How to Make Your Own Earthen Tiles

Preparing the Clay

• 1

  Pour 2-1/2 gallons of water into a bucket. Add the dry clay powder to the water until the tip of the mound of powder reaches the water line. Let the clay soak in the water overnight.

• 2

  Pour the excess water out of the bucket. Lay an old sheet or canvas tarp flat on the ground. Remove the damp clay from the bucket and place it on the sheet or tarp.

• 3

  Smooth the clay lump’s edges with your hands. Remove a hunk of clay roughly the size of a bowling ball from the clay lump. Wrap the remainder of the clay in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

• 4

  Sprinkle sand on a 2-foot by 2-foot piece of drywall. Place the clay lump in the sand. Knead the lump for five to 10 minutes. This eliminates trapped air within the clay, reducing the chance that your tiles will warp during firing. Cut the clay lump in half after kneading. If you see small air pockets, continue kneading the clay until they disappear.

Fashioning the Tile

• 5

  Flatten the clay with a rolling pin. Alternate between rolling the clay horizontally and vertically. All tiles shrink during firing. Rolling in different directions ensures that your tile will not shrink in one specific direction, warping the desired shape. Stop rolling when the clay reaches a thickness of ½ inch. Tiles thinner than ½ inch are more likely to buckle.

• 6

  Cut the tile into the shape you want without removing it from the drywall. Cut the shape slightly larger than what you want, as earthen tiles shrink during firing. The degree to which your tile will shrink depends on the type of clay you use, how thick the clay is and the overall size of the tile.

• 7

  Place another piece of drywall on top of the clay. The drywall pieces pull moisture away from the clay, helping it dry more quickly. Leave the clay sandwiched in the drywall overnight.

• 8

  Flip the two pieces of drywall over. The piece previously on the bottom should face upward, while the top piece should now be on the bottom. Flipping the drywall helps prevent the clay from sticking to the bottom piece. Leave the clay to dry for another 24 hours.

• 9

  Remove the top piece of drywall. Touch the clay. If the clay is the texture of leather, it is ready to carve. If not, replace the drywall and let the clay dry for another 24 hours.

• 10

  Carve designs into your clay tile. Carefully peel the tile away from the drywall. Bend the tile as little as possible during this process.

• 11

  Place your tile in the bottom of the fireplace. Build a fire over the tile. Allow the fire to burn for at least 10 hours. Leave the tile beneath the hot coals until the coals cool completely.

• 12

  Remove the tile from the fireplace. Paint and glaze the tile if you wish.