Terracotta Tiles

The word ‘terracotta’ in Italian is translated as ‘baked earth’; terracotta tiles are made of clay with a reddish brown hue that is fired to an extremely high temperature, resulting in a warm toned tile with a rustic appearance. The process involves the terracotta clay being prepped, shaped, dried, and fired. The tiles can then be glazed to achieve different colours or finishes or left unglazed for a natural earth ware look.

With state of the art machinery constantly being developed in the porcelain industry, this has opened up a whole realm of tiling options that look just like the real thing. Terracotta effect tiles are an authentic replica of popular terracotta floor tiles, offering a hardwearing material that doesn’t require sealing and is very low maintenance. A porcelain tile is a man-made product that combines kaolin clay, finely ground sand, and feldspar. The clay mixture is fired to an extremely high temperature, resulting in a very dense tile that benefits from a low water absorption rate.

Natural terracotta tiles are porous and will therefore require sealing, however, a big benefit of terracotta effect tiles is that they do not need sealing, thanks to their strong porcelain body and hardwearing glazed surface. A porcelain tile is a man-made product that combines kaolin clay, finely ground sand, and feldspar. The clay mixture is fired to an extremely high temperature, resulting in a very dense tile that benefits from a low water absorption rate.

How to clean terracotta tiles? When it comes to cleaning terracotta tiles, it is important to vacuum or sweep any dirt or dust when the surface is dry. Natural terracotta flooring will require sealing and resealing, its worth spot cleaning any spillage as and when they occur. You can also occasionally mop using a stone friendly cleaner diluted in warm water, such as Lithofin Wash & Clean. Never use any acidic or abrasive cleaners for natural terracotta as this may strip the sealant on the tiles.

Terracotta effect porcelain tiles are very easy to clean and maintain. We recommend the same steps of vacuuming and sweeping any dirt or dust when the tiles are dry, as well as occasional mopping. Porcelain does not need sealing and is much more resistant to staining. Most household cleaners can be used, but we recommend using a porcelain friendly cleaner such as Lithofin Conditioning Cleaner.