primalmommy on tue 13 apr 04
Somebody told me that nobody in their right mind would try to make their
own ceramic floor tiles.
I have also been told that nobody in their right mind would wade through
the volume of posts involved with being onthe clayart list.
My logical conclusion: somebody on clayart has made their own ceramic
floor tiles.
Details, anyone? I am working at ^6 ox.
Yours,
Kelly in Ohio
who has never written a one sentence post in her life
_______________________________________________________________
Get the FREE email that has everyone talking at http://www.mail2world.com
Maid O'Mud on wed 14 apr 04
I made our front entrance foyer floor from slab rolled clay
last spring. I used Tucker Mid Cal 0 (no grog) and glazed
with RR Saffire (via clayart) and other assorted MC6G
colours.
I also laid the &%$@ thing. Nearly ruined my back.
My conclusion: you're only crazy if you install
your handmade floor. Pay an expert to do it
for you *if* have a bad back (groan).
A year later all it takes is a quick swipe with
a wet cloth to look "out of the kiln" new.
So I'm crazy - tell me something I
don't know.....
Sam Cuttell
Maid O'Mud Pottery
RR 1
Melbourne, Ontario
N0L 1T0
CANADA
"First, the clay told me what to do.
Then, I told the clay what to do.
Now, we co-operate."
sam 1994
http://www.ody.ca/~scuttell/
scuttell@ody.ca
----- Original Message -----
From: "primalmommy"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 11:58 PM
Subject: ceramic floor tiles?
> Somebody told me that nobody in their right mind would try to make their
> own ceramic floor tiles.
>
> I have also been told that nobody in their right mind would wade through
> the volume of posts involved with being onthe clayart list.
>
> My logical conclusion: somebody on clayart has made their own ceramic
> floor tiles.
>
> Details, anyone? I am working at ^6 ox.
>
> Yours,
> Kelly in Ohio
> who has never written a one sentence post in her life
>
Mike Workman-Morelli on wed 14 apr 04
I did it on a limited scale. I made lots of 3" x 6" tiles the hard way
for my 6 ft x 10 ft bathroom. I used a cut-off wire and wood lath to
cut fairly even slabs from a block of clay. Then, using a rectangular
template, I cut the individual tiles. I went for the small size to
minimize the effect of warping. Warping was a problem, but due to the
small size, it did not present a problem for the finished floor. Maybe
if I had been patient in drying they wouldn't have warped much, but I'm
not a patient person. I then laid them in a herringbone pattern. I
used a cone 10 stoneware with some grog. I fired it to cone 6 in an
electric kiln with a simple homegrown glaze. The tiles can't have been
very strong. They aren't very thick. Yet the floor is now about 17
years old, and they don't show any wear, nor have any broken since I
laid the floor.
Would I try it again? Yes. Would I make them the same way? Not on your
life! I have a friend who some time later made tiles using our slab
roller. He also made small tiles, though bigger than mine. He also had
trouble with warping. Later, Linda and I made some larger, thicker
tiles for a local company pressing plastic clay into molds. Warpage was
a problem there also. Drying the tiles between two small pieces of
sheetrock helped. I once read an article on tile making. I think they
recommended drying the tiles over the space of a month or more. I've
never had the space nor patience for that.
primalmommy wrote:
>Somebody told me that nobody in their right mind would try to make their
>own ceramic floor tiles.
>
>I have also been told that nobody in their right mind would wade through
>the volume of posts involved with being onthe clayart list.
>
>My logical conclusion: somebody on clayart has made their own ceramic
>floor tiles.
>
>Details, anyone? I am working at ^6 ox.
>
>Yours,
>Kelly in Ohio
>who has never written a one sentence post in her life
>
>
>_______________________________________________________________
Get the FREE email that has everyone talking at http://www.mail2world.com
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
>
>
________________________________________________________________
$0 Bannerless Web Hosting, 10 POP and Web Email Accounts, & more
Get It Now At www.doteasy.com
Ingeborg Foco on wed 14 apr 04
Kelly,
I made ceramic floor tiles for our home over 20 years ago. It was of course
a labor of love. During those years there were animals both 2 and 4
legged tramping on the tiles and grinding in dirt. There were parties with
women in worn out spiked heels but despite all of the wear and tear of 20
plus years they are still beautiful tiles, durable and interesting to look
at.
Before the floor tiles I did a bathroom glazed with Mt St Helens ash. as we
lived just 18 miles from the explosion and I collected the ash for future
projects. The mountain exploded in 1981 and I finally got the bathroom
finished in 1983! First kiln and a big learning curve. After the floor
tiles, came the Master Bath/ shower room and dressing area (over 2500 )
3 x6 tiles with a "fern garden" painted on the tiles. After that I did the
powder room which was a breeze and the front door in raku tiles.
All of my tile work is in ^10. I still find them a joy to look at but maybe
other people don't find them as appealing as we are still trying to sell
the house:). If you want, I can post the real-estate web site. I believe
some of the tiles are shown in the virtual tour.
Kelly, I would advise you not to make tiles to save money. They are in my
opinion not money savers. However, when they are finished and installed,
with your signature and date on one of the tiles, you will have a wonderful
feeling and sense of accomplishment not to mention a durable and beautiful
surface.
Go for it!
Sincerely,
Ingeborg
the Potter's Workshop & Gallery
P.O. Box 510
3058 Stringfellow Road
St. James City, Florida 33956
239-283-2775
Jim Kasper on wed 14 apr 04
Hi Kelly,
Right on all counts.
Actually I have been planning on making my own tiles for quite some time now. First I need to make my round tuits.
Now I meandering down the path mentioned in recent posts. I am making floor tiles for a customer. Tiles with hand prints of each of four children.
SO far I have made one plaster master. Color has not been picked yet. "some sort of green... maybe"
If I was sane i would not take on these projects, but it does wonders for the learning curve. If I waited till I really had time to make them for myself, who knows.
anyhow, They will be ^6 Oxidation, using Axners: Mary's porcelain 6.
I should have some gory details within the month.
Regards,
Jim
http://zafka.com
Just opened a pottery/Gallery in paradise:
Downtown Jensen Beach Florida.
============================================================
From: primalmommy Date: 2004/04/13 Tue PM 11:58:26 EDT
Subject: ceramic floor tiles?
Somebody told me that nobody in their right mind would try to make their
own ceramic floor tiles.
I have also been told that nobody in their right mind would wade through
the volume of posts involved with being onthe clayart list.
My logical conclusion: somebody on clayart has made their own ceramic
floor tiles.
Julie Beutler on wed 14 apr 04
Hi Kelly-
So I have done 4 floors in my life...two indoor and two outdoor (one =
protected and one more open to the elements)and three I have some access =
to seeing and they holding up terrific (one indoor and two outdoor). =
The one indoor was for a room 15 x 15 and I hand stamped every mold =
myself (I think I made like 750 total)! it was a big undertaking but =
they are terrific, but remember you will be making about 20-30% more =
than needed in order to have all them all be top quality...these I fired =
to cone 6...and to my happiness the same house had one commericial tile =
put in the kitchen and then my tile put into the sun room and they had =
to replace the commercial tiles due to breakage but mine are still =
intact (except one or two they dropped big things on)
The biggest problem we found was installation of them because they can't =
be cut on one of those commercial tile cutters you get at the local =
store...I had to make all custom for the little spaces because they =
couldn't find a great quick way to cut fired tiles.
I make them on the thick side, with large grooves in the back (for =
mastik and saves clay and helps with drying)
After this I did buy a small hand press tile from a clay company I would =
rather not name and it was around $500 and had to spend about $100 more =
in time and materials to get the thing to actually work like it said and =
did the next two tile projects with it, they were cone 6 and cone =
8....the cone 8 is still doing great and since I haven't heard from the =
cone 6 people I am thinking they are good too! I also did a cone 10 =
small project in college that has been outside for over 10 years and not =
a crack in em (in Michigan weather!)
So if you have lots of time on your hands and tons of extra space and =
kiln room and either are making a ton of money (I was extremely =
underpayed on my jobs due to my lack of planning) then go for it! They =
were beautiful!
there are a few other tricks I learned along the way so email me off the =
list if you want more info!=20
Hope this helps- Julie
_________________________________________________________________________=
_____
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at =
melpots@pclink.com.
Sue Beach on wed 14 apr 04
I know of a former ClayArter who was making ceramic floor tiles for her mud
room. I don't know if she posted to the list about it or not, but you might
check the archives. The posts were from Marion Barnes-Schwartz in Delaware, NY.
She is now deceased, I'm afraid.
Sue Beach
missing Marion while at work in Muncie, IN and wishing I was outside planting
trees on this beautiful day
Quoting primalmommy :
> Somebody told me that nobody in their right mind would try to make their
> own ceramic floor tiles.
>
> I have also been told that nobody in their right mind would wade through
> the volume of posts involved with being onthe clayart list.
>
> My logical conclusion: somebody on clayart has made their own ceramic
> floor tiles.
>
> Details, anyone? I am working at ^6 ox.
>
> Yours,
> Kelly in Ohio
> who has never written a one sentence post in her life
>
>
> >
style="font-size:13.5px">_______________________________________________________________
> face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" style="font-size:13.5px">Get the
> FREE email that has everyone talking at > target="new">http://www.mail2world.com
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.
>
sdr on thu 15 apr 04
Kelly said:
> Somebody told me that nobody in their right mind would try to make their
> own ceramic floor tiles.
It depends, Kelly, on a number of things. How large a space, how
large the tiles (smaller are easier), temp, claybody, etc. Nils Lou
has an entry hall & hallways with handmade tiles, they sure looked
beautiful to me. He has additional tiles behind his wood stove (special
ones to hold heat/release overnight). I believe that his work was at
cone 10, but most commercial tiles are not fired nearly so high.
You mainly need a decent clay body and a tile press or mold, so
that the tiles are the same size (yeah, I know it can be done other
ways). If they're glazed, you'll need a durable glaze. A friend of
mine made their floor tiles of colored clay, no glaze. Reasoned
that if the tiles chipped at all, no one would be able to tell, as
the color went all the way through.
If you wanna do it, and can fire 'em, do it.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Ingeborg Foco on thu 15 apr 04
Hi,
I received so many off list requests to post the URL for the virtual tour I
thought I would post it to the group.
Taking the tour myself, I realized I forgot to mention the green fireplace
tiles with a relief mural on the living room side and a food scene on the
dining room side. In addition, you'll notice cobalt tiles on the solarium
counters and I also did the exterior door that leads to the east of the
house from the solarium with a bamboo drawing on the gray/blue tiles. This
door has always really been hit by weather from the Columbia Gorge (rain,
sleet, wind, hail) and the door was falling apart. I cleaned up the surface
which was delaminating and tiled it rather than purchase a new door.
The floor tiles don't look quite as good on the tour as they do in real life
and the fireplace tiles aren't done justice by the pictures. The green
glaze takes on a look of jade - if the reduction is adequate. I guess
virtual tours do have their limits. Bathrooms are very hard to photograph
unless you are a professional photographer. Hopefully you can all get some
idea of all of the tile projects. I've done seemingly miles of tiles.
Someone mentioned they had difficulty in cutting the tiles with an ordinary
tile cutter. I have never owned a fancy tile cutter although in retrospect
I wish I had purchased one of those wet tile saws years ago. As I am sure
you know, ^10 tiles are much harder than ^6 and I used one of those manual
tile cutters. The secret lies in scoring the glaze really well in one spot
and then breaking it with a good jolt. ^10 tiles are really hard to nip. I
wanted a nice finish edge on the curved area of the cat walk and made the
tiles to fit rather than to try to nip a radius.
Thinking about tile making, I find it somewhat akin to weeding, gardening or
other mindless, satisfying tasks. It gives you a chance to think and plan
other things and when you are finished, just like weeding you have a sense
of accomplishment. Not all days of course are meant for weeding or tile
making...you have to pick your times.
I can't seem to click on to the entire address and suspect you have to first
go to vancouverfinehomes.com. It is the home in Camas, Washington and a
picture of the house is on the top left hand side where it says to click
here to view. www.vancouverfinehomes.com/
www.vancouverfinehomes.com/Nav.aspx?Page=%2fListNOW%2fProperty.aspx%3fProper
tyID%3d112951%26
Best wishes,
Ingeborg
the Potter's Workshop & Gallery
P.O. Box 510
3058 Stringfellow Road
St. James City, Florida 33956
239-283-2775
Cindi Anderson on sun 18 apr 04
Hi Julie
Why couldn't you use tile cutters? Do you mean the wet saw kind?
Cindi
----- Original Message -----
From: "Julie Beutler"
The biggest problem we found was installation of them because they can't be
cut on one of those commercial tile cutters you get at the local store...I
had to make all custom for the little spaces because they couldn't find a
great quick way to cut fired tiles.
Julie Beutler on mon 19 apr 04
Hi Cindi,
The clay was so vitreous that we were busting too many on a saw they =
rented at the tile supply store, but I don't know if it was a wet saw or =
not, I will find out...
It was easier to make 20 small tiles to fill in the one side it didn't =
work out in!
Julie
-----Original Message-----
From: Cindi Anderson [mailto:cindi@CINDI-ANDERSON.COM]
Sent: Sunday, April 18, 2004 6:54 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: ceramic floor tiles?
Hi Julie
Why couldn't you use tile cutters? Do you mean the wet saw kind?
Cindi
----- Original Message -----
From: "Julie Beutler"
The biggest problem we found was installation of them because they can't =
be
cut on one of those commercial tile cutters you get at the local =
store...I
had to make all custom for the little spaces because they couldn't find =
a
great quick way to cut fired tiles.
_________________________________________________________________________=
_____
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at =
melpots@pclink.com.
| |
|
