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Handmade ceramic tiles take advantage of all the complex possibilities of the ceramic process. Add the graphic potential of a picture plane, multiply that over any area you want, and the possibilities for ceramic tile projects become nearly limitless. And ceramic tile isn’t just flat; handmade ceramic tiles can be relief surfaces that are quite complex—but you would be surprised to learn how easy it can be to make your own. In fact, you can make a ceramic tile mold that has a lot of relief so you can quickly reproduce a complex design without having to carve each tile individually.

It all starts with ceramic tile design—and good design starts at the end; considering the end result of a ceramic tile project before any tile is made will help you choose the clay and the tools to use. And the experts we’ve chosen to walk you through the process of making and installing your own handmade ceramic tiles have all the information you will need to stay on track. Whether you are making a small ceramic tile mosaic for a table top, or a complex ceramic tile mural for a large wall area, How to Design, Make, and Install Ceramic Tiles and Murals: Design Tips and How-To Instructions for Handmade Ceramic Tile Projects will help you plan your ceramic tile project in no time flat.

Here’s a sample of what’s inside this helpful freebie:

How to Make Ceramic Tiles Flat

by Laura Reutter

Keeping tiles flat while drying and firing has often been a source of frustration for clay artists. Over the years, I’ve read a great deal about sandwiching wet tiles between drywall, flipping them, stacking them, turning them, covering them or weighting them. Why spend countless hours fussing over tiles? I’ve developed a technique that greatly minimizes the amount of handling needed and is almost foolproof for making flat tiles.

The Clay

To begin making flat tiles you need to use a heavily grogged clay formulated for sculpture or tile – not a plastic throwing clay. I like my clay on the dry, stiff side as too much water makes it dry slowly and promotes warping.

The Process

Most of my tiles are press molded in plaster molds, but if you don’t use molds for your tiles, just roll out clay slabs directly onto a piece of drywall (drywall makes a great work surface – just make sure to seal all of the drywall edges with duct tape to contain that nasty drywall dust) using wooden spacers or dowels beneath the rolling pin for the desired thickness. I prefer half-inch-thick tiles. Once you have rolled out the clay slabs, don’t move, lift or turn them. If you do move the clay, its “plastic memory” will kick in and it may warp, bend, or curl during drying and firing. Just trim the slabs in place, cutting them to the desired dimensions using a trimming knife and your pattern. After trimming, it is very important to allow the wet tiles to sit on the drywall for 8 to 12 hours (overnight is usually good). Drywall sucks a lot of water out of the clay and the tiles will really stiffen up.

By the next day the tiles should be pretty close to leather hard and stiff enough to handle without flexing. Test a tile to see if it can be picked up safely. At this point, trim and smooth the edges. If you wish to incise or decorate the green tile in any way, now is the time to do it. There is no need to score the backs of tiles unless you want to. Scoring has nothing to do with the warping or drying process, but it helps the tile adhesive cling to the tile and hold it to the wall or floor during installation. I only score my tiles if I know the customer wants them for an installation.

Once the tile is trimmed, place it directly onto a rigid metal storage rack. Because air circulates on all sides of the tile, it dries very evenly and no warping occurs. While your tiles dry, avoid direct sources of warm air like a register vent or portable heater that might dry one area faster than another. You want even drying from top and bottom. I keep tiles on the rack until they are completely dry and ready to bisque.

You should only handle your green tiles about three times: once to roll out and cut the clay; once to smooth the edges and place on a drying rack; and once to put it in a kiln for your bisque firing.

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