Why Choose Our Tiles

Solodesign is from origin a Portuguese company (Solo is the Portuguese word for soil, solodesign is reshaping the soil) with an ancient knowledge of making cement tiles dating back to the 19th century. We transferred that knowledge in 2008 to Indonesia when we continued the production in Yogyakarta in the same traditional technique.

The production of cement tiles first of all is a pure handmade technique. Every tile is a unique handmade product. That makes the product different from tiles made in an industrial process with a result of smooth mechanical and uniform appearance as a ceramic tile. The surface of a cement tile consists of a wear layer composed of a mix of pigments (colorants), marble powder and white cement. The colour mix is poured manually into a steel mould of precise dimensions and in the case of a patterned tile, a copper divider is placed in the mould to divide the colours and produce the pattern. The first layer, the colour layer, is covered with marble powder and grey cement that absorbs its humidity and that gives the patina to the colour layer. For the colour layer we use the best pigment available in the market, HCA from Holland, so the colour will be stable and will not wear out over many decades. Then the structure layer, composed of sand and cement is spread above the tile to obtain the desired thickness and solidity of the tile. The mould is placed under a hydraulic press to increase the density and make the different layers as one solid layer. Our hydraulic presses will reach a minimum of 150 bar and have a wide cylinder to obtain a solid and strong tile, very essential for a durable product. After that the tile must dry for 12 hours and will be placed in a water basin for 48 hours to acquire the hardness. Basically, the tile is ready after that but in our production, we also polish the tiles manually so that he tiles are ready to be installed without extra work in site.

At your wish you can always visit our production site and see the process described here in real. That will also give more respect to the product you wish to buy.

The use of perfect colour emulsions, heavy machinery and old production techniques makes our tiles as the best in the market.

The production process described above makes that there are slight differences in colour shades and imperfections in the patterns. The colour mix during the production can only be used for a few hours so every colour mix is produced three or 4 times a day. Slight differences in temperature or humidity during the day will affect the colour result. Also, with the patterns, each product is handmade and unique so slight differences will occur. Yet it is precisely this imperfection due to handmade manufacturing that makes the charm of the whole when the tiles are installed. Look for quality, not perfection. The shades in the colour makes the space more lively and the imperfections in the pattern disappear in the total looks of the space. The characteristic feature of the cement tile is that it is never totally plain unlike the tiles from an industrial process with a mechanical appearance. That’s why it can be integrated easily and smooth in old interiors where it seems to “have been always there” or in modern interiors. Furthermore, the cement tile is getting more beautiful when it ages. By time you use the tiles, walk on it, clean them and wax them, they develop a living patina, a smoothness and warmth. Cement tiles achieve their full beauty in time and can last for 75 years. Again, look for quality, not perfection.

How to recognise the quality of cement tiles and avoid disappointment after installing the wrong product? If you want to check the quality of our tiles or compare our tiles with the tiles of other suppliers, please note the following characteristics;

• Consistency in depth of colour; colour will vary slightly but the depth of the colour must be consistent. Too much colour variation is a cause of bad mixing, wrong colour recipes or inferior (cheap) colour emulsion.
• Clear pattern; when the pattern is blurry, it is a sign of careless pouring of the pigments or a bad maintained tile moulding.
• Crumbling tile; a crumbly backside of the tile is an indication of inconsistent hydraulic pressure or insufficient use of cement in the structure layer of the tile. This can also cause that the layers will not stick together well and the top layer will flop out in time. The tile must always feel heavy, compact and durable.
• Straight, clean edges around the tile; non-square edges around the tile can also be the cause of insufficient hydraulic pressure or careless handling of the tilemaker. Non-square edges have a great negative impact on the total result when installed on the floor.
• Consistent thickness of the tile; Normally the tile is 18 mm thick with a tolerance of 1 mm. When the thickness varies more, it will affect the smooth installation.
• A strong colour layer is obligatory; a thin or uneven colour layer is to be considered as poor quality and will affect the durability of the tile (vanishing top colour layer in time).

In our experience we have noticed that there are clients who wish to have the order of tiles delivered in short notice. The flooring is mostly the end of a building project and waiting for delivery of the tiles can cause annoying delays. Moreover, people do not always realise that the production of cement tiles takes time, unlike industrial products this is a handmade product. We always keep a part of our production capacity reserved for short term orders so we don’t have to disappoint our clients with long wating lists for their order. Please inform yourself about the possibilities for this shortcut.

Cement tiles is a specialised product that asks for an experienced installer of the tiles or a guidance how to install the tiles correctly and safe. After the installation is done properly the cleaning and maintenance of the tiles is very easy and the durability will extend for several generations. For your convenience and safety of your new tiles we have composed a guideline for installation. You can find it in our website and we also send it as a hard copy to you when we deliver the tiles. Please pay attention to it to avoid disappointment after mistakes during the installation.

The cement tile is porous when it is delivered to you. They have to be sealed with impregnation during the installation process. Solodesign has developed a specialised sealer for cement tiles that you can order with your tiles, one liter is sufficient for 25 m2 and is much cheaper than other specialised products. We also provide a concentrated cleaning soap for about the same price as normal soft soap in the supermarket. This soap is developed specially for cement tiles and contains also a bit of impregnation. When you use this soap for the weekly maintenance, you don’t have to use a sealer anymore.