Terracotta, or literally “baked” “earth”, is one of the most basic and oldest building materials ever made. Terracotta is essentially clay that has been fired in a kiln until it becomes hard and semi-vitrified and this material is used to make roof tiles, drainage pipes and floor tiles.
As a flooring material, terracotta has had to compete with a wide range of alternatives that are currently available on the market, ranging from ceramic to travertine, but it would be very difficult to find a material as “alive” as this. .
Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Mexico are the main countries of origin for most of the terracotta flooring available today, supplying tiles of numerous colours, shapes, thicknesses and quality. The key to buying the best floor for you is to advise yourself well. Despite selling this material, some retailers don’t seem to know much about the product and this leads to poor sales or worse, bad advice: leaving the customer with a floor that is not what they expected. Hopefully this article will help you make an informed decision. choice the next time you consider investing in a clay floor.
As already mentioned, terracotta tiles come from countries with a temperate climate; this is no coincidence because many terracotta makers use the sun as a means of air-drying their tiles before firing them in a kiln. When first made from wet clay, the tiles must dry naturally before being placed in the kiln; if not, they would simply break apart as the water inside them boils and expands. Once the tiles are dry, they can be fired in the kiln, the time and temperature of which vary depending on the type of tile being produced.
Essentially, there are two basic types of tile, hand-made and machine-made, both of which give quite different finishes to the floor.
Handmade tiles tend to have a more rustic appearance and show much more texture in their finish; some may even have paw prints or bird tracks, where they were stepped on while drying in the open air. Handmade tiles are exceptionally good at hiding dirt as their finish is so varied and they lend themselves well to installation in a rustic setting such as a barn conversion etc.
Very often, handmade products are made in a more basic way and oven temperatures are not as controlled as some machine-made products. Some ovens, for example, are wood-burning, and often a strong wind will cause oven flu, creating a fluctuation in temperature inside the oven, leading to uneven cooking. One consequence of this is that tiles can be produced that have dramatic color variation within themselves and from tile to tile and also salt pitting – small pockets of mineral salts that ooze out of the tile surface that vary in size. from a pea to a golf ball in diameter. Small fissures and cracks on the surface of these tiles are also quite common.
Some handmade tiles are cast into a mold that sits on sand, the wet clay is trimmed to size, and the tile is removed from its mold ready to dry and finally fire – one of the accidental benefits of this technique is that one side of the tile is sand textured and the tiles can be laid “upside down” to create a more rustic effect during installation if the customer prefers.
Machine-made terracotta is a much less labor-intensive process, as much of the work of mixing and cutting the clay is done by machine; this gives a degree of uniformity to these types and the firing process is usually done in electric ovens with strict temperature regulation. which produces a much more uniform product free of imperfections. Keep in mind that even machine made tiles can have minor flaws such as bowing and minor salt pitting, but these are really a characteristic of the material and should be viewed as positives rather than negatives.
There are some manufacturers that combine both methods, shaping the clay by hand and then firing it in electric ovens; these tiles give the best of both worlds by offering a rustic tile with a more uniform finish, especially San Genis in Spain.
So how do you choose? Well, first of all, you need to analyze your lifestyle before selecting any type of flooring. If you’re the type of person who wants (or needs) to scrub or mop floors every day, then avoid terracotta, you’re much better off with a product like ceramic. If you’re not, read on…
If you’re happy to live with a little dirt, then terracotta might be the right choice. The floor is not meant to look pristine and many clays, particularly handmade ones, actually benefit from dirt and neglect. The type of room to be tiled will also influence your choice: your decor may not lend itself to the rusticity of some clays, but it may be better suited to a machine-made product.
We recommend that your tiles be sealed using the traditional method of boiled linseed oil* followed by layers of traffic wax paste, this really does give your terracotta an authentic finish that will improve with time and a little dirt. There are alternatives, but we would always recommend using oil as the primary sealer as it will give the tiles color and protection; an alternative finish to wax can be any of a number of proprietary finishes, such as HG Cotto Finish, a water-based metallic finish. emulsion applied after oil: this will give your tiles a wax-like shine, but they won’t “wear” as dirt simply won’t adhere to this type of sealer.
(*note that linseed oil is an oxidizing oil and generates heat as it sets…NEVER place oil soaked rags in a container or bag as they can ignite spontaneously…always wash or burn rags /oil stained sponges)
So if you’ve reached this point and decided to go with terracotta, your next big step is to select your installer. Not all tilers are familiar with working with fired clay, so make sure your tiler is fully familiar with the subject, he should certainly know about its use, what sealers to use and how to care for the floor afterwards, if they can’t, no Don’t use them, find someone who can!
Taking care of your floor… as we mentioned before, terracottas are quite good at hiding or disguising dirt. We always recommend that our customers simply sweep or vacuum their floors and if you really must break mop in anger, use plain water or an alkaline cleaner like HG Superfloor; do not use detergents as they remove your hard earned wax film. ! Most installers will also offer the customer a waxing service (after all, they must have a commercial polisher to do it) and the fee is usually quite reasonable, especially if the floor is well laid. for waxing and polishing.
That’s it – we hope we have provided you with enough information so that you can make an informed decision about terracotta tiles and whether or not they are the right choice for you. If you decide to invest in this type of flooring and it is installed correctly, you can expect it to be with you for life.
