Handmade in Liverpool, our Encaustic Tiles are a reinvention of the traditional coloured ceramic floor tile. They are made with an unglazed, vitrified clay body containing 72% ceramic industry waste, developed by Granby Workshop. The colours and patterns are formed as part of the clay body itself, meaning that they will never fade.
Encaustic Tiles were originally popularised by the Victorians who valued their durability and vibrance, using them to pave the floors of many of that era’s grandest buildings.
We applied our unique, experimental approach to manufacturing to reimagine this historic process. Blocks of clay are marbled together by hand before being flattened in a 60 tonne hydraulic press.
The handmade nature of the process means that no two tiles are ever the same.
We designed our first Encaustic Tiles to adorn the Chini building floor as part of the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. They later moved to their permanent home in the garden of the VAC building.
Since then, we have continued to refine this range and improved our production process. We have amended our approach to blockmaking to remove the creation of scrap clay; redeveloped our white clay body to incorporate 72% ceramic industry waste while still maintaining the stunning colour vibrancy that our Encaustic Tiles are known for.
Each batch of clay is stained with pigment and mixed in an extruder. Once pugged to remove any air, blocks are hand marbled together. They are then sliced into smaller blocks before being flattened in a 60 tonne hydraulic press. The handmade nature of the process means that no two tiles are the same.
Our Encaustic Tiles are made with a vitreous clay body containing 72% ceramic industry waste; grog, a pre-fired ceramic component for anti-slip details, and a range of colour pigments selected for each colourway.
Encaustic Tiles are hard-wearing, durable surfaces that are suitable for floors and walls in both interior and exterior locations.
They have <0.5% porosity and a PTV of ≥36 in wet and dry conditions, making them a versatile finish for wet and dry environments.
We enjoy developing bespoke tiles to bring to life the ideas of our clients. We can customise our Encaustic Tiles by colour, pattern and create custom moulds for bespoke tile sizes and shapes.
The standard production lead time for Encaustic Tiles is 4-6 weeks. This can vary depending on what projects we currently have in production. We recommend getting in touch with the required tile quantity needed and we can advise further on production lead times.
We do offer trade prices for Encaustic Tiles – please contact us or email your project enquiry to trade@granbyworkshop.co.uk directly for further details.
Each block is hand marbled before being pressed into a tile shape. This makes every tile unique and pattern variation should be expected across every piece.
Grout: We recommend laying Encaustic Tiles to a 150 mm grid using a neutral or colour-matched ARDEX Flexible FL grout.
Cleaning: Before installation, tiles should be cleaned using Fila Deterak to remove any building site debris from the tile surface.
Sealant: While Encaustic tiles are fully vitrified and don’t require sealant for waterproofing, we do recommend using a penetrative sealant like Filastone Plus for ease of cleaning and stain protection.
Please see our care and maintenance instructions for more details.
Please allow +/- <2mm for manufacturing tolerances
