Shareb Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I have been tossing up how to make the tiles for my Pierce house. I would like it to have tiles like the English Victorian houses - it should look like I've restored the house in the present. There are several ideas to do this - wondered how you have done this and how much success you have had. First I could simply print out the tiles and either back with card or simply glue down. I could lacquer or vanish to give it shine. Next I could create actual ceramic tiles - however I think I've decided against this idea as it would be a hassle if I need to shape tiles to fit or if they shrink in the firing. I could use a vinyl... Or....and this is what I'm seriously thinking about at present....I could create the tiles out of a white oven bake clay. There are several ways I could decorate - I could do it by hand using vivid pens or paint etc. I could stamp a pattern if I found an adequate stamp. OR....I could print tiles onto paper, use gel transfer medium to transfer the pictures to each tile. This would be time consuming - but that doesn't worry me, as long as the finished look is as good as I can picture it. Any other ideas? I would like wooden floors mostly for the rest of the house - I'll prob use ice-block sticks - they seem to make great floors. For the kitchen I'd like to create a 'slate' look....if anyone has ideas for that I'd love to hear them. I know these things are out there to purchase but I would really like to at least try to make most of what goes into this house. Thank you!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caseymini Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Rebecca, there is a book, published by Dover that I use a lot. It is full of flat views of the kind of tile that you are looking for. I simply print the design on card stock. Spray it with a fixative. Then I glue that to illustration board or mat board. I put in the grout lines with a stylus and ruler. Then spray it with a mat finish. That kind of tile was a flat finish. Not much shine. If you go here you can see what I mean. http://caseymini.blogspot.com/2011/06/flat-tires-and-lobsters.html. If you have the patience, you can put tile in my search box and there are several pages of different floors. That includes some slate. Just hit older posts at the bottom of each page. Unfortunately, you will have to skip over some drapery tutorials... They are made on ceiling tile. Sorry about that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I don't recall whose idea it was but one of the mini magazines several years back showed how to make a polymer clay cane for the decorative tiles using a milleflore technique; the cane was baked briefly so it could be sliced into tiles without squashing the clay, and then the tiles were baked to finish curing. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I used real slate dollhouse roofing tiles for a kitchen floor. They are expensive. You need a mini table saw to cut them exactly to size. Another time I used Formica brand slate and also used the saw to cut them but it required using a black Sharpie around all the edges of each tile. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I've created marbled tiles using Fimo clay. I have a flat glazed ceramic trivet that I use as a baking stone. I mixed my clay and rolled it very thing onto the stone. Then I cut it into squares and baked. The tiles came up easily with a shiny surface (the side in contact with the glaze) and a smooth, but slightly textured surface (the rolled side). They are very thin and fragile, but are beautiful little tiles. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shareb Posted November 11, 2014 Author Share Posted November 11, 2014 Thanks Caseymini - I will go and have a good look. Yes I don't want glossy tiles. I would like to make at least one ceiling rose! Havanaholly - Love the idea of the canes - my daughter uses them as she makes polymer clay foods - and is very good at it. They are very difficult to create but I might see if I can find a tutorial. Apparently freezing them also helps to keep it firm to slice. Sable - I do actually have some formica samples....I'll have to have a look and see if they would work. Dalesq - sounds like my daughter and I are going to have fun trying all the different ways of doing these things!!!!!!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dooder85 Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 fimo bead making techniques would work 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 You guys had me stumped on the "canes". Googled them---so cool! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Rebecca, I wouldn't bake anything on Formica, since it's also plastic. Ceramic tiles work well, I also use disposable aluminum pie pans. I make ceiling roses by gluing together three or four layers of the lacy part of paper lace doilies (I cut out the centers) and gluing them to the ceiling if I'm going to paint the whole thing the same color; or else I paint the lace doily on a piece of waxed paper first. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shareb Posted November 12, 2014 Author Share Posted November 12, 2014 What a cool idea Havanaholly!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welcomehomeminis Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 —My choice for multi-color tile patterns is scrapbooking paper, with polyurethane (in any finish, matte to gloss) or clear nail polish to seal it. I've used little scrapbook paper tiles in several settings—even all the way down to the tiny tiles in a bathroom shower stall—and they always look great. Here's a couple of them: I have done polymer clay (Sculpey, Fimo etc.) tiles, also, but once I figured out good techniques for scrapbooking paper I was hooked on the ease, versatility, and speed. I LOVE speedy, good-looking solutions. —As to slate flooring: I've used real slate (gathered and cut myself) for mini roofs, but not for floors. For floors, I just did a faux-slate floor that came out great, with no materials at all except paint: This is the base of the building I'm working on. It's MDF, so it has no grain to contend with as plywood might. 1. I took a small power sander, dinged the heck out of it in a few different ways, smashed it with a hammer randomly, etc, 'til it had the surface texture of slate. 2. Then I painted it blacks and greys until it had the look of slate. 3. Then I laid out the "tile" shapes, and used a tiny router bit to make score marks delineating the edges of the slate floor "tiles"—in other words, I dug *down* through that dinged and painted surface. So the "grout" color is the original color of the base's wood. 4. Last, I gave it several coats of paste wax and buffed the dickens out of it between coats. Not only doe sit look very similar to slate, after the wax it even feels a lot like slate flooring would. Simple, inexpensive, and results that surprised me. I had no idea if this would work when I started! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caseymini Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Kelly! The slate looks great! I have never seen it done that way before. Good going! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welcomehomeminis Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Kelly! The slate looks great! I have never seen it done that way before. Good going! Necessity is the mother of invention... AND my middle name! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 For solid color tiles I like to use the paint sample hips and cut them into tiles. When sealed they have a nice ceramic look & feel. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shareb Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 Love the slate!! looks fantastic! I'm trying a few different things - I'm taking pics as I go so that I can share what works! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shareb Posted November 14, 2014 Author Share Posted November 14, 2014 If anyone is interested I have uploaded pics of the process I went through to make tiles using polymer clay. I'm quite happy with how they have come out. Now to choose the pattern! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Using Mod Podge to make transfers is similar to the method using clear nail enamel. Nice job. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welcomehomeminis Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 They look great, Rebecca. Thanks for the pix of the process—that brought back memories for me of doing transfers with Mod Podge onto bigger items when I was a kid! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Having a little confusion about the transfers with Modge Podge. Is it like decoupage? Are you just cutting paper like from magazines and gluing it on the tile with the MP? Sorry wasn't crafty until 3 years ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shareb Posted November 14, 2014 Author Share Posted November 14, 2014 No problem Sable! I printed out pics of tiles adjusted to the right size onto plain paper by my laser printer. I then cut out individual tile pictures and pasted Mod Podge onto the printed side of the paper. The mod podge covered side then gets put onto the baked polymer clay tile. I then leave them to dry - a few hours. Once dried I use a sponge to wet the back of the paper gently, and then leave for a couple of minutes. Then gently start to rub your finger onto the wet paper. The wet paper will come off and you will be left with the coloured picture on the polymer tile. Once it has dried I put a thin layer of mod podge over the top of the picture to seal it. I used ordinary mod podge and photo transfer mod podge. The only real difference was that the photo transfer mod podge tiles were slightly brighter than the ord. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Wow, this thread taught me about "canes" and MP transfers. Thanks for furthering my education. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KariW Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Me too!!! Very informative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Me three! I would never have thought of using canes for tiles. How cool! That opens up a lot of possibilities! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shareb Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 I bought a couple of brilliant polymer clay books - they turned up last week. One of them shows a cane being made that looks exactly like Victorian tiles! The books are: Clay Techniques with a pasta machine by Maureen Carlson (this is the one with the 'tiles' in it.) Encyclopaedia of Polymer clay techniques by Sue Heaser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Sue Heaser is a queen of polymer clay! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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