Handmade tile designs and manufacturing processes are rooted in ancient art traditions. These tiles boast a variety of geometrical patterned mosaic designs, mostly used to decorate walls, floors, pools, bathrooms, kitchens, and outdoor patio surfaces. Due to their popularity, these tiles combine eye-catching color options with subtle variation from tile to tile.How Are The Handmade Tiles Made?Zia Tile, the Los Angeles handmade tile source for artisan tile, creates handmade tiles using authentic traditional methods that have been in place for centuries. Right from the tile artisans who hand cut each piece of zellige tile to the skilled craftsmen who perform the coloring and shaping tasks; Zia Tile manufactures each handmade tile from the start in partnership with artisans around the world. At Zia Tile, we manufacture high quality tiles with unique shapes and patterns. We also create custom handmade tiles as well. The entire process starts with a mere box of solid clay that our skilled artisans cut down to meet your tile shape specifications.After the artisans have dried the clay, the next step is to hand brush the clay with a glaze. Since the artisans glaze each tile by hand, this is where the tiles develop their unique characteristics. Some of these glazes are thicker and may look similar on different clay bodies. On the other hand, some glazes are thinner, and their different reactions in kilns vary according to the different clay structures. The glaze influences the finishing and the appearance of each tile. After glazing, the tile is loaded the tile into the kiln. The kiln is monitored by an artisan who fires the tiles at temperatures in excess of 3000 degrees. The tiles generally take about 8 hours to bake in the superheated kiln. There are also mosaic artists who assemble the handmade tiles into mesh sheets with complex mosaic patterns.Where to Install Handmade TileHandmade tiles come in more than 85 vibrant colors with various styles. These colors include carbon black, grey, dark grey, lake blue, among many others. Some common areas for handmade tiles installation include shower rooms, floors, and kitchen backsplashes. However, it doesn't stop there. Your handmade tiles can be installed in bathrooms, fireplaces, commercial spaces, pools, and spas. It's important to note the unique creation of the handmade tiles. The artisans in Vietnam and Morocco that Zia Tile partners with create these tiles by hand; an ancient tradition that has been passed on from generation to generation. This has greatly influenced the trend where artisans have moved away from machine copy and mass tile production towards more ancient handmade techniques to follow in the footsteps of those who have worked with these traditional handmade tiles for generations.