Why It’s Not Cheap, Easy to Replace Those Classic Ceramics

Ceramic tiles are a beautiful accent in many old homes. Whether decorative or plain, they have such richness that they lend an air of grace and charm to old entranceway floors, baths and fireplaces.

However, tiles may become damaged over time and need to be replaced. In most cases, the answer isn’t as easy as a trip to the local home center or tile store. The difficulty in finding matches for old hand-painted, printed or carved tiles is obvious. Differences in the way tiles were made years ago make most of today’s mass-produced tiles inappropriate replacements for even plain field tiles.

Color variations were common in the glaze of old tiles. Two glaze variations typical of tiles produced 50 years ago are picture framing and crazing or crackle glazing.

Picture framing occurs when the glaze puddles around the edges of the tile, outlining or framing it. The latter situation appears when the glaze doesn’t actually fit the body of the tile but shrinks at different rates, causing cracks to occur in its face. Today, both would be considered color flaws.

Fortunately, both can be reproduced by custom tile studios catering to this type of work.

The first step is sending the studio a good sample piece of the tile you’re trying to replace. A good quality photo can help if you can only send a section of tile instead of an entire undamaged piece.

Tile reproduction is costly, the major expense being research and development for the glaze and clay body. Much trial and error is involved, and the experts depend on their experience to guide them.

Choosing a glaze color is not like choosing a paint color. The unfired state of glaze is nothing like its fired state. Finding the right match of glaze and clay body is a slow process. Expect to pay $150 to $300 for this work, unless the shop you choose has already developed a matching glaze for a past job and has this information on file.

The next step is creating the template or mold. Depending on how intricate or carved the tile is, you can pay anywhere from $100 on up for this. Matching hand-painted tiles can run $25 to $100 each.

A less expensive alternative is to retile the entire area, whether fireplace, foyer or bath. Some tile companies offer historic designs that will blend with old-home decor.

The Tile Heritage Foundation has a national network of tile identifiers who, with a good quality photograph of the tile and a stamped, self-addressed return envelope, can establish the type and origin. Write P.O. Box 1850, Healdsburg, CA 95448.