Custom TIle Store - How we make our tile

Production begins when we receive ether a digital photo or a print from our customer. After either scanning the print or checking the photo file for quality, our team begins to process the photo. Depending on what the customer has ordered, processing may include restoring, cropping, resizing, removing or changing backgrounds, changing shapes, etc. We spend time on this step because the better the quality of the photo, the better the quality of the finished product. For murals, the photos are divided into sections depending on the size of the tiles ordered.

After processing, the photo is ready to print. We use a special laser printer with ceramic mineral toners to print onto decal paper. The decal paper allows us to transfer the print onto the tile.

Once we have printed the days decals, we apply a coating of flux (basically pulverized glass in a liquid base). the flux melts during firing and leaves a thin coating over the image giving it additional protection from the elements. We then let the covercoat dry until the next day. The next step is to cut the finished decals from sheets into single pieces. This is either done by hand or for larger projects we have templates setup for our laser engraver which cuts perfect decals in seconds.

Next we apply the decals to the tile. After soaking them in water for a few minutes, the image slides right off of the paper and onto the tile. The excess water is squeeged off and the image rolled down onto the tile.

The tiles are then loaded into our specially built racks and put into the kiln where they are fired to 1550 degrees. This melts the flux and toners and permanently bonds them to the tile. After firing and cooling, about 14 hours, we remove the tiles and quality check each one. They are then carefully packed and shipped to our customers for a lifetime of enjoyment.