About William Morris Tile Tile was one of the earliest media that Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. explored. Pre-fired tiles were imported from Holland and painted by Morris himself, as well as others in the Morris & Co. circle, then fired again. Many of these original tile designs later made their way to implementations in stained glass and textiles. Morris's quandary was this: Art is the most spiritual and at the same time, the most revolutionary of enterprises. William Morris wanted to remain true to the medieval craftsman values and at the same time, long before his socialist years, to improve the quality of life and make art available for all people. He improved upon the medieval tilemaking process with the more modern processes of the late 19th century and produced a better product, while providing a good wage and exemplary working conditions for his time. We've modified Morris's methods further, with ultraviolet light resistant colors and polymer glazes, while remaining true to the spirit of his vision. None of our tile is mass produced. All of our tiles are individually pressed, and designed with individual care and attention. We think Morris would approve. Pressed Tiles Pros: Our tiles are individually pressed tiles. Pressed tiles are the best choice when you want to duplicate an art work, such as the original William Morris & Co. designs. It is possible to achieve a higher degree of consistency with pressed tiles than with glazed tiles. You can clean ceramic tiles with any household non-abrasive cleaner and a soft cloth or sponge. Use only unsanded grout when setting your tile. Cons: Our pressed tiles are not generally intended for permanent outdoor use. Even with the best UV dyes, fading will occur if the tiles are placed in direct sun or exposed to weather in an outdoor environment. Just as there is an enormous difference between a Morris-designed De Morgan ceramic tile imported from Portugal and a 10 cent ceramic tile bought at Home Depot, there is a wide span in the quality of pressed tiles. We use the highest quality ceramic tiles, and UV dyes. We press each tile individually. Most of our pressed tiles are ceramic, but may be tumbled Botticino marble. Glazed Tiles Pros A more traditional tile method. Glazed tiles are better suited for outdoor use. There is considerable variation among tiles. As they age, glazed tiles are subject to crackling and crazing. The variation and change in the tile as it ages is normal and is considered a feature. Cons Glazed tiles may crack in extremes of weather. The original Morris &. Co. tiles were hand-painted and then multi-glazed. Some Morris designs are duplicated using a stencil transfer onto the tile, which is then hand-painted and glazed. Although we like the history and feeling of hand-painted tiles, we espouse Morris's values more than his methods. Hand-painted tiles are not only less robust but large-scale production of Morris & Co. design tiles in this way supports working conditions runs contrary to our principles and those of William Morris. Reproduction Tile William Morris Tile reproductions are pressed tiles, in a process not entirely dissimilar from the original process, but adapted for advances in method and with the intention of duplicating the original tile. The tile is cleaned and sprayed by hand with a polymer coating. (A polymer is a very long chain of molecules that moves very slow, and is usually very stable. (What is polymer?). The tile is placed upside down on a design painted or printed with ultraviolet-resistant pigments. The tile is placed under pressure and simultaneously heated to a low firing temperature. This causes the colors to vaporize and fuse with the underlying polymer glaze. The tile is removed and cooled. The polymer coating hardens further. This method is more reminiscent of the traditional delftware technique, in which raw clay receives a "biscuit" firing, then coated with the tin-glaze to prepare it for pigment. It was then fired at high temperature so that the pigment fused with the underlying tin-glaze. Changing the World.... One Tile at a Time Lest you think that our tiles are mass-produced transfers (we'd hate for you'd think that), each is pressed individually. Each tile is oriented and placed by hand. On Botticino marble it really makes a difference, as you can see in this William De Morgan dragon on marble: A tile's quality will be no better than the quality of the materials used to produce it. A wide variation in the quality of polymer coatings determines and colors and finish, and their corresponding cost. Even with the best materials, variations in color and quality exist among the final tiles and not every tile is suitable for installation. (We pass our rejects on to mosaic artists.) Where the process becomes automated and soulless, quality suffers. We chose this method over hand-painted tiles because it gives us the accuracy we want in a quality medium, while staying true to Morris's ideals in not exploiting third-world workers to produce quantities of "hand painted tiles" in a color-by-number fashion without pride of workmanship. Installation Considerations Like everything else, much of the quality in a thing depends on the materials you use. We use the best materials but pressed and hand painted tiles will not stand up as well in constant bright light as glazed clay or Talavera tile. Otherwise, these tiles stand up nicely. We used the fairy tale panels on our stair risers and will be doing 'The Forest' tapestry as a backsplash in the kitchen. Marble tiles do need to be sealed when used as a backsplash. These projects are suitable for home improvement projects that you can do yourself. Morris and Co. Tile-making Process William Morris, the Soul of Arts and Crafts

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