Tile Makes the Room by Robin Petravic

Author:Robin Petravic [Petravic, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60774-742-0
Publisher: Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony
Published: 2015-09-29T04:00:00+00:00

GLAZE AND SURFACE FINISH

Glazes are the glassy surface on a tile that give it its final color and finish. Though often, depending on its opacity, the color of the clay itself will show through the glaze. These surfaces come in a range of matte, shiny, or satin finishes, and are made up of a number of minerals and metals that define the color, opacity, and finish during their change of state in the firing process. Glaze chemistry and firing are not precise—ceramic engineers use a mix of chemistry knowledge, analysis, experience, and multiple trials to get it as close to a science as possible. So the next time you ask if that matte yellow can be done in a glossy glaze, the answer is likely no, as changing the finish will affect the color.

The level of a material’s refinement affects the consistency and variability of a glaze, with a precisely engineered stain giving a more consistent result than the more capricious nature of a natural pigment. You’re probably not shocked to hear, at Heath, we prefer the natural stuff, less refined raw materials—it keeps us on our toes, surprising and inspiring us with their sometimes unpredictable outcomes.

The method of glaze application is yet another factor that affects the aesthetics of a piece. Walk into Heath’s glazing room (we give tours!) and you’ll find individually manned glazing booths with spray guns. An automated “waterfall” glaze line (think what’s for sale at big-box home improvement stores) will give a more consistent look than a hand-sprayed or hand-poured glaze. As with many other things, the outcome is quite different between high-volume mass-production and smaller artisanal processes.

As the final part of the process, tiles can be screened or printed to add graphics. A tile can be masked so that a glaze does not touch surfaces that define the pattern. Pad printing of a graphic transferred to the surface of the tile can also be done, to crisp or loose effect, with glazes or inks that don’t burn out in the firing.

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