Glass tile production is an incredibly innovative and sustainable manufacturing process that can incorporate a large amount of recycled glass. Though each tile color, style, and shape is created using a slightly different process, all of the tiles we sell here at Glass Tile Warehouse are put through a kiln firing process that results in a beautiful, colorful tile that will never chip or fade. Here are some insights into how our tiles are made:
The Materials
Only glass that is free of contaminants (dirt, paper, etc.) can be used to make glass tiles, and the material used must be the same color and consistency. Post-consumer content such as jars, bottles, windows, or broken glass may be employed, but the glass materials must be sorted before they can be used. Sometimes different colored glass is used in the same tile to create interesting patterns or even images.
The Process
There are two basic techniques for creating a glass tile:
- Molten Tile Method
In this process, glass and color is heated to an extremely high temperature until it reaches a molten liquid state. In this state, the glass can be poured and pressed into tile shapes using a cookie cutter-like tool to create small mosaic tiles. The tiles are then cooled, with larger tiles requiring a period of time in an annealing oven to reduce stress and promote hardness.
The final product with the molten method generally leaves some variability in color and texture in each of the tiles, which is generally the result that is wanted. If a more uniform tile is desired, color and quality control experts oversee each tile to ensure that it meets specifications.
One of the advantages to this method is that there is relatively little waste material left over.
- Molded Tile Method
With this method, uniform pieces of glass are placed into ceramic molds and then heated to lower temperature than the molten method. The pieces are fused together by the heat, and the process is followed by annealing to ensure strength. One of the disadvantages to this method is that one cannot add color directly to the glass.
Once this process is completed a number of different finishes can be placed on the tile:
At Glass Tile Warehouse, each of our tiles are made with keen attention to detail that results in an incredibly high quality glass tile that will last. Visit http://www.glasstilewarehouse.com to get started on your custom order.