Cement Tile

Cement Tile

Cement tiles are handmade, decorative, colorful tiles used primarily as floor coverings. Floors or walls covered with these tiles are noted for their multi-color patterns, durability and sophisticated look. These tiles are widely used in Latin America and Europe. Their popularity spread to the US, primarily in California and Florida through the 1930s and 40s.

Although sometimes mistakenly called encaustic tile, which refers to kiln-fired clay tile or commonly used ceramic tiles that have been placed in a kiln and heated, cement tiles are not fired and derive their durability from the combination of finely dehydrated ground Portland cement layer and a more coarse layer of sand and Portland cement. The pigment layer is hydraulically pressed into the surface and becomes a part of the tile, not a glaze or paint layer on the surface of the tile.

Depending on the locale, cement tiles are called by many names including: hydraulic cement tiles, mosaic tiles, encaustic cement tiles, mosaico hidraulicos, hydraulic tiles, ladrilhos hidráulicos, carreaux de ciments, Spanish mission tiles, Redondo tile, baldosas hidráulicas, hidraulicos antiguos, ladrilho de água, baldosas decoradas, hidráulicas de cemento.

The tiles' colorful patterns, durability and versatility have been attracting the attention of architects and designers for large commercial projects such as restaurants and hotels. Private homebuilders and "do it yourself" home improvement consumers have driven a growing segment of the cement tile market.