There is a difference between a tile that was printed and a tile that is handmade. Cane Creek tiles are press-moulded by hand into plaster molds, trimmed, dried for three days, bisque fired, and glazed by hand from a palette of 34 studio-mixed colors before a second firing to cone 6.
Raised lines divide glaze colors the way lead divides colored glass. Glaze pools in the recesses, deepening the colors as it collects. You can feel the design as you see it.
How each tile is madeThe clay body is mixed in the studio from seven raw materials. Each tile is pressed by hand into a plaster mold, trimmed, and dried for three days before bisque firing. Glazes are mixed from raw oxides and applied by hand before a final cone 6 firing.
There are no shortcuts in this process. That is the point.
The full processA 30-pound batch of studio clay body mixed by hand from seven raw materials including ball clay, silica, feldspar, and grog.
Hand-pressed into CNC-cut plaster molds. Raised-line grooves cut with a V-bit to precise depth. Three days drying before bisque fire.
Wax resist on the back. Full submersion in water. Studio-mixed colors applied by bulb syringe into the recesses. A fast clear overdip seals the surface.
A drop-and-soak cone 6 program with slow cool through quartz inversion. The glaze pools in the recesses, deepening the colors as it collects.
Tell us about your project — application, dimensions, aesthetic direction. We'll respond with a layout, a rendering, and a quote. No obligation.
We work directly with designers and architects or through your office, as you prefer.