Ingeborg Foco on fri 16 jul 99
The Number system for floor tiles are a durability i.e. hardness rating. How
they are mfg and at what temperature is frequently hard to find out. No one
seems to know,
I have made floor tiles and used the cheapest clay body I could find. I
fired to ^l0 in reduction. Mexican saltilo tiles are earthenware and while
they have a lovely handmade look, they will chip easily and of course they
will absorb water as well.and require sealing. A glazed tile is the easiest
to care for. For floors to be non slippery, matt glazes are best and you can
sprinkle sand over the top of the glaze for extra roughness like in shower
areas.
My ^10 Reduction floor tiles are at least 1/2 inch thick. They have been in
place for more than l0 years and look as good as the day they were installed.
The thickness of the tile isn't as important as is the floor your installing
them on..i.e. is the floor sound and is it sturdy so there is no give. When
you install hand made tiles it is important to have enough thin set on the
back to fill in any unevenness. Any voids will cause potential cracking
problems. I personally think a vitrified high fire clay tile is stronger.
They are hard to cut without a tile saw but worth the effort.
Hope that helps
Ingeborg
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