DIY: The process to doing a custom handmade tile project
In what era was your home built?
What is the style you want to create in the space? Do you want to work with the period of the home i.e. a Bungalow, Arts and Crafts, Victorian, Tudor, Rambler, or Contemporary? Working in a period will guide your decision process and help narrow down your choices. Are you more eclectic and want to make a piece of art in the space? If so working with themes and color ranges will help you keep on task.
Visual image of your space
To come up with a visual image of your space we recommend looking at books and magazines. Clay Squared has a
small library of historic and contemporary books to get ideas. Your local book stores carry a great selection of magazines and home improvement books. Bring in clippings of ideas and color schemes you like.
How do you use your space?
If you are working on a kitchen, do you have a lot of appliances? Place decorative tiles in areas that will be seen. Is your space small? Consider getting tiles sizes that fit the scale of the area. If you have a large room, bold designs and colors can compliment the space.
Measurements
If you are working with a designer, architect, tile setter, or a home store, you will likely have drawings of the space.
Please bring that in or fax Clay Squared for us to review so we can get a feel for the space. If you are doing the work yourself then draw us a general sketch with the measurements of the area you want to tile. Then we can give you a quote on how much tile you need and its cost. Clay Squared recommends ordering 10% extra for most projects.
Price range
Kitchen tiled backsplashes range from 8 - 30 sq. ft. and cost from $400 to $1800.
Fireplaces range from 6 – 20 sq. ft. and cost from $300 to $1200.
Bathroom shower walls range from 40 – 80 sq. ft. and cost $1500 - $3000.
Floors range from 60 – 200 sq. ft. and cost $800 - $10,000. (Note: Clay Squared does not make floor tiles but does carry a couple of lines of floor tiles that range in price from $10 to $49 a sq. ft.)
Compared to the cost of other kitchen components, like cabinets, appliances, lighting, plumbing, and flooring,
handmade tile can give your house an authentic look at an affordable price.
Color swatches and samples
If you have color samples of your counter top, cabinets, and walls you should bring those in to match against our color choices and designs. We have a sample program that allows you to take out samples for two weeks for free. This is one of the most important steps in the process. Taking samples home to see what they look like with your lighting, walls, cabinets, etc., will take many of the anxieties out of the decision making process. If you are not local or there is not a tile showroom that carries Clay Squared tiles in your area, please ask us to send you some samples. Click here to see a list of tile centers that carry Clay Squared tile.
Ordering
Once we have your measurements and you have decided on your design, colors, and accent tiles, we will give you a final estimate. If you choose to do the project, we require half down payment to start the process. Most projects less than 50 sq. ft. are completed within 3 to 4 weeks. If you have ordered tiles from one of the artists in our showroom they will have their own time line which usually ranges from 3 to 8 weeks. When the project is completed we will contact you, and when you come in to pick up the tiles you pay the balance due.
Laying out the project
Make sure to look for the chocolate in the box. Next it is very important to lay out the tiles to see the variations and see if they fit to the measurements originally specified. All of our tiles are handmade and hand glazed so there will be variations in size and color. If there are any problems, contact Clay Squared to figure out what we can do to resolve the problem.
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