We can supply many kinds of trim for wall tile. These include bullnose, radius bullnose, mudcap, liner, cove base, quarter round, and more.
For unusual trim designs, we can copy existing trim pieces (such as mudcaps, bullnose, sanitary base, etc.). A custom die may be required, at additional cost.
For many standard sizes, tile can be made on "machine made" base tile, supplied by companies that manufacture tile. Those sizes include 4.25" square, 6" square, 1" hex, 1" square, and 3" x 6," among others, and a variety of trim pieces. This allows a closer match to existing machine-made tile, and will provide a flatter, more uniform tile with thinner grout lines.
Both "pillow edge" and flat edge designs are available for square tile and some rectangular tile. Pillow edge is by far the most common and usually lower cost. Small tile like 1" hex are almost always pillow edge. Handmade tile are usually flat edge unless requested otherwise.
Small mosaic tile like hex and penny round will be made from machine made tile.
Porcelain tile suitable for pools can be produced in standard sizes in solid colors or as matched multicolor designs. Pool tile require a dense, impervious porcelain.
Cost: flat tile will often -- but not always -- be the same price for machine made base as for handmade base. Some specialty shapes, like long subway tiles, may need to be quoted due to higher cost. Trim pieces will be quoted per piece and will be a higher cost per square foot than flat tile.
Glaze:
Not only do we have hundreds of glaze colors in our "library," but custom glazes can be made to achieve a target color or to match existing glazes or other design elements.
Many glaze options are not on our website: we can't keep up. Many of these are solid colors in a wide range of hues.
Cost: some custom colors can be created at no charge, while there is a $90 charge to match to an existing glaze or color. Producing the custom glazed tile, once a match is agreed, will usually be at the same price as other tile.
Assembly:
We assemble hex and other mosaic tile into approximate square foot sheets.
We do patterns with mosaic tile: your design or ours. Assembly of designs costs a bit more than one-color arrays: see price list. We provide assistance in planning installation as well.
Recessed design tiles can be custom-designed readily and produced nearly as quickly as handmade flat tiles.
High-relief custom tiles can be custom-designed. Historic or other existing tiles can be reproduced. Molds must be created for these, so the timeframe is several weeks to prepare for production.
We can use 3D modeling to create accurate renditions of your tile. In practice 3D models also need to be detailed by hand.
Setup costs need to be quoted to cover costs of molds and masters.
Making the master for a custom high-relief tile mold.
Designing a custom recessed tile
Designing a high relief tile
Cost: each project will need to be quoted based upon its complexity.
Color-body tile:
Unglazed porcelain mosaic tile can be color-matched or custom-colored to match existing, historic, or new designs.
Cost: each project will need to be quoted. Some colors may be more costly than others (such as reds). Tile thickness will be part of the cost equation.
Project feasibility: because the effort required to match and produce through-body porcelain is resource-extensive, smaller and non-historic projects may be declined. We are happy to refer you to other companies that specialize in this tile (notably American Restoration Tile).
Mosaics:
Mosaic designs for backsplashes, exterior spaces, floors, etc. can be custom designed and custom sized for each application. These will be shipped with back-mounted mesh for ease of installation unless requested otherwise.
Cost: Glazed ceramic mosaic prices vary widely based upon complexity, size of pieces, and materials used. Using a client's design is at no cost. Creating a custom design may require a fee.
Tile sizes:
Handmade tiles can be made to your preference: there are no "standard" sizes to limit you. Squares, rectangles, even circles, triangles, hexagons, and octagons are available. Sizes may be in even inches, even centimeters, or fractions (such as 5-3/8"). Machine made tile can be cut down to suit if appropriate, while handmade stoneware can be made to measure.
Machine made tile sizes are limited, and some sizes that once were standard are no longer made and cannot be reproduced accurately. For instance, 4-3/8" square tile are no longer made and almost impossible to find, as the tile industry standardized on 4-1/4" square. Innovative tile workarounds are needed for this kind of matching project, such as using replacement tile on one complete wall, not just a patch.
Other tile sizes are losing popularity and are becoming more difficult to match on machine made tile. For instance, 6" square pool tile in solid light colors, 6" and 8" floor tile, and even 12" (approximate) square ceramic tile are becoming more difficult to find. We need to match machine made tile on machine made base tile from existing suppliers, so tile sizes that are disappearing affect our ability to match other tiles of those sizes.
Tile sizes for flat (field) tiles are mostly limited to 10" across in any direction. Some exceptions exist; please inquire. (High relief tiles can be made slightly larger.)
Tile thickness can be modified for handmade tile if needed. An upcharge may apply for thick tiles. In most cases, however, a good tile installer can work with tiles thinner than the original. Thinner tiles are less costly to ship and are easier to manufacture with less loss.
Cost: square and rectangle shapes from 2" to 10" in width or length are the same price per square foot unless material costs exceed our cost standards. Other shapes will be more per square foot: see price list.
Special tiles:
Fountain emitters can be made to order from flat tile, recessed tile, or high-relief tile.
House or building number tiles can be designed and produced to order.
Sun and sunray designs for inside or out can be designed to order.
Fused glass elements can be added, such as sun rays.
Tiles can be slumped slightly to form curved surfaces.
Tiles can be created from 3-D printed molds.
Tiles can be made with screen printed designs or lettering.
Pool tiles in non-square shapes can sometimes be made, if the glaze can be reproduced.
