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Tiling

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Tools & Materials

Encaustic Cement Tile

This handmade tile has a soft texture and comes in many unique colors and patterns—including custom ones.

By Scott Gibson Issue 231 - Kitchens & Baths 2012

Villa Lagoon’s handmade encaustic cement tiles show surface imperfections, chipped edges, and color variations, and they’re softer than either ceramic or porcelain tiles fired in a kiln. In company owner Lundy Wilder’s view, that helps to make them unique works of art that can’t be matched by factory-made ceramic tiles.

The tiles have a color layer made from ground marble dust, portland cement, and earth pigments—which is bonded to a cement-and-sand substrate using pressure. Tiles are available in stock and custom patterns (VillaLagoonTile.com). Thicknesses range from 5/8-in. to about 3/4-in., sizes are from 4-in. to 12-in., and pricing is between $12 and $20 per sq. ft. They weigh about twice as much as standard porcelain tiles (one 8-in. tile weighs about 3 lb.), and the manufacturer recommends that they be sealed after installation. When properly installed and sealed, tiles are frostproof, the company says.

  • 251-968-3375;VillaLagoonTile.com
  • Costs between $12 and $20 per sq. ft.

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Selecting Tile
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Preparation
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Grouting, Sealing & Caulking
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