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Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
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  • Kitchen + Backsplash
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2023 img hi res full usage design Atypical design Studio photo jordan Layton wainscott offset cardamom 3x9 floor tile iron ore 2 hexagon FC596427 1

Original Ceramic tiles showcase handmade qualities with unique variations in color, crazing, and finish.

  • All Original Ceramic Colors
  • Studio Glazes New
  • Ceramic Stains New
  • Shop Shapes
  • Shop Patterns
  • Trim + Architectural Moldings
Resources
  • All Resources
  • Spec Sheet
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Your first 5 color samples are FREE through a rep

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT BROWSE ALL SAMPLES
2024 residential full usage 4x4 terre verte satin red jasper satin indigo satin 2x2 red jasper satin bathroom checkerboard straight set 6x12 cove base indigo satin Pluck Architecture Leonid Furmansky FC796720 2

Our budget-friendly ceramics line, Natural Press is made with your largest indoor and outdoor projects in mind.

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Your first 5 color samples are FREE through a rep

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT BROWSE ALL SAMPLES
Modern blue subway wall glass tile 2

Our radiant Glass Tile provides a freshness that pairs perfectly with today’s modern designs indoors or out.

  • All Glass Colors
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Resources
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Your first 5 color samples are FREE through a rep

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Your first 5 color samples are FREE through a rep

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Glazed Thin Brick Destination Eichler Blue Brick Fireplace

Brick’s hand-mixed glazes enrich its surface, delicately exposing its unique textures and variations with the colors of the environment around us.

  • All Brick Colors
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Your first 5 color samples are FREE through a rep

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2022 img hi res full rights residential photo design plural design studio bathroom floor tile mini star and cross antique white grout FC 407104 2

Our bestselling tile products all ready to ship in five days or less.

  • All Quick Ship Tile
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Budget-Friendly Tile
  • $12 Essentials
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  • Factory Sale
Trade callout

As a member you’ll receive exclusive access to new products, a professional discount, plus personalized service from our trade team who can help bring your vision to life.

Learn More →
Residential Specifiers
  • Find Your Rep
  • Custom Projects
  • Design Packages
Commercial Specifiers
  • Find Your Rep
  • Custom Projects
  • Commercial Pricing
  • 2025 Resource Book
Meet Your Partners
  • Virtual CEU
Enscape 2025 04 08 12 57 54

Visualize our tile in your space with our comprehensive design packages.

Design Packages
  • All Design Packages
  • Bathroom
  • Kitchen
  • Fireplace
  • Pool + Fountain
Custom Tile
  • Our Custom Capabilities
  • Book A Free Consultation
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Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
Blog
  • All Blog Posts
  • Design + Inspiration
  • Project Spotlight
  • Tile School
Gallery
  • All Gallery Entries
  • Bathroom
  • Kitchen
  • Commercial
Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
Blog
  • All Blog Posts
  • Design + Inspiration
  • Project Spotlight
  • Tile School
Gallery
  • All Gallery Entries
  • Bathroom
  • Kitchen
  • Commercial
Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
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  1. Home
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  3. 4 Things to Consider Before Installing Handmade Tile

Know Before You Buy

4 Things to Consider Before Installing Handmade Tile

Aih  Development   Kitchen   Ogee  Drop   Photographer  Shooting  La   White  Wash 2 1049 700

Tile shown: Ogee Drop in Calcite Gloss; Image: Shooting LA

Ordering and installing handmade tile is a little different than going to your local home improvement store and buying tile. Once you order your handmade tile here are a number factors that need to be considered before beginning installation.  Below are the top four pieces of advice we give to our customers everyday before they begin their handmade Fireclay Tile installation.

1.) Hire an installer who has worked with handmade tile before

Handmade tile is beautiful and made to last a lifetime, but with such special product comes more experience and patience with installation.  There will always be variation in size and color, and intricate installations.  Therefore we always recommend working with a tile installer who has had experience installing handmade tile.  Remember when we talked about what to look for when hiring a tile installer?  Add this requirement to the list.

You should also make sure your installer reads the installation guide we ship with every order before installing our tile.  Our installation guides provide detailed information that is specific to installing each Fireclay product.  Even if your installer has worked with handmade tile before they may not have worked with Fireclay Tile.  Reading over this guide will help prevent any mistakes during installation.

Tile Shown: 3 x 6 Calcite Gloss; Handpainted pattern shown: Isosceles in the Cool Motif; Image: Jenny Nelson Photography

2.) Don't schedule a tile installer before you receive your tile and check to make sure everything is there

This brings us to our next point, always and we mean ALWAYS wait to schedule your installer until you receive your Tile order and are able to check to make sure it is all there.  Remodels have many moving pieces, which means that something like not having countertops installed could delay the tile installation. Similarly not having all of your tile onsite will cause your tile installer headaches. We work hard to ship every order on time, but freight carriers can run into their own delays due to weather, or shipping mishaps. Waiting to recieve your order before scheduling installation will not only keep your installer happy, but also save you money, time, and probably a headache.

Tile shown: 6" Triangles in Frost, Rosemary and Salton Sea. 

3.) Handmade Tile is perfectly imperfect

If you're looking for perfectly straight, streamlined tile, Handmade tile might not be for you.  We literally make everything by hand here at Fireclay, from the original sketch, to the materials we source, to the final product, every individual order is carefully crafted from our hands to yours.  This means that variation in size, shape and color is natural. 

You should also keep in mind that the samples you order will not be exactly the same as the final product you receive.  This is because each batch of tile is different from the next, and color variation will always occur.  You can learn more about color variation on our Celebrate Variation Blog.

Tile shown: 2 x 4 in Daffodil; Image: White Preston

4.) Our tile is made to order

Every tile at Fireclay is made to order, we don't keep any stock.  This is why we often have longer lead times than you will see from companies selling mass produced tiles.  This is also important to keep in mind when it comes to installation because you need to plan your project accordingly.  Check your square-footage to make sure you ordered enough.  because our tile is made to order you always want to avoid re-orders.  Re-orders often end up costing extra money and time, and because there is variation in our handmade tile, a new batch may be slightly different than your original order.

Tile Shown: Ogee Drop in Lagoon; Image: Malcolm Fearon, Bliss Images

Ready to order your handmade tile?  Order color samples now.  Need some help?  Simply call, chat, or fill out our Design Assistance Form and one of our talented Design Consultants will get back to you shortly.

Shop the Story

Ogee Drop Tile in Calcite Gloss
4" Triangle Tile in Salton Sea Gloss
  • 1/ Calcite Gloss, Ogee Drop
  • 2/ Salton Sea Gloss, 4" Triangle

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