio of the College, the Monastery of St. Benedict, the Palace of Catete (Rio de Janeiro, RJ), churches and homes in historic cities such as Ouro Preto ( MG) and Porto Seguro (BA) and even a castle in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
"In this castle, won the competition with traditional factories in Europe for the quality of our work."
Samples of two of the most difficult work: the left would cost $ 1,200 a square meter
Since the early 90, when he won enough space in the media for their work differently, the Ornatos eventually conquering architects and decorators, who saw the aesthetic attributes and the durability of the tiles a great material for his compositions."We ordered mainly for houses on the beach and in the interior, which have a more rustic style, sometimes even blacks. Combinam com os ladrilhos”, afirma Zilton. Match with the tiles, "says
Zilton.
Prices for tiles vary with the degree of complexity to find the right colors, make the tool and do the job properly. In line trading, the Ornatos has models ranging from R $ 30 R $ 120 a square meter.
For the restoration, the value ranges from R $ 50 and R $ 300.
The most difficult work of the factory was the restoration of the floor of a house in Rio de Janeiro belonging to the Department of Heritage.
"The cost would be around $ 1,200 a square meter, but we charging less because, when we did the budget for the institution, we had no idea of the complexity of the work. Drawing imitava the mosaics, had many details, various colors. The difficulties have begun at the time of making the tool, "he says. The tool is the" template "of the design done in brass by a person specialized in that. He is applied on the ladrilho and craftsman will dispensing the colors in certain areas, according with the original model. "However, the order is contrary to the model, ie, the craftsman has to look at the model and enxergá it inversely to apply the color so correct. requires very eyes. The craftsman who made the tiles for this house was in trouble seríssimos of vision. "
The tools: molds made of brass by a person specialized
Finding the right color, in the case of restoration, is another novel.
"Based on the original models, we have to do tests, send for analysis in the laboratory, and only when it is found that the color is the one we started the work," he says. "Under the Municipal Theater, for example, were 60 days without stop tests to find the correct tone."
In addition to all these difficulties, the manufacture of tiles hydraulic has few people specialized and do not want young people learn. "We tried to train people here, but after one or two months, many drop.
After all, it is a work that requires patience to east. "The factory employs six craftsmen. "One, which has ten years of experience, can make to 60 tiles per day. The most productive here to make up 120 per day, but he has 40 years of experience, "says Zilton, which says a lot done with his work. "We collaborating with the perpetuation of this process, which should take more than 400 years,"
"One of the first things we noticed about properties for sale here in Merida was the floors. No kidding. Because many of the floors, even in
the most humble of stores or homes, are covered with beautiful mosaico tiles. These tiles are made here in Merida, based on a
technology brought here from Spain centuries ago. And as far as we know, the method and many of the designs haven't changed much
in the ensuing years.
We had the pleasure of being invited into a small tile manufacturing company, called Pisos y Mosaicos La Peninsular, and allowed to
photograph the process. We entered the old colonial building through the modest showroom, where they sell traditional mosaicos as well
as new, factory-made tiles. Behind the front rooms is a large open warehouse, covered with a tin roof. Only two or three men work there
in the back making the tiles on two presses, while stacks and stacks of tiles sit out to dry.
The process starts with the mold. Some of the molds at this shop were made over 50 years ago, and according to the owner, the people
who can make a good mold here in Merida can be counted on one hand. The owner, Ignacio, treasures his vintage molds. Molds can be
made to order, or you can choose one of the old ones. You can also choose the traditional colors for a design, or order your own color
scheme.
The men start by pouring a thick wet sandy concrete into a square mold. The design mold is then set on top of the concrete, and colored
pottery slip (note by webmaster, it is cement, not what we think of as pottery
slip) is poured into the different areas of the mold according to the design. This is all done very quickly. The package is then
pressed by an old, oily, noisy hydraulic press for less than a minute, and then spit out on the other side. The end result is a 20 cm by 20
cm tile that is about an inch thick and quite heavy and costs between 80 cents and three dollars retail. One side is concrete and the other
side is colored and designed. The colors at this stage are muted. The tile is carefully picked up and stacked with its brothers and left to
dry for a few weeks. When it is thoroughly dry, it will be laid into a floor and then polished to bring out the bright colors. These tiles, to our
surprise, are never baked or heated except by pressure.
The tiles are sometimes called "pasta tiles", perhaps for the paste-like nature of the ingredients. They are ubiquitous in the colonial
homes of Merida and are one reason why these homes are so charming and attractive to renovate. Of course, if you buy a house whose
tiles have been removed, (to make way for modern, white tiles, which native Yucatecans seem to think are more desirable for some
reason), you can buy and install new ones.
The tiles seem to get better with age. Some of us prefer to let them mellow and get a little distressed. Others treat them specially with
weekly doses of kerosene, aceite rojo and other secret ingredients to keep their tile floors polished and shiny. If you inherit a floor that
looks a little worn and you want to make it new, you can hire a crew to polido (polish) the tiles.
You can see these tile floors throughout Merida in the most elegant colonial homes and in the most modest little tendejones (corner
stores). They are a constant reminder of the former elegance of Merida at the beginning of the 20th Century and the very-much-alive
Merida today that still has the artisans and craftsmen available to restore that elegance.
The basic procedure is about the same no matter
where the tiles are made.
1 - The design is reproduced by a brass divider which side's walls separate the
colors zones.
2 - The divider is inserted in a cast.
3 - Each space is filled with a liquid mixture of marble powder, white cement and coloring.
4 - The divider is retrieved, and the colored layer is rapidly covered first with dry mortar and then, with semidry mortar that will be the back
of the tile.
5 - The mixture is compacted with a hydraulic compressor.
6 - The tile, that looks like a pressed semidry cookie, is taken out of the cast and carefully controlled.
7 - The tile is set aside for a few hours, and then immersed in water for 8 hours to complete its
hydration process.
8 - Then they are stacked for about three weeks to allow the cement to dry and harden.
9 - The tiles are carefully checked before packing in cardboard boxes and ready to deliver.
The magazine, Casa e Jardim says: "Ladrilhos hidráulicos são um clássico da arquitetura de interiores.
"
And I agree.
Interior Design - Home and Interior Decorating The only publishing company in the United States solely focused on the interior design and home furnishings trade. Interior decor magazines, directories, books & free publications.
One type of tile that is increasingly
popular is the so-called 'subway tile' ..a good source for these is www.subwaytile.biz . If you are undertaking a vintage home restoration or renovation you'll find these subway tiles
a good fit.
hidraulicos antiguos
ladrilhos hidráulicos
mosaico hidraulico
encaustic cement tiles,
ladrilho de água
mosaicos cementos
hydraulic floor tile,
encaustic tiles,
hidraulico,
hydraulic tiles,
ladrilhos hidráulicos,
carreaux de ciments,
Spanish mission tiles,
redondo tile,
rajoles hidràuliques,
baldosas hidráulicas,
pasta potosi,
hidraulicos antiguos,
mosaico hidraulico,
mosaicos hidralicos,
mosaics de pasta,
baldosas decoradas,
hidráulicas de cemento
losas islenas,
loseras del pais,
mosaico calcareo,
mosaico pictorico,
loseras del cemento,
hand crafted cement tile,
concrete pressed tile,
losera cubana,
zelig,
Spanish cement tile,
Barcelona tile
mortar tiles,
baldosas, baldosa, mosaico, pavimento...all names for the same type of
floor tile.
Some say the original technique was developed in 18th century in Italy using natural colors of granite and marble dust and cement.
According to one website, " the
encaustic cement tile appeared at the end of the XIX century, in the south of France.
Several sources say the first encaustic tiles were made in France near the
country's first Portland cement plant. Until the 1920's, they were considered as
high-end ultimate flooring that decorated the palaces of the Tsar, the mansions of the Côte
d'Azure, Gaudi's Barcelona and Berlin's official buildings. Later on, the encaustic cement tile expanded as a creative and durable coating all over Europe, and the French, Spanish and Portuguese
colonies. Around the 50's the Mosaic Hydralico lost importance and was replaced by
less labor intensive, and less colorful floors.
At the beginning of the XXI century, the trend for authentic products has brought back into fashion the encaustic cement tile.
It has never been possible to create an industrialized product that can substitute this handmade tile. The variety of colours, the matt finish and the soft silky texture are characteristics that make this tile absolutely unique. It is very important to note that no two tiles are
exactly alike.
The tilemaker creates a three part layered stack in a
(usually) square mold. A sectioned pattern die is placed in the bottom of the
open mold. Manufacturers put the color in the various sections first and them back the tile with other layers of
cement products. The liquid color material is composed of ground marble dust,
fine white Portland cement, and natural earth pigment. The stacked
concrete tile layers are pressed using a hydraulic press and then removed from
the mold. Generally the biscuit-like tiles are placed in a rack and submerged in water to allow the
correct moisture necessary for the chemical reaction in concrete. The tiles are
removed from the water, allowed to dry and stacked and allowed to age for some
period of time for curing to achieve adequate hardness before shipment.
Bénédicte Bodard
collects hydraulic tiles from dumpsters of apartments being remodeled in
Barcelona where she lives. She
gives them a new life, a second chance as elegant table tops and trivets. See them at
Great tile designs made by Szilvia
Kauker. She wrote to me: "Since 2006 I run a small manufactory and
have been designing and producing cement tiles. Your website is probably
the best collection of cement tile manufacturers.
Dalle Piagge armazemceramico 
Azulejos Antigos 
Uma fabrica de ladrilhos hidráulicos situada em Americana, São Paulo,
Brasil. Nice tile designs in many sizes. An all Flash website, a bit slow to
load here in the US. 
www.carocim.com
MOSAICO Fliesenmanufaktur--This site
is in German. If you fish around a bit, you can change the site to
English. I did. Click on "Sprache" and chose a language, then
look at the page called "Production" for some nice photos of a
cement tile being made. This is a nice quick loading website w/ good solid
content. Would you expect anything else from Germans? Look at the
patterns, the florals are exquisite and this is a huge range of wonderful
designs. 
Tegel BV--Nice 
Mosaicos El
Gallo, founded in 1935.
Mission tile.
Thanh
Danh Cement Tile- TDC is planning to expand their production line of 50
cement tile presses with the capacity to produce 12000 cubic meters per month.
This company makes traditional encaustic cement tile in the 'French tradition'
according to the web site. In addition to the simple geometric and traditional
mosaic designs, this company has some contemporary whimsical floral patterns.
(website down 8-30-2009)
Karoistanbul--located in Istanbul, seems to have been established in
1997. They offer both modern and traditional patterns. Large product line. The
photo above is a favorite of a cafe wall done in patchwork tiles in groups of
four. It is a favorite of ours. Their website has wonderful photos of cement tile
installations. phone +90-216-660-1864 
The intersecting grey lines all match up but this design would have
a strong diagonal feel to it. 
This
example is created using 16 individual, identical tiles, used in 4 different
directions of rotation. 
