# For the Artistically Inclined (Tiles) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 8, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-artistically-inclined-tiles/630816 "2012-08-08T02:02:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-artistically-inclined-tiles/630816/1 "2012-08-08T02:02:41Z")
I want to decorate some tiles for a local hospital. What materials will I need? Tile, paint (what sort of paint), kiln (?), ? Sorry - I’m a bit clueless when it comes to art. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-artistically-inclined-tiles/630816/2 "2012-08-08T02:50:41Z")
Paint is not what you need. Clay tiles are glazed, not painted. Glazing is a process of fusing a slurry of pigmented glass to a clay body via intense heat (I’m simplifying). It isn’t really a thing to think of doing casually on your own, especially if you are starting from what appears to be complete ignorance. Get a book out of the library, take a community college or adult ed class. It isn’t something to learn how to do from the internet, seriously. ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-artistically-inclined-tiles/630816/3 "2012-08-08T02:54:42Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Get a book out of the library, take a community college or adult ed class. It isn’t something to learn how to do from the internet, seriously. I don’t have time for reading books or attending classes. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-artistically-inclined-tiles/630816/4 "2012-08-08T02:56:35Z")
You can get tiles that are unglazed and the paints to use at an art store. But you’ll still need a kiln to glaze them. I remember at one time some kind of technique for doing it without a kiln, but I don’t think you get a durable tile like surface out of it. Since I didn’t remember any details about this, I searched on “how to make your own decorative tiles” and plenty of info popped up. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-artistically-inclined-tiles/630816/5 "2012-08-08T03:15:54Z")
Around here there are lots of places (like [this](http://www.colormemine.com/)) that have “green” ceramics and all the materials to decorate, glaze and fire them. I’d look for one of them near you. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-artistically-inclined-tiles/630816/6 "2012-08-08T06:04:15Z")
Are they going to be floor tiles or just decorative wall tiles? I think floor tiles need to be much more durable, which you’ll probably need a kiln for. If you’re just making decorative wall tiles like [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JB98F9TVa4M/S-5Zzk7OHZI/AAAAAAAADiU/nVXjo5Otx70/s800/PMBS1095.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JB98F9TVa4M/S-5Zzk7OHZI/AAAAAAAADiU/nVXjo5Otx70/s800/PMBS1095.JPG) (although I think these were fired, because they were in a ceramics museum), you might be able to use oven baked clay from arts stores. ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-artistically-inclined-tiles/630816/7 "2012-08-08T06:54:53Z")
They will be decorative wall tiles. Does glaze have to be used on ceramic (not clay) tiles? What about ceiling tiles? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-artistically-inclined-tiles/630816/8 "2012-08-08T07:01:21Z")
You can get plain white glazed tiles and paint them with various materials that set in the ordinary oven - I’ve used [Porcelaine](http://en.pebeo.com/Creative-leisure/Decorate-surfaces/Porcelaine-150) before, it’s quite good. Only downside is you can’t use it for plates you want to eat off (the actual eating surface, I mean), but otherwise it’s exactly the thing for you. You could also probably have some success with the stained glass products like [Vitrea](http://en.pebeo.com/Creative-leisure/Decorate-surfaces/Vitrea-160), but those are transparent glazes. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-artistically-inclined-tiles/630816/9 "2012-08-08T07:35:55Z")
Get creative with [wall murals, stickers, decals.](https://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&safe=off&q=wall+decals&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&biw=1680&bih=903&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=qhYiUKbkIcKBhQfZoIDICw). Easy, nice, cheap, and removable if you or they don’t like it. You can also buy a bunch of old colorful tiles, [break them into pieces, and glue](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd-TXCGVvEc) them to the tile wall, then grout it. Quite easy for an amateur, not that expensive either. [Here are some images of finished tile mosaik.](https://www.google.nl/search?q=tile+mosaic&hl=nl&safe=off&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=XxciULe_BNHjtQbPl4D4Bg&ved=0CG0QsAQ&biw=1680&bih=959) My brother made a tile backsplash for his kitchen that way, very nice. Tile mosaiks go easily over another tile wall.