Tread on baked earth

I fondly remember the clatter of us children jumping on terracotta tiles that fell from the unused part of the roof at my grandma’s place in Allahabad. The earth-coloured tiles looked beautiful. We may not see too much of this material used in modern buildings now, but terracotta has been around from ancient times. It was used for building and decorative arts by cultures and civilisations around the world. Literally meaning ‘baked earth,’ it is made of natural clay, which gives it a characteristic reddish-brown colour.

The colour varies slightly depending on the clay used. Terracotta may be glazed for extra durability or to provide colour. The best part about the tile is that it is waterproof and a sturdy material, which is why so many ancient terracotta sculptures are still in excellent shape.

A much-advanced form of terracotta tiles are flooring tiles with stunning patterns and a smooth finish. You can also check out some designer tiles for your home. Beautifully paved, the flooring tiles can be easily adapted to modern-day architecture and can lend a warm look to the interiors. Ceilings and wall claddings are other areas where you can use terracotta. Patterned tiles can make for an artistic wall or ceiling. Terracotta can help in controlling the indoor temperature thereby making it a weather friendly tiling option. It is definitely an aesthetic relief from the usual.

Terracotta tiling can also be used for lawns – it adapts naturally to the green environment and looks very much a part of the space. You can choose from handcrafted or machine-made tiles. These rustic tile pieces will surely add to the charm of any space. Gayathri Rao from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala decided to restore her ancestral house and did it all with terracotta tiles and antique furniture. “Terracotta has come in very handy in creating the warm traditional look,” she says. If not the complete flooring or walls, do add some glazed artistically done terracotta tiles to a blank wall or ceiling to bring it alive with colour and warmth. 

Terracotta tiles are beautiful in their natural state. However, they are very porous. In order for them to be durable, they need to be sealed, often more than once during the initial installation.

Sealing can be rather tedious, so you may want to leave this to a professional. The sealing is a tedious process too, requiring two-three days perhaps.

A terracotta flooring is very easy to maintain and clean, once sealed. It can be used in just about every area of the home, owing to its versatility. Because it is highly water resistant and also resistant to the elements, it can be used outside, on patios and driveways.

Inside the home, terracotta tiles are used in kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms and entryways. They are water, allergen and bacteria-resistant, a plus for most homeowners. As an added plus, terracotta tiles are very affordable.
n These tiles look better as they age.

Terracotta tile flooring is not as hard as other types of flooring, yet it is still durable. Additionally, it does not feel as cold under your feet. For these reasons, it is a favourite for use in kitchens and bathrooms.

Terracotta was widely used in the decorative arts of ancient China, perhaps most famously in the tombs of soldiers of the second century BCE emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. Terracotta vases and other sculptures were known to have been found in ancient Egypt, the Mediterranean, the Middle-East, West Africa, and Central and North America. In fact, it was the terracotta pipe that was one of the oldest materials used in plumbing.

Though terracotta largely fell out of use in Europe during the Middle Ages, its use in building and sculpture was revived in the Renaissance Gothic style, and it has remained an important material even in the modern era.

Construction methods improved over the ages, as terracotta was once baked in the sun, later dried among ashes in the oven, and finally kiln-fired. While terracotta was used to make roof tiles and bricks in the ancient world, it became more versatile as a building material during the modern era.

Tiles with 15 mm thickness have some advantages such as lower shipping and installation costs. The installation is also possible on concrete or on old floors with ceramic tile adhesives. It is possible to cut the tiles using common ceramic tile cutting tools too. The one big downside is that it has no glaze on the surface and can pick up and store dirt and dust very quickly. So be ready to mop and clean as and when required. There are synthetic cleansers available in the market that can be effectively used to clean these tiles.