David & Diane Chen on tue 12 jan 99
I am redoing my kitchen and I want to tile an area that is approx 4 feet by =
14
feet. I was a bit intimidated by making the tiles myself since I am still
struggling with my glazes so I went to the local tile supplier. He told me =
that
glossy tiles would show marks (this will be an entry with dogs going back =
and
forth). He said matte glazes would work better, so I asked for a price on =
some
nice matte tiles. ALMOST =241000 (I have expensive taste). For that price =
I am
thinking I might give it a shot myself.
My question is was he right about matte vs glossy? Will matte hold up =
better?
I would love for instance to have floating blue tiles. I haven't done much
experimentation with matte glazes yet.
Thanks for any advice.
Diane
Rodney George on wed 13 jan 99
If you bring the clay body to full temperature and the glaze matches the
body, vitrify the clay, there should be no problem. OTOH if you are
going to install these on the floor, most commercial tile is matte or
semi gloss finish. All of them to scratch and chip and the glossier the
finish the easier it is to slip on. You might want to look into a
texture or wave surface on the tile for traction.
The are good books on tile making on any book sellers web site.
What size tile 8x8, 10x10, 13x13.
Most commercial tiles are low fire and can be bought ready for glazing
from the manufacture.
Not to sound redundant but,
Experiment, experiment, experiment.
Rodney
David & Diane Chen wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I am redoing my kitchen and I want to tile an area that is approx 4 feet by 14
> feet. I was a bit intimidated by making the tiles myself since I am still
> struggling with my glazes so I went to the local tile supplier. He told me th
> glossy tiles would show marks (this will be an entry with dogs going back and
> forth). He said matte glazes would work better, so I asked for a price on som
> nice matte tiles. ALMOST $1000 (I have expensive taste). For that price I am
> thinking I might give it a shot myself.
>
> My question is was he right about matte vs glossy? Will matte hold up better?
> I would love for instance to have floating blue tiles. I haven't done much
> experimentation with matte glazes yet.
>
> Thanks for any advice.
> Diane
Linda Blossom on wed 13 jan 99
Th glossy tiles that he sells are probably wall tiles which are made with
softer clays and glazes. I have used glossy tiles on floors and on the ones
that have been down for about 9 years there are no scratch marks showing. I
have five dogs running across them as well as the people.
Linda Blossom
2366 Slaterville Rd
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-539-7912
blossom@twcny.rr.com
www.artscape.com
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I am redoing my kitchen and I want to tile an area that is approx 4 feet by
14
feet. I was a bit intimidated by making the tiles myself since I am still
struggling with my glazes so I went to the local tile supplier. He told me
that
glossy tiles would show marks (this will be an entry with dogs going back
and
forth). He said matte glazes would work better, so I asked for a price on
some
nice matte tiles. ALMOST $1000 (I have expensive taste). For that price I
am
thinking I might give it a shot myself.
My question is was he right about matte vs glossy? Will matte hold up
better?
I would love for instance to have floating blue tiles. I haven't done much
experimentation with matte glazes yet.
Thanks for any advice.
Diane
Joseph Dallas on wed 13 jan 99
> My question is was he right about matte vs glossy? Will matte hold up better?
> I would love for instance to have floating blue tiles. I haven't done much
> experimentation with matte glazes yet.
>
> Thanks for any advice.
> Diane
Diane,
As potter, sometimes tile-maker, and often times tile setter my,
my recommendation would be a matt glaze for the floor. The reason has
to do with slip-resistence and with scratching. A smooth shiney surface
is much more likely to become slick when moisture is tracked in,this is
especially true if you clean the floor with akaline-based cleaners which
will leave a soapy residue. Just add a little water and you'll end up on
the floor with a cracked elbow or noggin. The other point of scratches
is also a concern. All glaze surfaces will scratch when sand (silica) is
tracked in, it's just that a shiney smooth surface will readily show
them. Which is not particularly pleasing to the eye.
So there are really two considerations here, surface and glaze. A
textured surface with a shiney glaze would be prefered over smooth and
shiney, however a matt glaze over a smooth surface may be as viable and
more eye-pleasing. The most prefered, to prevent slip and scratches,
would be a textured surface with a matt glaze.
Whether you decide to buy or make the tiles you do not want to regret
this decision in the future, because the fix would be even more
expensive and/or painful. Hope this helps :)
Joe Dallas
Dallas Pottery
Columbus,Ga. USA
jedallas@worldnet.att.net
Bill Williams on wed 13 jan 99
This may not help you one bit, but I have had a little experience in this
area. A year ago, I decided that I wanted to use ceramic tile on all my
bathroom counters. This is not a small area. Having the same problem you
have had with my expensive tastes, I could not really afford the "store
bought" kind. So, I made them myself. Now this is not a small job. It
takes a lot of time. The tiles have to be approximately the same thickness,
etc......However, I did get the job done and I am very happy with the
results. The glaze I used is matte and has held up very well. It hasn't
been walked on, but it has been abused, believe me. I have ceramic tile on
my kitchen counters, that I did not make myself that is a combination of
gloss and matte. It has been there for 15 years, and not a single tile has
cracked. It has been stood on and banged on and about everything you can
think of in those years. I love it. Now, my basement family room, has the
old fashioned ceramic tile that you used to see in big hotels (I live in a
100 year old house). It is white and there are black ones in single lines
around the edges of the room. It is matte. It will water spot and the
black tiles get a white scum on them that is very hard to control. I have
often wished that the tile on that big floor was gloss. We have to get it
professionally cleaned, or we are not happy with it. So I think you can
suit yourself. With me it's a toss up, but the gloss is the most
attractive, in my opinion. Good luck. I would like to know how your
project turns out. I may just tackle my floor in the kitchen. I hate
linoleum. Connie (billwms@fn.net)
-----Original Message-----
From: David & Diane Chen
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: Tuesday, January 12, 1999 9:09 AM
Subject: Floor Tile-New Question
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I am redoing my kitchen and I want to tile an area that is approx 4 feet by
14
>feet. I was a bit intimidated by making the tiles myself since I am still
>struggling with my glazes so I went to the local tile supplier. He told me
that
>glossy tiles would show marks (this will be an entry with dogs going back
and
>forth). He said matte glazes would work better, so I asked for a price on
some
>nice matte tiles. ALMOST $1000 (I have expensive taste). For that price I
am
>thinking I might give it a shot myself.
>
>My question is was he right about matte vs glossy? Will matte hold up
better?
>I would love for instance to have floating blue tiles. I haven't done much
>experimentation with matte glazes yet.
>
>Thanks for any advice.
> Diane
>
Paul Lewing on wed 13 jan 99
David & Diane Chen wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> My question is was he right about matte vs glossy? Will matte hold up better?
> I would love for instance to have floating blue tiles. I haven't done much
> experimentation with matte glazes yet.
>
> Thanks for any advice.
> Diane
Diane,
You don't want glossy glazes on your floor tile. Not because of the
durability issue, but because they will be very slippery when wet.
You also want the hardest glazes you can come up with, which means
high in alumina and silica, and also low in boron. Just the amount of
boron in Floating Blue would argue against using it, even were it not
for its gloss. If you were to settle on a glossy glaze, an addition
of very fine sand or other texturing would be a good idea.
Good luck,
Paul Lewing, Seattle
Joy Holdread on sat 23 jan 99
> My question is was he right about matte vs glossy? Will matte hold up
> better?
> I would love for instance to have floating blue tiles. I haven't done much
> experimentation with matte glazes yet.
My personal tile experiences in my home. Lovely white Matt stoneware tiles on
my kitchen counter & back splash absorbed grout stain and are a lovely pale
gray with dk gray sanded grout. The leaf shaped stoneware tile on my front
door entry way are unscratched and the surface looks about the same as the
extra unmounted tiles after 14 years. Get a 2nd & a 3rd opinion look at
actual tile installations, talk to people.
Joy in Tucson Taking some time off to get my bearings, organize my office &
home, and think about a new line of vessels.
Ron Roy on mon 25 jan 99
Glaze resistance to abrasion has more to do with formulation of a glaze
rather than it's surface. Boron is a soft material so it should be
minimized. Zirconium is very hard. It's easier to make hard glaze at the
higher temps.
RR
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>> My question is was he right about matte vs glossy? Will matte hold up
>> better?
>> I would love for instance to have floating blue tiles. I haven't done much
>> experimentation with matte glazes yet.
>
>
>My personal tile experiences in my home. Lovely white Matt stoneware tiles on
>my kitchen counter & back splash absorbed grout stain and are a lovely pale
>gray with dk gray sanded grout. The leaf shaped stoneware tile on my front
>door entry way are unscratched and the surface looks about the same as the
>extra unmounted tiles after 14 years. Get a 2nd & a 3rd opinion look at
>actual tile installations, talk to people.
>Joy in Tucson Taking some time off to get my bearings, organize my office &
>home, and think about a new line of vessels.
Ron Roy
93 Pegasus Trail
Scarborough, Ontario
Canada M1G 3N8
Tel: 416-439-2621
Fax: 416-438-7849
Web page: http://digitalfire.com/education/people/ronroy.htm
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