#Product Trends
How are encaustic tiles made?
Encaustic cement tiles – in which the pattern or figure on the surface is a product of different colours of clay – were first made in Europe in the late 19th century. The term ‘encaustic’ refers to the firing process that burns a glazed pattern onto
Encaustic cement tiles – in which the pattern or figure on the surface is a product of different colours of clay – were first made in Europe in the late 19th century. The term ‘encaustic’ refers to the firing process that burns a glazed pattern onto the surface of a tile. However this term has also been applied to cement tiles with a deep inlaid pattern (rather than a surface glaze). These tiles are compressed in their manufacture, not fired. Mineral pigments are hand-poured into a design mould, the tile is backfilled with cement then set by hydraulic compression before curing.
