An exploration in colour & texture
Thornton Studio was created when I was on the hunt for colourful and authentic handmade tiles for a project and found artisans in both Morocco and Vietnam who were able to bring my designs to life.
Our Thornton Studio Cement tiles are hand-made using centuries old techniques and will bring a vintage feel to your project.
Characteristics of Handmade Cement Tiles
Each Thornton Studio tile is individually handmade with subtle variation in colour and bleed at the edges of the pattern. This is where the beauty is…these imperfections distinguish a man made product from one that is mass produced and validate their authenticity. Due to the handmade nature of our tiles, there may be slight imperfections, occasional irregular edges and pattern or colour variations from one tile to the next. These quirks are not flaws and should be considered an essential part of your handmade tiles. We absolutely love our tiles...each individual Encaustic Cement tile is a work of art.
Encaustic Concrete Tile History
Encaustic Cement tiles were first made in France in the mid 1800’s. They are known by different names around the world including Encaustic, Hydraulic and Carreaux de Ciment. They are traditionally made using natural coloured pigment and cement with the tile made upside in a copper mold, then hydraulically pressed before being put on drying racks for a few weeks to cure. Encaustic Cement Tiles have been made traditionally in Morocco for generations and the art was brought to Vietnam in the late 19th Century when they were part of the French colonies.
