How to make clay tiles with your own hands. How to make tiles

In modern factories and factories, tiles are often produced by pressing and firing dry mass. Huge, expensive pressing machines and special ovens are responsible for this. At home, this is not the best option, so you will need to use wet clay, which you will shape into any shape.

Briefly, the process goes like this: take wet clay, shape it, dry it, fire it, glaze it, and fire it again (to set the glaze).

Now a little more detail

Before starting work, the wet clay rests in a bag and waits for you to make something out of it. When you start making tiles, they turn into raw ceramic products. While you are molding the tiles, they will gradually dry out, and by the end of molding they will harden a little. This stage, when the clay is still wet, is called the hard skin stage.

Once your tiles are completely dry, you will find that the color of the clay has become lighter. Now we can say that it is at the raw stage. At this point, the tile is already quite hard, but if you hit it lightly, it may crack or crumble. If you leave such tiles to dry outdoors and they get exposed to rain, the tiles may become limp and turn into a lump of clay. There is no need to be upset about this, because this property of clay is very beneficial. If you make a bad sample, just toss it in the clay scrap bucket and forget about your troubles. Later, when the clay has lain, it can be reprocessed and made into something new and beautiful.

After all the moisture has evaporated from the clay and the tiles have reached a raw state, they are ready to be placed in the kiln and fired. What you do next depends on what glazing technique you use; but in accordance with general practice, during the first firing, which is called biscuit, the clay is not specially fired. Depending on the temperature of clay maturation, the biscuit firing temperature can range from 850°C to 1000°C. Under these conditions, ceramic products remain porous and are able to easily absorb glaze.

The second (glaze) firing occurs at the temperature required to mature the glaze. This temperature may be lower - but never higher - than the temperature required for the clay to mature; otherwise, the glaze will melt and turn into glassy balls.

Clay and ceramic mixtures. Properties of clay

Clay is the basis for the production of tiles. It consists of oxygen, hydrogen, silicone and aluminum and when water is added it changes its structure, becoming more flexible and viscous. When water is removed, the clay hardens and becomes rigid. It is very important to know that clay that has only recently been dug out of the ground is not yet ready to be used as a raw material for ceramics. The working qualities of newly mined clay leave much to be desired. The main characteristics of clay that will be important to you are plasticity, firing temperature range and degree of shrinkage.

Plasticity of clay

Plastic allows you to obtain complex shapes(such as the corners of steps, for example)

If the clay is too plastic, it will not have sufficient strength to make large-shaped products from it, and it will collapse at high temperatures. In this case, it is worth adding coarse-grained materials to it. Clay with a coarse-grained structure will not be sufficiently plastic, it will tear when twisted and molded, and it will be impossible to obtain the desired shape from it. To make it more convenient to work with, add stickier or more plastic clays to the composition.

The plasticity of clay can be easily determined by eye by squeezing and rolling out a lump. You can do a simple test - make a sausage out of clay and start bending it in an arc. The smaller the radius of the arc along which the clay bends and does not crack, the more plastic it is. Another simple way to determine plasticity is to tear a clay sausage into 2 parts. If the ends of the edges are thin and stretch like threads, the clay is plastic. If the ends are thick and dry, like stumps, and the clay itself crumbles in your hands, it has low plasticity. Potters call plastic clays fat clays, and low plasticity clays lean clays.

Let us repeat that none of these types of clays can be used in their pure form to prepare tiles, they will definitely need to be mixed to obtain the material of the desired consistency.

Clay firing temperature range

Each type of ceramic clay and each added ingredient has its own specific melting point, which determines the firing temperature required to sinter the clay when it turns into ceramic. The clay mass formula or formulation may include several different clays, as well as other non-clay materials that are added to obtain a material with certain properties, depending on the purpose of use of the product.

Potters distinguish low-melting clays (with a melting point below 1350 degrees), medium-melting clays (temperatures from 1350 to 1580) and refractory clays (temperatures, you guessed it, above 1580 degrees). The more plastic the clay, the lower the firing temperature it can withstand. To increase the temperature, add fireclay or pumice to the clay (with pumice the temperature will drop to 800 - 950 degrees).

Clay shrinkage rate

Yours the product will change its mass and size during drying and firing, as the water evaporates from it. When you are making tiles that are specifically designed for a limited space, you need to learn as much as possible about the shrinkage rate of the clay in question.

The largest shrinkage occurs during firing when chemically bound water leaves. Next, a continuous process of hardening and compression occurs with the formation of glass crystals in the fired clay, which transform the clay mass into ceramics. The higher the firing temperature, the more the clay shrinks. To reduce shrinkage, increase the amount of fireclay in the ceramic mass.

Clay shrinkage testing For this test, you will need a ruler with centimeter divisions marked on it. Roll out a small slab of clay and cut a strip about 4 x 13cm in size. Using a needle and ruler, very carefully mark a 100mm line on the surface of the strip. Attach a label to the strip with the name of the type of clay, let it dry and fire until it matures Measure the length of the line: the difference between the measurements on the wet and on the fired clay strip will give the shrinkage percentage. The photo shows that the 100 mm line on wet clay decreased to 92 mm after firing and the difference was 8 mm. The shrinkage of the clay is therefore 8%.

How to avoid cracking and deformation of clay

Whether you succeed or fail in your tile making venture depends on choosing the right type of clay. One of your biggest challenges will be to avoid cracking and warping during drying and firing. Fortunately, this task can be made easier if add a significant amount of granules or particles of coarse material such as fireclay to the clay. Ideally, the amount of fireclay should be from 15 to 40 percent, and it is desirable that the particles be of different sizes.

A good tile clay should contain 12/2? percent finely ground chamotte and 25% medium grinding. For those who already have experience working with ceramic masses, this amount may seem extremely large (and it is not suitable for making small ceramic figurines, where the fireclay content is unlikely to exceed 20%), but the open porous structure that is obtained thanks to the fireclay, allows the tiles to dry more evenly and avoid deformation.

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There was a period in the history of our country when harsh reality forced us to do something with our own hands, namely the lack of the necessary product in the retail chain, and the only opportunity to become the owner of this or that item was to make it from something at home.

The main component for ceramic tiles is clay

Now modern industry and trade provides consumers with any range of goods, including satisfying the needs of buyers in the finishing materials market. Ceramic tiles are presented in all imaginable and inconceivable types, sizes and colors.

It would seem that it would be simpler: come, choose, buy, install, but this option does not suit everyone; in our rapid age of standardization and standard solutions, we want to highlight our individuality, at least in the decoration of a particular room. And this raises the question: is it possible to make ceramic tiles at home with your own hands, realizing your own ideas for decorating the interior space of a bathroom or kitchen. We won't languish. We answer. Yes, you can, but subject to some simple conditions, which are discussed below.

What is needed to organize ceramic production

First of all, you must have great desire, patience and confidence in a positive result, as well as have the necessary materials, tools, devices and equipment available. You may not succeed in everything right away, but the effort spent will ultimately give you the opportunity to be proud of yourself, showing your friends and acquaintances such a rather technologically advanced product as ceramic tiles made from clay with your own hands.

Handmade clay ceramic tiles

Selection of raw materials

Everyone probably knows what any ceramics is made from; the main component is clay. Here's a look at what types of clay exist, their properties and the possibility of using them to make ceramic tiles with your own hands. Based on their composition, properties and application, clays are divided into four groups:

1. Rough ceramic. They contain a large amount of impurities in the form of pebbles and sand, as well as gypsum and lime inclusions. Used to make bricks, tiles, dishes and expanded clay.
2. Fireproof and refractory. They have a high alumina content, good ductility and a high degree of fire resistance. They are used in the manufacture of refractory bricks and various ceramics.
3. Kaolin. Low-plasticity clays are used in paper and rubber production and as an additive for the manufacture of earthenware.
4. Montmorillonite. The main feature is their high plasticity; it is used as drilling fluid in metallurgy and the food industry.

Plasticity is the ability of clay to take on any shape and retain it as it dries.

Clays are also divided into “fat” and “lean”. The former are plastic and products from them can be given any shape, but to make ceramics with your own hands at home, it is necessary to prepare the clay, for which the starting material is diluted to the required composition with sand, chamotte or ground pumice.

You should not take too “oily” clay, preferably medium plastic

Selection of tools and materials

If you decide to make tiled or regular ceramic tiles with your own hands, you will need:

• raw materials: clay, filler for dilution, if the clay is oily, water;
• mold for the production of future tiles;
• cliche for forming an imprint of a design or bas-relief on the front side of the product;
• spatula, scoop, trowel;
• mesh for reinforcing the product.

Stages of making ceramics

The technology for producing ceramic tiles with your own hands consists of the following steps:

• Clay of medium plasticity is taken, poured into a container and filled with water. After several days of soaking, the clay is mixed and kneaded. Then, through a fine sieve, the material is ground into another container, after which the mass is distributed onto old newspapers or a rag in a layer of 10-15 mm. Once the clay reaches the desired thickness, it is mixed and placed in a plastic bag.
• The material prepared in this way is placed into molds and compacted; this must be done so that the level of the molding mass coincides with the edges of the mold, for which excess material is cut off with a knife or cutter.

The highest quality molds are made from polyurethane; the products are quite smooth with the same parameters.

• Next, the technology for making ceramic tiles with your own hands goes into the pre-drying stage. It lasts until the mass acquires a lighter shade and this period depends on the ambient temperature and humidity. The result is a raw tile. If something went wrong for you, then at this stage you can still correct the situation, for which the spoiled semi-finished product is soaked in water, and the molding procedure begins again.
• The process of firing raw tiles is the most technologically advanced stage, because the semi-finished product must be exposed to high temperatures of about 1000-1200 degrees, which requires special equipment. To make ceramic tiles with your own hands, you can limit yourself to a temperature of 850-900 degrees, which is achieved in an electric muffle furnace. The production technology allows this, provided that the clay mass contains pumice, which is sintered at the specified temperature. This primary firing is called biscuit firing for some similarity in the resulting finely porous structure of the workpiece, after evaporating the water from it. The ceramic workpiece has already acquired the necessary hardness and strength. This product is called terracotta.

Stages of technology: making raw materials, firing ceramics and applying a decorative layer

• If you want to make majolica with your own hands, that is, fired ceramics, with the front side covered with glaze, or, more simply, tiles, then the production technology does not end there. It is necessary to do another firing, but with glaze, for which a multicomponent mixture is prepared, the main components of which are glass, kaolin and tripolephosphate in powder form. All components are mixed and diluted with water. The resulting mixture, with a brush or by pouring the workpiece, is distributed over the product, and a second firing is performed.

Particular attention should be paid to controlling the process temperature; it should not be higher than the primary firing temperature. Otherwise, the glazed surface may be damaged or the terracotta workpiece may sinter.

This tile manufacturing technology allows you to create unique compositions on the glossy surface of the product, for which different glaze compositions are used. If glazing with firing is not suitable for you for some reason, you can create an attractive, smooth and shiny surface with your own hands by treating the workpiece with enamel or varnish.

And so, if you read the article to the end, and the difficulties of making ceramic tiles from clay with your own hands, reflected in this manual, did not frighten you, then honor and praise to you. After all, knowing what and how to make such a unique finishing material, the originality and individuality of the cladding, as well as the delight of your friends and acquaintances, are guaranteed to you.

Making ceramic tiles yourself is a task that can be completed by anyone who has:

• certain skills;
• required equipment;
• desire to create.

Few people succeed in obtaining a high-quality product on the first try. However, you shouldn't give up on this. And subsequent tiles will be better. They can be used for personal use or sale.

Before production, it is important to decide on technologies. The production of ceramics essentially follows one method. The basis is a plastic mass made of clay. It is used to create tiles of the required sizes. It is then processed.

Making ceramic tiles with your own hands

When creating ceramic tiles, you should adhere to the following technology:

1. Raw materials are being prepared. The desired type of clay is selected. Another batch is introduced and the wet mass is preserved.
2. A raw material is created. This is a blank made from unprocessed clay. The raw material is thoroughly dried.
3. Initial heat treatment is in progress. It is also called biscuit firing. At significant temperature parameters, tiny elements of minerals are combined by melting. This is how they form terracotta. This is high strength ceramics.
4. Giving products a decorative appearance. Glaze is applied to the surface, which has been prepared in advance. This is followed by firing to achieve a glossy surface.

So, the work begins with the selection of raw materials. As already noted, the basis here is clay. It can be of different varieties. It is also important to take into account the percentage of its plasticity. According to this parameter, fatty clay is considered the leader. It is suitable for creating any shapes. And the outsider is skinny clay. She has increased fragility and fragility. It is usually recommended to use the middle view. You can also dilute the fatty type with sand or fireclay. This way the clay will not be so refractory and will not burst during firing.

Materials for creating ceramic tiles

You may also come across breeds such as:

• Kaolin. Color: white. It is often used to produce earthenware and porcelain.
• Cement. Needed for the manufacture of cement compositions.
• Brick. It is characterized by low fusibility and is used to create brick products.
• Fire resistant. It has high refractoriness. Copes with melting temperatures up to 1580 degrees.
• Acid resistant. Does not interact with many chemical compounds. Serves as a production raw material in the creation of chemically resistant tableware.
• Molding. It has good ductility and fire resistance. It is often used in the metallurgical field.
• Bentonite. Has powerful whitening properties.

The strength of the prepared tile must be sufficient. To give terracotta shades, you can use natural pigments. Essentially, these are mineral oxides. They are found in some types of clay. This can give a certain shade.

After selecting the raw materials, it is necessary to prepare them. After working with the composition, mixing all the elements in the required proportions, you need to wrap the whole mass in a plastic bag. The task here is to keep air out of this mixture. The clay should be left in this state for some time. This way all the particles of the porous material will absorb moisture.

Tile molding

Next, you can begin to form the tiles. For comfortable work, it is better to use polyurethane molds. For small batches, gypsum ones are also quite suitable. Forms will help to make smooth products that have the same external data. This requires careful compaction of the clay and its proper distribution according to the existing shape. The same thickness must be maintained over the entire area of ​​the template.

After this work, a workpiece (raw material) is required. The required degree of drying will be achieved when the tiles lighten and harden. It is very important to be careful here, since the raw material is quite fragile at this stage. But if any defect occurs, molding and drying can be repeated. To do this, the workpiece can be soaked in water.

Firing molded tiles

At the next stage of work it is necessary to burn the raw material. Here, all minerals contained in the ceramic mass will be treated at high temperatures. They must fuse with each other. The task is to obtain a monolithic mass. After this procedure, the tile becomes significantly stronger.

Here you can follow what has already been proven - the clay is baked at thermal intervals of 1000–1300 degrees Celsius. Sometimes the readings can be reduced to 850–900 degrees. Such changes should not deteriorate the quality of the product, so first introduce pumice into the raw material composition, but not more than 40% of the mixture. Otherwise, the material will be less durable.

During the initial firing, the raw material shrinks as moisture leaves the composition. This criterion must be taken into account when calculating the final dimensions of the product. It is also important to take into account that at this stage the porosity of the tile structure also increases. In special workshops, it is possible to reduce the number of pores by applying additional pressure.

The porous structure also has its advantages. This will make it more convenient to carry out subsequent decorative processing. The pores will accept some of the outer coating and reduce its spreading.

Applying glaze

Your tiles need to be shined. To do this, you can prepare your own special glaze. It may consist of glass, kaolin and tripolyphosphate. These components produce a dust-like powder. It must be mixed with clean water. Other minerals can be added to this mixture. The general list includes about 30 species.

Man has always strived to decorate his home and make it practical. For these purposes, he uses various materials, many of which have remained relevant for thousands of years. Thus, the first prototypes were found in excavations of the Euphrates and Tigris Mesopotamia. In ancient times, this material was used to decorate the walls of temples and houses of the nobility. Over time, its popularity grew, and manufacturing methods improved. Let's take a closer look at modern ceramic tiles and find out why they have earned such an impeccable reputation.

Compound

First of all, let's figure out what ceramic tiles are made of. The main raw materials used in the production of ceramics are represented by the following materials:

1. Clay materials. They give the wet mass the plasticity necessary for molding blanks.
2. Quartz materials (mainly sand). They perform a structural function, that is, they create the “skeleton” of the product. They allow you to limit and control changes in the dimensions of the product, which inevitably accompanies the firing process.
3. Materials containing feldspars (aluminosilicates or carbonates of potassium, sodium, calcium, etc.). With their help, when the product is fired, its structure remains dense and glassy.

The process of making ceramic tiles consists of the following stages:

1. Mixing materials.
2. Molding.
3. Drying.
4. Applying glaze.
5. Burning.
6. Sorting.

Let's look at each stage separately.

Mixing materials

It all starts with the extraction of materials, but we will not consider it, since we are interested in the process of making ceramic tiles. First of all, the clay is mixed with the other components according to strictly calculated proportions. The finished mixture is sent to preliminary grinding, where it is crushed and moistened.

The method of preparing ceramic mass depends on the properties of the raw materials and the desired product. There are such ways:

1. Semi-dry. The components are first crushed, then slightly dried, crushed, mixed and sent for molding. This method is called semi-dry because the components themselves have a certain degree of moisture.
2. Plastic. The clay is crushed and sent to a mixer, where it is mixed with additives and takes the form of a homogeneous plastic mass.
3. Wet. The materials are crushed and mixed with the addition of water (up to 60%). A homogeneous liquid mixture is supplied to special tanks.

Regardless of which ceramic tile production line is used, all materials must be thoroughly ground and mixed to produce a good product.

Molding

Molding is done in two ways: pressing and extrusion. In the first case, special presses compress the powdery mass in two directions. Being under high pressure, the granules undergo compaction and partial deformation. Due to this, the tile acquires the appropriate density and strength.

When using the extrusion method, the tiles are made from a dough-like mass, which is formed by pressing through the holes of the extruder. This method differs from dry pressing in the presence of a liquid phase in the production process. It is precisely because the viscous mass is squeezed out of the apparatus and cut that it is possible to produce products of different shapes. made using the extrusion method, it can be convex or concave. When pressing, you can only vary the size of the products.

Drying

An obligatory stage in the production technology of ceramic tiles is drying. At this stage, moisture is removed from the finished molds, which was necessary for comfortable molding. Drying conditions play a vital role in ensuring the integrity and strength of the future product, so they are strictly controlled. Modern tile production plants use drying units that blast the raw material (molded wet product) with hot air. Heating leads to the formation of moisture on the surface of the semi-finished product, which quickly evaporates and is removed by the ventilation system.

Good heat transfer, efficient ventilation and high air temperature ensure the installation's performance. If the raw material is fired without going through the drying stage, it will crack. At the final stages of drying and during the firing process, the tile shrinks, that is, a proportional decrease in its linear dimensions. This explains the need for calibration of finished products. The higher the level of the enterprise, the more likely it is that its products will have the same dimensions. Therefore, it is better to choose options in the middle price range (for example, from the companies Shakhtinskaya Ceramic Tiles, Euroceramics, Sokol, etc.) than to get an uneven wall.

Applying glaze

Glaze (enamel) is a glassy coating that is applied to the front side of the tile and fixed during the firing process. Glazing is performed for the purpose of decorating and strengthening the product. The composition of the glaze may include various materials and compounds (sand, oxides, frits, coloring pigments, etc.). It can be glossy and matte, colored and monochrome, and sometimes even transparent. Coloring is achieved by adding metal oxides and salts (iron-red, chromium - green, cobalt - blue, etc.). The enamel has a glassy structure and differs from the ceramic base not only in appearance, but also in characteristics, the most important of which is water resistance.

Today, a ceramic tile production plant can use several dozen methods of applying glazes to its products. The enamel can be used in the form of a sprayed suspension, paste or granules. In the basic version, it is applied to molded blanks using a large round drum, which, making one circle, processes several tiles at once. Application can be done before or after firing, and in some cases, even during firing.

In order for the product to have a more aesthetic appearance, the enameling process can be accompanied by the application of an image. Ceramic tiles with a pattern are much more popular than plain ones. So that each tile has a unique image, but maintains the style of the series, the drum is simply shifted along the axis of rotation. Of course, this applies to models with abstract pictures.

Burning

Ceramic tiles are fired to make them sufficiently hard and durable. This occurs due to chemical and physical changes in the composition of the material and glaze, which occur under the influence of high temperatures. Typically, ceramic tile manufacturers use continuous kilns for this purpose. In essence, such a furnace is a tunnel, moving through which with the help of a special conveyor, the tiles are first preheated (allowing you to get rid of residual moisture) and then fired.

A characteristic property of clay is its ability to transform into a durable stone-like mass when fired. Depending on the type of product, the firing temperature ranges from 900 to 1300°C. After spending a certain time in the oven, the tiles are consistently cooled to a temperature at which, without compromising quality, it can be unloaded from the oven.

Sorting

Before entering the packaging line and warehouse, the finished tiles are carefully sorted. This procedure solves three problems:

1. Reject products with defects.
2. Separate tiles of the first grade from tiles of lower grades.
3. Group trade lots by variety and color.

Typically, manufacturers of ceramic tiles perform sorting in the following way - after leaving the kiln, it goes through three sections: flaw detection, calibration, and visual inspection. To identify defects, each product is fed onto rails and rolled with a roller. Due to the fact that the rails are located at the edges of the tile, and the roller presses into the center, defective samples break, unable to withstand the load. Painting defects are checked visually, along with determining the tone. All that remains is to sort the products into batches and send them to the warehouse.

As you can see, the technology for producing ceramic tiles is quite simple. However, in order to obtain a high-quality product, it is necessary to approach each stage with full responsibility and compliance with all technological rules. This is why many novice entrepreneurs who have opened a factory for the production of ceramic tiles cannot achieve the proper quality of their products. Now let’s briefly find out what properties ceramic tiles should have.

Wear resistance

Of course, this is one of the most important qualities of floor tiles, as it characterizes its resistance to abrasion and the ability to maintain an attractive appearance after long-term use. Despite the fact that the material as a whole is quite durable, its type should be selected depending on the operating conditions. Thus, designed for a simple bathroom, ceramic floor tiles with a pattern placed in a public toilet will quickly wear out and lose their appearance.

Water absorption

Water absorption is the ratio of the mass of water absorbed by the tile when it is completely immersed under water to the mass of the dry product, expressed as a percentage. For floors it should not be higher than 3%. For wall marks this figure increases to 10%. In this regard, for lining swimming pools, for example, not just any tile is suitable. Large manufacturers, for example, the Shakhtinskaya Ceramic Tile enterprise, can produce at their facilities different types of specialized products, from bath tiles to ceramics for swimming pools.

Frost resistance

Just like water absorption, this property depends on the porosity of the product. Regardless of the production technology, ceramic tiles still have pores into which moisture can penetrate. As you know, when water freezes, it increases in volume. The ability of tiles saturated with moisture to withstand frequent alternating freezing is called frost resistance. This indicator is important when choosing exterior finishing materials. The fewer pores in ceramics, the lower its water absorption rate, and the higher its frost resistance rate.

Slip resistance

As you might guess, this property determines the ability of the tile enamel to prevent objects placed on it from sliding. This requirement is important when finishing the floors of residential and industrial premises, especially those in which it is always humid. In swimming pools and baths, ribbed tiles are most often used, which have increased slip resistance.

Chemical resistance

This is the name given to the characteristics of tile enamel, reflecting its ability to withstand contact with chemicals (acids, bases, household chemicals, additives for disinfecting water in swimming pools, etc.). The tile should not undergo external changes under the aggressive influence of these substances. By the way, when considering the resistance of ceramics to certain influences, we should not forget that the seams between the tiles can also be subject to destructive effects. To avoid this, they are coated with protective compounds.

Tensile strength

This indicator expresses the level of permissible load that ceramic tiles can withstand. Usually it is directly proportional to the thickness of the product. Load bearing capacity is mainly important for floor tiles.

Surface hardness

This characteristic illustrates the surface's resistance to damage and scratches. It is especially important for floor tiles. Surface hardness is determined by the quality and composition of the glaze. It is noteworthy that on a shiny surface mechanical damage is much more noticeable than on a matte surface.

And exclusive, these are miracles, -

I made the tiles for the bathroom myself

Make your own tiles. What for? After all, hardware stores offer tiles of different sizes, colors, with different patterns, even for bathroom walls, even for the floor, even for the ceiling. So what? Despite the rich assortment, you will still come across the same color, texture, or pattern from one of your friends or acquaintances. If you are a designer at heart and you need something exclusive, then roll up your sleeves and make your own tiles. Many people say that this is impossible, because you need special equipment. This is not so: you need skillful hands and a clear head, and then the saying goes about the eyes that are afraid and the hands that do.

What do you need to produce ceramic tiles?

Of course, first of all clay, as the main raw material for the production of tiles. And water, under the influence of which the clay changes its physical and chemical properties. Naturally, there must be a container for mixing them. Further:

• - there must be a form for filling;
• - matrix for applying a picture or bas-relief;
• - tools for filling forms (spatula, scoop);
• - reinforcing mesh;
• - gloves to protect your hands;
• - you can prepare a filler, especially if the clay is very oily.

Properties of clays

Clay is composed of aluminum, silicone, hydrogen and oxygen. At the moment when it was taken out of the ground, there could be no talk of any ceramics. When something can be made from it, it will become flexible and viscous by changing its structure. And this happens only under the influence of water. And now the quality of the tiles produced depends on the properties of the clay. Any good clay has the following properties:

• - when interacting with water, it forms dough and suspensions (this is cloudy water on top of the dough, which contains particles so small that they do not even fall down, but are held between water molecules);
• - ability to swell;
• - plasticity, that is, the ability to give the dough any shape, which, by the way, remains after drying (but in a smaller volume);
• - binding ability and stickiness;
• - the ability, after being saturated with water, not to allow water to pass through itself.

One should not lose sight of such a property as the color of the clay. They come in white, red, yellow, green, black, and a huge variety of shades. Naturally, using clay of different colors, multi-colored products are obtained.

And, although this no longer applies to the production of tiles, clay purifies (filters) petroleum products, fats and oils, is a raw material for the production of aluminum sulfates, and also has healing properties.

It is clear that not every clay has a set of all these properties, but it is already a person’s prerogative to decide which clay and how to use it.

Types of clays

Clays are often classified according to how they are used. The following clays have the greatest value as a mineral resource.

1. 1. Kaolin, which is white in color. We owe earthenware and porcelain dishes to him. It also serves as a filler in the production of cardboard and paper.
2. 2. Refractory clays in white, gray and yellow colors. Held without softening to melt up to 1580°C.
3. 3. Acid-resistant clays. One of the areas of application is chemical glassware.
4. 4. Molding clays characterized by increased plasticity, binding ability and fire resistance. Used in the manufacture of casting molds in the metallurgical industry.
5. 5. Cement clays, their purpose follows from the name.
6. 6. Brick clays. They are fusible and, depending on the impurities, produce bricks of varying quality.
7. 7. Bentonite clays with bleaching and cleanability properties.

There is another good classification of clays. This is their division into “skinny” and “fat”. "Fat"represent good clay with almost no impurities, while “lean” clay is loam, or worse, sandy loam with small inclusions of clay. If products made from “lean” clay are fragile and easily crumble under slight pressure, then sand must be added to the “fat” clay, since it often “breaks” during firing, which, oddly enough, is to blame for the strength. It’s just that different places or layers heat up and cool down differently, that is, they have different expansion coefficients, and softness and plasticity are already lost during firing. And so the layers, shifting one relative to the other, separate, forming a crack.

How to make ceramic tiles with your own hands?

You should not take too “oily” clay, preferably medium-plastic: this way the tile will be moderately strong and will not “tear” during firing. The clay must be taken sufficiently wet, and it must rest in a tied bag so that the water does not evaporate. For what? Clay that does not compact has pores occupied by air, which does not contribute to its plasticity and binding properties.

Next you can start shaping. The clay must be placed in molds, compacted tightly, and so that the edges of the mold and the edges of the product coincide. The excess must be removed with a cutter, otherwise after drying and firing the edges of the tile will be quite sharp. But you shouldn’t beat them off, as this risks breaking the tiles.

The next stage is drying the tiles. How long? This depends on the temperature and relative humidity of the area where it is drying. The guideline is usually lightening the tile (it is always darker when raw) and hardening. The result was a raw semi-finished product. If you hit it even lightly, it will crumble, even though the raw material looks quite strong. By the way, the raw material is the last stage when you can still change anything. You can simply throw the raw material into a bucket of wet clay, it will take up water, soften and become ready for reuse. Why is this the last stage for change? And then comes firing, after which all the physical properties of the clay will change.

Most often, firing has two stages: biscuit firing and glaze firing. The biscuit process takes place at a temperature no higher than 1000°C. Skeptics argue that it is impossible to obtain temperatures close to this value at home. And now attention: no more than a thousand, but close to this it can be a value of 900°C, and it is easily achieved in an electric muffle furnace. Why is firing called biscuit firing? This temperature evaporates the last moisture from the tile, making it finely porous, like a biscuit. The temperature should be from 850°C.

We could have stopped there. The tile has already acquired sufficient hardness and strength. But we are accustomed to seeing shiny, smooth surfaces in cladding. Fired ceramics without glaze is called terracotta, it is in front of us. We want to get majolica - fired ceramics covered with glaze.

The pores formed during bisque firing play an important role when covering the tiles with glaze. Thanks to them, the tile adsorbs and retains the glaze before and during firing. What is the glaze made of? When preparing it in industrial conditions, about thirty different minerals are used. At home, it can be done like this: glass, tripolephosphate and kaolin are placed in a ball mill and ground. The resulting mixture is mixed with water. The composition is applied by watering, brush or spray.

The second firing is carried out. Its temperature should be lower than during the first firing. This is necessary for two reasons: it is impossible to reach critical temperatures when the ceramics begin to sinter; at a higher temperature, the glaze will not be evenly distributed over the tile, but will turn into interspersed glass balls. The role of glaze is twofold: it seals the ceramic item and allows you to achieve unexpected lighting effects.

There is one nuance in this whole process. As you may have noticed, glaze and ceramics consist of the same chemical elements. Therefore, if you leave the tile in the oven while firing the glaze, it may begin to melt on its own.

That's all, actually. After experimenting with minerals to achieve the desired shade of glaze, with the technique of applying patterns or relief elements, you can begin to create exclusives.

Sometimes, when creating facing tiles, they do not reach the second firing stage, but the tiles are still glossy. A slightly different technology is simply used here. After the first firing, the tiles are primed and a layer of varnish is applied. The dried varnish also creates a glossy surface.

So is it worth it or not to make facing tiles yourself? Exclusivity and enormous moral satisfaction on one side of the scale and a lot of work and unpredictability of the result (for the first time) on the other. It depends on the individual individual where these scales will swing, especially since there is no big problem - there are enough tiles and tiles in the neighboring store around the corner and at the construction market.

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