Difference between Encaustic and Cement

Last week I had a little rant on Twitter. It made me feel better, so I decided to devote a whole blog post to the topic.

Maybe it's something about having degrees in writing and literature makes me a little persnickety about words and their meanings. I dunno. Everyone makes mistakes, especially me, but I'm not talking about accidental errors. What I'm getting irritated about is when someone calls something by the wrong name--on purpose. Things have names for a reason.

So, here it is, the scandal that I just can't keep quiet about any longer... Encaustic tiles and cement tiles are not the same thing! Yet, I keep seeing the very people who make and sell cement tile calling it "encaustic" tile. Of course, I know (and adore) many of the people who do this, so I hope I'm not stepping on any toes. Here's the deal:

Encaustic Tile
Briefly, encaustics are made of two or more colors of clay which are inlaid together making a pattern, then fired, sometimes more than once. This type of tile making has been around for hundreds of years and was popular during the Renaissance. Minton tile is a more recent type of encaustic tile. 

Here's a picture of the slip being poured into the tile:

     Photo by H & R Johnson Tiles

Cement Tile
With cement tiles, on the other hand, the color comes from mineral pigments which are set into a mold at the beginning of the process. The cement is poured on top, then the tile is hydraulically pressed and the tile is cured for about 3 weeks or so. This method was developed in the mid-19th century.

Avente Tile has a video on YouTube showing how cement tile is made, with the pigment being first poured into the mold and then the cement going on top. Avente Tile's video of cement tile manufacturing process.

Both cement tiles and encaustic tiles are usually patterned and unglazed--perhaps that's where the confusion arises? Either way, cement tiles are a perfectly lovely art form that don't need to borrow a name to make them sound fancier.

Whew! I feel better now.

For more info: 
Website describing encaustic tile history and manufacturing process.
National Park Service site on preserving encaustic tiles. 
The very excellent Villa Lagoon tile has a whole section on cement tile in the media including a link to an article I wrote on the subject. 
Not that I'm selling anything, but here's a whole Book on Cement Tile (which I edited.)

Cement tile

Tile with an identity crisis

Cement tiles have been around for over a hundred years, and yet, in the US, misinformation abounds.

Recently, when asked if his store carried cement tile, one dealer replied, "Oh, you don't want that. It only comes in one color and it doesn't hold up well." Clearly, he wasn't familiar with cement tiles; also known as mosaicos hydraulico, cement encaustics, and Cuban tile, among other names. Not only do they come in every color imaginable, but many 100-year-old floors are still in beautiful condition.

Perhaps confusion about the tiles arises from the fact that cement is such a humble material. For those who haven't seen installed cement tile floors, it must seem inconceivable that a material used in road construction can also be manufactured into a floor that is sophisticated and elegant.

Tile importer Nina Long of Wholesale Tile in Tampa, Florida has been importing the tiles for 25 years. She's heard all kinds of misconceptions about cement tiles. "People think they are painted, people call them encaustics, and when they aren't polished, people say they are honed. Of course, they aren't painted or honed at all. Technically, they aren't encaustics either, as true encaustics are made of clay."

"I think that sometimes dealers see some of the colors and patterns, like the wild pinks and greens, and they think, 'I can't sell this!'" says Long. "It can be hard to visualize, but cement tile offers a whole creative process. You can have any color or design that you can imagine. That is the most exciting quality of cement tile. People aren't used to that with floors."

Long has seen the floors on trips to China, Russia, Europe, Mexico, and all throughout the Caribbean. Cuban immigrants installed the tiles throughout Southern Florida, where there are still cement tile floors between 70 and 100 years old.

Melanie Stephens, marketing director at Granada Tile, has seen the tiles throughout Nicaragua, Turkey and France. "The more people have traveled the more they are familiar with cement tiles. If they don't travel and they haven't seen it, it can be hard to understand," she says. "This is a fascinating product, the way the tiles are made and the options that are available."