DIY ceramic tiles for bathroom floor?

[pjeterschornstein]

Hey all, I found on this site instructions on how to make flat tiles https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Flat-Tiles-The-Easy-Way

I would like to try it as I am renovating my whole bathroom. My question is could they be used as floor tiles?

If so, is there any specifications to the thickness of the firing temp? Thanks

[neilestrick]

You'll want to use a clay body that fully vitrifies, and I would go with 3/8" thick if they're over 4" wide.  If you're new to making tiles and aren't set up for making and firing them, doing an entire bathroom floor will be a major undertaking. Tile production is a different beast than making pots, and doing it efficiently requires different equipment and a different way of using studio and kiln space. You may want to consider using commercially available tiles for the bulk of the floor, and just make some accent tiles to personalize it.

Also, the process in that article may or may not work for you. Leaving tiles open on a slab of drywall may or may not allow them to dry without warping. It all depends on your clay body and the humidity level in your studio. With a heavily grogged clay they will be more likely to remain flat, but that type of clay may not be appropriate for the type of tiles you're making. If you're doing any carving then you'll want a smooth body, and they will be more likely to warp. The thickness of your tiles will also affect how easily they warp. Try making a batch and see how it goes. You'll have to figure out what works for your situation.

[pjeterschornstein]

Neilestrick, Thanks a lot for the fast replay. I don't have so much clay experience. I did a few clay and porcelain projects is art school but always with someone to help me with the firing. I would really want to get into it though.

I am thinking of 10x10cm (4"x4") because I think they would be versatile and probably easier to make. I would maybe make a few larger decorative ones and a few smaller ones for the walk-in shower floor.

What percent grog do I need to look for for the floors and for the walls?

I could not find much information about vitrified clay other then it is mixed with silica. Can you tell me what to look for? Is it possible to buy?

I would go to my local clay workshop space later.  It was closed yesterday but I've seen that then have some tiles and a tile presser on display so maybe they have experience with floors too.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

When we say vitreous, we usually mean not absorbent. A porcelain for instance is vitreous, because it contains extra silica and forms a glass-like substance when fired to maturity. While you do encounter some porous tiles like Saltillo, they’re not ideal for a bathroom, and especially not in a shower. Your clay doesn’t have to be porcelain to have a low absorption rate though. Many of us here make pots for food use, and for that we recommend less than 1% absorbency, even if the work is glazed. In the event the glaze crazes, seepage can happen.

The properties in a clay you’d use to make tiles would be a resistance to warping (which grog can assist with, but may present issues with absorbency in the fired product), low absorption at maturity, and something that looks good with your chosen glazes. I think that going to your local clay supplier or workshop and asking what they have that fits this bill is the best place to start, although it may be tricky. Usually clays that are very dense when fired are also prone to warping and need to be handled carefully in both the making stages and the firing. 

If your supplier has something you think fits the bill, still do some tests before committing to a large run. Clay is a naturally occurring material, and while manufacturers can provide specs, there can be some variance. Here is a link to an article that describes clay body porosity very well. At the very bottom of the page, there is a link that describes how to test your clay body for shrinkage and absorption. Here’s another link that describes how to  test glazes and bring out any possible delayed crazing. You’ll want to keep that whole website bookmarked: Digitalfire is a fantastic free resource for potters.

 

[Mark C.]

Many tiles are talc tiles and will absorb and are really soft-not a good choice for floor tiles.

Floor take a beating and need a tough hard tile. If you can produce that then yes but thats a lot of work and testing. Commercial tile are cheap and made for the job . They are alos rated to toughness -go to a large tile supply house and ask questions-then see what you can make that will equal that toughness. I bought my foor tiles and they are rated to drive a car onto. Like a car  dealer showroom. They are in our entry room, laundry room and spare bath.They are also 12x 12

 

[Denice]

I visited a well know potter's home,    she had made 12x12 C5  tiles for her home and had them professionally installed.   Several months later about a fourth of them had cracked, they kept cracking and she had to have them removed.   At the time I was thinking of making some floor tile,  I decided to stick with wall tiles.     Denice

[pjeterschornstein]

Thank you all for all the comments.  I will ask in the local workshop in general but you really got me convinced to aim for wall tiles and let go of the floor tiles.

I think it's a big undertaking even without adding more difficulties I'll post a pic if I do it and I might have a few questions along the way. Thanks again!

[Mark C.]

My grade 5 floor tiles (I reacal this number system)are the same color all the way thru and are porcelain . If they ever chip they look the same color.They looked good in a  Mercedes showroom in the photo. They have been bullet proof for 30 years now

Edited September 24, 2022 by Mark C.

[Pres]

I have done wall tiles with some adult students, and extruded molding. However, to make floor tile that requires so much strength to take abuse I will leave to the commercial/professional folks. My house has ceramic floor tile in the dining room and the adjacent bathroom. These are 14X14 and have been in the house now for over 20 years, no breaks or replacement.

 

best,

Pres

[Kelly in AK]

I have to echo what several have said above, tiles for the floor have to be tough. Toughness, from an engineering perspective, is a measurable quantity. It has a number. Those grade 5 tiles are hard (there’s a number for that), durable (a separate number), and can absorb shock without fracture (flexural strength, another measurable quantifiable quality!). Picture an elephant in stiletto heels. That’s a lotta p.s.i.  

I’m throwing that out there as things to consider if you go for it. The strongest, most durable, toughest clay, along with the strongest most durable, toughest glaze would be fit for floor tiles. Unlike clay for pots, less plastic is probably better because it generally means less warping. Sorry I can’t be more specific, I’ve never made floor tiles. I’m with Pres, leaving that to the pros. 

[pjeterschornstein]

But for the walls it shouldn't be a problem right? It's actually a house that I'm renting out for part of the year. I don't want to have problems while I'm not here..

[Rockhopper]

3 hours ago, pjeterschornstein said:

But for the walls it shouldn't be a problem right?

Wall tiles are less critical strength-wise than floors, but will still take some trial & error to get what you want. 

My opinion:  If you're making relatively 'ordinary' flat tiles in solid colors, it's probably not worth the time/effort/cost.  As others have suggested, you can buy commercially produced tiles made by people that do it all day, every day, that will most hold up better & last longer - probably cheaper than making your own.  

On the other hand, you're going for a unique 'never find them anywhere else' look, go for it ... just don't start tearing off whatever's on the walls now, until you've finished making all the tiles you're going to need (plus some spares).

I made 4x4 tiles, approx 1/4" fired thickness, as accents to insert among 2x2 commercial tiles for our kitchen back-splash.  Some lessons I learned:

• Once you determine HOW you're going to make them, make a few to test your whole process from forming to glaze-firing, to make sure you're plan will work. 
  • I did not have a tile press or 'cookie-cutter' - just rolled some slabs and cut into squares with a pizza cutter, and fired them flat on the kiln shelves.   I carefully calculated the pre-fire size based on clay supplier's stated shrinkage - and first batch wound up too small.
• Be VERY careful handling them before they're dry.  It's very easy to wind up with warped/twisted tiles.  My best results came from sandwiching the tiles between pieces of drywall until they were nearly bone dry. (Took a lot longer to dry - but they stayed flatter.)
• Make more than you think you'll need.  Even my most successful batch had a fairly high failure rate - tiles I wound up not using because they shrunk more (or less) than planned, warped, or just didn't turn out as expected. 

If you're thinking about putting them in a tub/shower area where they'll be exposed to a lot of water, make sure you do absorption tests as mentioned above by @Callie Beller Diesel.  Even when glazed,  grouted & sealed, you can still get some moisture between & behind the tiles around a shower.  If your finished tile absorbs that moisture, it could wind up discolored (water stains showing up behind the glaze).

 

Even though it wound up taking way more time & effort than I expected, to get the number of tiles I needed for my project, I'm still very happy with the final results, and consider it well worth the effort.

 

[pjeterschornstein]

Thanks Rockhopper, I sure like to do a one of a kind ones. I'll try a few from start to finish and do tests. If it would be too much work I might also do only a few to place i between commercial ones.

[caveman]

I read this topic because I made wall tiles for a backsplash in my mom's house in Zanesville Ohio... Ok well I'm working on them now. I to was going to make floor tile but after some thought about installing floor tile I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to make it anywhere near tuff enough so went with wall tile I wanted a unique look so I made them round and different sizes. This all started when I was digging in the back yard and hit clay and thought maybe Zanesville was known for pottery cause of the clay looked up how to process it and then did some reading then dug out a pit kiln got fire brick and used a forced air set up been experimenting. I wrap the pieces in newspaper place them in the pit build a fire keep it going till I run out of wood I realized I would benefit from talking to someone.  Can someone please point me in the right direction? Thanks I should be finishing this project in couple weeks I have pictures of what I have done so far 

[Min]

@caveman, might be best to start a new thread with your pit firing with fire bricks and your wild clay tiles.