Cheryl Sculley on tue 16 jun 98
Hello, I am a new member and I am also a fairly new potter. We are =
building a
new house and have decided to tile the kitchen floor. My husband built me a
tile press and we now have 300 beautiful tiles bisqued. My question is: Do=
I
need to glaze them or seal them? I do not want them to be slippery yet I do=
not
want them to absorb stains. My tiles are a terra cotta lowfire clay that =
has
been bisqued to =5Eo3. The supplier where I buy clay helped me with the =
mixture
and said that it would hold up well in high use areas but they said that =
glazing
them was up to me. What would be best . I am conserned about safety as =
well as
protecting the tiles. Thank you for the help. Cheryl
Cheryl J. Sculley
cjsculley=40rocketmail.com
Dave Hedblom on wed 17 jun 98
As a carpenter I have put many tiles down. There is a grout sealer on the
market
that can be had at any tile shop. I suggest picking up some and seeing
what it
does to one of the tiles. I also saw a program on sealing outdoor patio
tile using
old motor oil, however, I wouldn't recommend this for a kitchen.
How did you husband make the tile press?
dave
Claymoon Pottery
At 09:40 AM 6/16/98 -0400, Cheryl Sculley wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hello, I am a new member and I am also a fairly new potter. We are
building a
>new house and have decided to tile the kitchen floor. My husband built me a
>tile press and we now have 300 beautiful tiles bisqued. My question is:
Do I
>need to glaze them or seal them? I do not want them to be slippery yet I
do not
>want them to absorb stains. My tiles are a terra cotta lowfire clay that has
>been bisqued to ^o3. The supplier where I buy clay helped me with the
mixture
>and said that it would hold up well in high use areas but they said that
glazing
>them was up to me. What would be best . I am conserned about safety as
well as
>protecting the tiles. Thank you for the help. Cheryl
>Cheryl J. Sculley
>cjsculley@rocketmail.com
>
Stephen Mills on wed 17 jun 98
I would seal them rather than glaze. Glaze under foot will wear away
unevenly, because we follow set routes around a room and consequently
create "pathways". You can re-seal if neccessary, it's a bit tricky re-
glazeing a floor! :-)
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , Cheryl Sculley writes
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hello, I am a new member and I am also a fairly new potter. We are =
>building a
>new house and have decided to tile the kitchen floor. My husband built me a
>tile press and we now have 300 beautiful tiles bisqued. My question is: Do=
> I
>need to glaze them or seal them? I do not want them to be slippery yet I do=
> not
>want them to absorb stains. My tiles are a terra cotta lowfire clay that =
>has
>been bisqued to =5Eo3. The supplier where I buy clay helped me with the =
>mixture
>and said that it would hold up well in high use areas but they said that =
>glazing
>them was up to me. What would be best . I am conserned about safety as =
>well as
>protecting the tiles. Thank you for the help. Cheryl
>Cheryl J. Sculley
>cjsculley=40rocketmail.com
>
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
home e-mail: stevemills@mudslinger.demon.co.uk
work e-mail: stevemills@bathpotters.demon.co.uk
own website: http://www.mudslinger.demon.co.uk
BPS website: http://www.bathpotters.demon.co.uk
Roger Korn on wed 17 jun 98
Cheryl Sculley wrote:
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Hello, I am a new member and I am also a fairly new potter. We are =
building a
new house and have decided to tile the kitchen floor. My husband built
me a
tile press and we now have 300 beautiful tiles bisqued. My question
is: Do=
I
need to glaze them or seal them? I do not want them to be slippery yet
I do=
not
want them to absorb stains. My tiles are a terra cotta lowfire clay
that =
has
been bisqued to =5Eo3. The supplier where I buy clay helped me with the
=
mixture
and said that it would hold up well in high use areas but they said that
=
glazing
them was up to me. What would be best . I am conserned about safety as
=
well as
protecting the tiles. Thank you for the help. Cheryl
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out your local tile shop. They have a sealer that is applied after
laying the tiles.
The sealer will leave the surface in its original matte state, but may
darken it slightly, so
"try before you fly".
Good luck, sounds like a good project,
Roger
Patsy Catsos on wed 17 jun 98
What about sprinkling sand on or under a glaze? The sand might leave enough
texture to prevent slipping.
Patsy Catsos
patsycats@aol.com
George Delongchamp on fri 19 jun 98
------------------
I AM PRESENTLY INSTALLING CERAMIC TILES IN A BATHROOM BUT ON WALLS, IT IS MY
FIRST PROJECT WITH TILES. I DID ASK AROUND AT THE LOCAL SHOPS AND SPOKE TO =
SOME
ITALIAN GENTLEMAN WHO HAD BEEN DOING IT FOR A LIFETIME. IF YOU GLAZE YOUR =
TILES
THEN THEY WOULD REQUIRE ADDITIONAL FIRING. THIS ADDITIONAL FIRING WOULD =
WEAKEN
THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR TILES. BE MUCH MUCH MORE CONCERNED WITH THE UNDERLAY =
THAT
YOU INSTALL UNDER YOUR TILES. THIS WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR PROJECT. THE
GENTLEMEN I SPOKE WITH SUGGESTED FOR A LIFETIME FLOOR THAT YOU HAVE YOUR =
FLOOR
JOISTS MIN. 16=22 O.C. AND AT LEAST TWO (2) LAYERS OF MIN. 5/8=22 PLYWOOD =
STAGGERED
OF COURSE AND ABOVE THIS A LAYER OF 1/2=22 HARDBOARD ( WATER RESISTANT =
FIBRE
COMPOSITE MATERIAL). LAY YOUR TILES WITH THE PROPER MIXTURE OF GROUT AND =
APPLY A
SEALER TO ALL JOINTS. YOUR GREAT GRAND CHILDREN WILL BE MARVELLING AT THE =
FINE
ARTWORK THEIR ANCESTORS CREATED.
I would be interested in receiving information on your home made tile press =
and
the recipie for the clay tiles as my wife is the potterist in this family =
and I
don't know how many times i've reminded her that her pottery has got to be
functional. SINCERELY, GEORGE DELONGCHAMP
Sudbury, Ontario, Can.
geowilde=40cyberbeach .net
----------
=3E ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
=3E Cheryl Sculley wrote:
=3E
=3E ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
=3E
=3E Hello, I am a new member and I am also a fairly new potter. We are =
=3D
=3E building a
=3E new house and have decided to tile the kitchen floor. My husband built
=3E me a
=3E tile press and we now have 300 beautiful tiles bisqued. My question
=3E is: Do=3D
=3E I
=3E need to glaze them or seal them? I do not want them to be slippery yet
=3E I do=3D
=3E not
=3E want them to absorb stains. My tiles are a terra cotta lowfire clay
=3E that =3D
=3E has
=3E been bisqued to =3D5Eo3. The supplier where I buy clay helped me with =
the
=3E =3D
=3E mixture
=3E and said that it would hold up well in high use areas but they said that
=3E =3D
=3E glazing
=3E them was up to me. What would be best . I am conserned about safety as
=3E =3D
=3E well as
=3E protecting the tiles. Thank you for the help. Cheryl
=3E =
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
=3E
=3E Check out your local tile shop. They have a sealer that is applied after
=3E laying the tiles.
=3E The sealer will leave the surface in its original matte state, but may
=3E darken it slightly, so
=3E =22try before you fly=22.
=3E
=3E Good luck, sounds like a good project,
=3E
=3E Roger
=3E
Janet Kaiser on tue 20 jul 99
Just a few thoughts on tiles for a kitchen floor:
Eckhard and I tiled our whole entrance hall through to the kitchen with 12 x=
12
inch tiles (made in Italy). They look like hand-made, but are manufactured =
and
although the higher end of the range on offer in the UK, they were a whole =
lot
cheaper than making=21
Since we also have lots of tiles that have been made for The International
Potters Path, I know that the main problem of studio tiles is consistency of
thickness and size. We will have a hellluva job laying tiles that are all =
sorts
of size/thickness. Unless your tiles are CONSISTANT give a thought to the =
end
phase=21=21 Laying tiles is difficult at the best of times, but when on =
floors
indoors all those little imperfections will only show at this stage and boy,
could that be a nightmare=21 No unevenness allowed here unless one is =
prepared to
trip over grooves and ledges=21
The glaze on our Italian tiles is semi-matt, they are about 1/2+ inch thick =
and
are fine (non-slip as long as they do not get too wet or greasy in the =
kitchen,
especially around the stove).
They replaced 6 x 6 inch =22quarry=22 tiles, a traditional flooring for =
working
kitchens here up to ca. 1920s. Quarry tiles are up to 3/4=22 thick, black,
white/buff/cream and terracotta, high fired, but because they were =
apparently
unglazed (may originally have depended on being vitreous?) they had absorbed=
all
sorts of dirt over the years. We had to replace them, because they were laid
straight onto an earth floor (UK homes do not usually have a cellar) so they
conducted the damp up through them and had cracked and broken badly. (Our =
house
was built in the 1870s so they had done over 110 years service)=21
It appears to me that all sorts of factors will affect a decision as to =
whether
(a) it is worth making tiles that may or may not be satisfactory in a much =
used
domestic area, rather than a little used one to start off with as a trial =
(b) if
it makes sense to invest a lot of time/money on such a project when the next
owner of the house may just tear it all up?
By the way, if tiles are laid from one room to the next, there must be a =
=22break=22
across the door way. You can buy metal strips to do this =
=22professionally=22. We
ignored this when laying tiles (diagonally) and now they have cracked along =
this
=22natural=22 line. It is obvious why, when you think about it... Two large =
areas
will cause tension at the point they meet. Simple physics really...
Hope this is of some help?
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art, Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales
Home of The International Potters Path =2Awith 371 tiles in hand and 4,629 =
or
something to go=21=21
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
EMAIL: postbox=40the-coa.org.uk
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