How are terracotta tiles made?

How are terracotta tiles made?

You've probably seen them in Portugal or Spain. Those red, orange-colored tiles. Those are terracotta tiles made from natural clay. These are, of course, available at tile wholesaler Yzina, and in this blog, you'll read much more about them.

Terracotta tiles. They are beautiful red clay tiles with a warm terracotta color. Very durable and suitable for both outdoor and indoor use. But how are these terracotta tiles actually made? In this article, we'll show how terracotta tiles are authentically handmade.

• Mining terracotta clay

Two types of clay are extracted, white and red, which are then mixed in the correct proportions to create the raw material for tiles and other products. During the extraction process, it's important to be very careful and keep the excavation site clean, so that high-quality clay can be transported to the factory. Stones and dirty clay are filtered out here.

The white and red clay are stored on separate piles before going onto a conveyor belt. This is done this way because you don't always need the same proportion. The clay ratio depends on the type of tiles or other products to be made.

• Pulverizing red terracotta clay

Our Terracotta tiles are made from red (and some white) clay / red soil. The best red clay comes from the south of Portugal, the Algarve. A mix of clay and red soil is mechanically pulverized into a very fine powder. This red powder is then mixed with water in a large mixer to create wet / usable clay for making terracotta tiles. This mixture is also called paste.

• Making clay paste

After the desired amount of clay has been mixed, it is ground and kneaded, giving the paste a consistency similar to plasticine. The paste is allowed to stand for a while and then kneaded to create different shapes. At this point, machines are used to make the process a little easier. In the past, this immensely heavy work was still done by hand.

• From clay to tiles using tile molds

The red clay is placed by hand into a mold, by throwing it in with considerable force. This is done by hand. After pressing the clay into the mold, the excess clay is removed by scraping it off with a special stick. This way, the tiles get the correct thickness and shape.

Generally, two 15x30cm terracotta tiles fit in one mold. These can also be square 30x30 or 40x40 cm terracotta tiles. In this case, only one tile fits in a mold.

• Drying terracotta tiles

The mold can now be removed from the tiles so that the tiles can be placed in drying racks. The tile molds are placed on concrete fiber boards. After removing the molds, these concrete fiber boards can be slid into a drying rack. The concrete fiber boards, with the tiles on them, fit perfectly into custom-made racks.

Depending on the heat and humidity, the tiles need to dry for 24 to 72 hours.

• Firing terracotta tiles in kilns

After drying, the tiles are ready to be fired in special tile kilns. The terracotta tile kilns consist of 2 chambers. A space underground can be used for fuel, and the upper chamber is filled with tiles.

The floor/ceiling between the two oven chambers is made of heat-resistant bricks with holes in them. This allows the heat from the ovens to reach the tiles so they are fired. The ovens are heated to approximately 1050 degrees using biofuel.

• Olive pulp as biofuel

The terracotta ovens are fired using waste material from olive trees. A lot of olive oil is produced in the Algarve, and the residual products are almost always available to make fuel for ovens. When olive oil is pressed from olives, a pulp remains. This pulp can be used as biofuel.

Terracotta tiles are produced in a much more sustainable way than ceramic tiles. Ceramic ovens are fired with gas. The olive pulp is also much cheaper than, for example, gas or diesel.

• Terracotta tiles are fired at 1050 degrees Celsius

The ovens are heated up to approximately 1050 degrees 48 hours before the firing process.

When the oven is at temperature, the tiles are stacked in by hand. Sometimes meters high. This is done by hand while the ovens are already hot. According to the Portuguese, this is the most unpleasant job of the process, but it's worth the reward.

When the ovens are filled, they are bricked up with terracotta tiles so that the oven is completely sealed at the top. Fuel can be refilled from the bottom of the oven to keep the oven at exactly 1050 degrees during the firing process.

• Hard as rock high-quality Terracotta tiles

After approximately 24 hours, the tiles are fired to a hard finish and ready to cool. After cooling, which can take several days, the tiles are placed on pallets, ready for transport. Thanks to the long and very hot firing process, combined with top-quality clay, extremely durable and high-quality tiles are created. And the color of the untreated product is also beautiful. The tiles retain their lovely red terracotta color.

Buying terracotta tiles

Outdoor terracotta tiles

In a blog about outdoor terracotta tiles, we show you how to install them around the house. For example, lay terracotta tiles on a driveway, a pathway, a patio, or around a swimming pool.

Indoor terracotta tiles

If you've fallen in love with these terracotta tiles and want to install them in your home, that's also possible. Terracotta tiles look stunning as a kitchen backsplash or as wainscoting in the hallway. But you can also choose to use them as floor tiles in the bathroom, living room, or kitchen.

Want to buy terracotta tiles?

Also check out our current range of terracotta tiles for sale in our webshop or visit our tile store in Groningen or at a dealer elsewhere in the country. Choose square and rectangular sizes.

Glazing terracotta tiles and terracotta-look variant

In addition to genuine terracotta tiles, we also supply terracotta-look tiles at tile wholesaler Yzina upon request; these are ceramic tiles with the look and feel of terracotta. Ceramic has several advantages: these tiles are colorfast, scratch-resistant, and dimensionally stable. You can also have terracotta tiles glazed at tile dealer Yzina for a more even brown or red color. Contact us for more information.

Ordering terracotta tiles via tile dealer Yzina

Do you want to order terracotta tiles for, for example, a kitchen wall, a hallway floor, or an outdoor patio? We are happy to deliver various terracotta tiles to your home anywhere in the Netherlands and Flanders. Choose from floor tiles, impregnated wall tiles, and patio tiles in various rectangular and square sizes.

For questions, please contact tile dealer Solza, your terracotta expert!