Extruded ceramic tiles explained: Fluted tiles, Ceramic Sunbreaks and Encaustic Tiles

Materials 01/12/2021

Extruded ceramic tiles explained: Fluted tiles, Ceramic Sunbreaks and Encaustic Tiles

WHAT IS CERAMIC EXTRUSION?

Extrusion is a process widely used to produce ceramic components with a uniform cross-section and a large length-to-diameter ratio.

WHAT IS THE EXTRUSION PROCESS?

The clay compound is forced through a die of the desired cross-section. The technique can be performed with simple hand-powered tools or with automatic machines.

There are different types of extruded ceramic tiles, here below some inspirations from our material library.

CERAMICS SUNBREAKS
Ceramic sunbreaks available in different colours and in the following finishes: vitrified, glazed and terracotta. mixture of clays from the area, giving them strength and unique properties for extrusion and single firing. The wide range of colours is derived from the clays themselves and from oxides applied together with a varnish unique for its transparency and smoothness, which gives the surface an appearance and texture similar to glass. The transparency of the surface and the unchanging quality achieved by the colours at a temperature above 1000° give a bright, warm personality to areas laid with glazed tile. The compatibility between different colours is surprising, which allows the most diverse applications and most imaginative combinations, always in a harmonious and pleasant combination.

FLUTED CERAMIC TILES
The Fluted ceramic tiles are characterised by a smooth rippled surface. Perfect to design Interior walls and bar front with sinuous flutes, multi-faceted patterns and elegant reliefs. The tiles add a sense of movement through the introduction of their 3D surfaces profile, playing with shadow, light and tactility.

ENCAUSTIC TILES
A reinvention of the traditional coloured ceramic floor tile. Made from unglazed, vitrified clay, the colours and patterns are formed from the clay body itself, meaning they never fade. Encaustic tiles were originally popularised by the Victorians, who valued their durability and vibrance, using them to pave the floors of many of that era’s grandest buildings. Blocks of clay are marbled together by hand before being flattened in a 60 tonne hydraulic press, meaning every tile is different. They are suitable for interior and exterior use on floors and walls.
The development of the process grew out of research into historic encaustic tile clay recipes and the invention of a modern equivalent, which is slip resistant and vitrifies at a low temperature, meaning less energy is used in its production. Different colours are created by adding minerals such as iron and cobalt to the base recipe. Blocks of each colour are marbled together by hand before being sliced and pressed into tile shape.

Extruded ceramic tiles

Extruded ceramic tiles explained: Fluted tiles, Ceramic Sunbreaks and Encaustic Tiles

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