Making Clay Tiles

Learn the basics of making a tile with air dry clay.

Making clay tiles.

To determine shrinkage take a slab of clay and incise a line 100 millimeters long. Generally this means tiles that have a high amount of grog. Make a moat around your tiles by putting bars of clay around their edges. Make sure to add an extra 1 4 inch in all directions when making your tiles because the drying process will cause them to shrink some.

This helps them heat from above and below rather than the edges heating faster than the middle. The clay should be heavy duty as it will need to be durable and most importantly completely waterproof when fired. Remember that clay will shrink and you have to adjust for this when making your tiles. The key factor is that the clay has a high amount of grog a material in clay which contains a high quantity of silica and alumina.

Then cut out your tiles. Make your own diy decorative tiles with this craft tutorial. Clay bodies the first thing is to start with a good clay body for tiles. Roll out the clay so it forms a flat slab that is about a 1 4 inch thick.

I have worked with several clay bodies rated up to cone 6 but found them to be best vitrified at cone 5 and what i would consider over fired at cone 6. Making ceramic tiles or flat slab forms without the right equipment and process knowledge can be very disappointing mostly due to warpage. The following tutorial could help you in making tiles successfully. Sometimes tiles are prone to warping and cracking because the clay body is unsuitable for tile making or the clay body is being fired a little too hot.