Stephani Stephenson on fri 26 sep 03
Hi Lili
I would probably press mold the little bricks, or extrude
them, i.e. extrude a ribbon of 'brick' then just let it set
up a bit before cutting the correct 'lengths'.
Also , if you are making 'pavement' you can make an original
that already has several of the bricks lined up with false
grout lines already in them. Then make a press mold of the
multi- brick 'unit'. Say you had 20 minibricks in one
minibrick 'tile' then you would only need to press 5 slabs
into the press mold to get 100 minibricks. You could either
trim out the individual bricks, then set them like real
bricks, or keep them together and fill in the grout lines
with grout after firing.
I have been making some miniature tile roofs and actually
setting them like real ones... it is kind of a kick!
Counter top tile, also for floor and bath tile....
My main advice, that I use on all tile is , for gawd's sake
stay away from white grout or extremely light color grout.
You can seal it, but it will still stain, unless you are
obsessively prone to cleaning and plan to spend much of your
life cleaning it
. One home I lived in as a child had white 1X1 with white
grout all over the kitchen. My mother use to rub some kind
of paste that had lead in it to keep the grout clean or re
paint it white, as she could not tolerate any bit of stain..
(Needless to say , life is too short to do that, and likely
is even made shorter by doing that!!!!)
Grout will get dirty so start with dirt toned grout!.
standard gray grout looks gorgeous with most handmade tile.
Tile has proven itself to be a durable and lasting building
material.
Interestingly, tile came into vogue because it WAS
considered the best sanitary surface. Try to look up some
photos of the tiled dairies in Great Britain. In the homes
and hospitals of the early 1900s, when the concepts and
understanding of sanitation, germs, etc., was becoming
public knowledge, the gleaming tile kitchen and bath was the
sign of a truly modern home. That is also why they went with
the white and light colors of tile, to reinforce the image
of sanitary, modern hygiene. Glazed, cleanable, tile itself
was considered the finest of the modern materials for these
purposes. Then when more modern materials came into vogue in
the 30s. 40s , 50s and beyond, styles changes, products
changed... linoleum, formica, stainless steel... now you are
nothing unless you have marble, granite, etc. and some of
the new composites are quite durable and popular.... but the
old materials are still there, beautiful and quite
serviceable.
If you prefer not to have countertop edges be of tile, you
can trim the counter up with another material. Personally I
would use a cutting board or a cutting glass on a tile
countertop, as I do with any counter surface. Some people
prefer to have a butcher block area inset into tile
counters....
If you choose to do a bullnose or trimmed edge on the
countertop, just design it well.... no sharp or fragile
projections, rounded edges.... make a few extra pieces to
use for replacements or repair when you make your tile...
you will likely not have to use them, but how nice you will
feel knowing you have them.
It's a personal choice.
Stephani Stephenson
steph@alchemiestudio.com
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