Touring Tile @ Heath Ceramics
March 28, 2018 | Alden Miller Interiors, Industry People, Materials, Noteworthy
If you live in the Bay Area you’ve likely heard of Heath Ceramics and seen their iconic tiles. The AMI team was lucky to get a personal tour of Heath’s San Francisco tile factory and it did not disappoint!
Heath Ceramics has been at the heart of the handcrafted goods movement since the 1960s. From the clay recipe which has not changed in 50 years, to the hand-cut tiles, hand-applied glazes, and intense quality control (each tile is personally inspected multiple times) – Heath epitomizes true handcraft. This care and attention-to-detail clearly shows in the end result.
The Heath Tour
The AMI team got to see every part of the tile-making process in action at the factory including:
- A machine that works the clay to remove air bubbles and extrude it into flat planes
- A person using a butter knife to hand cut certain shapes one at a time (really, and we got to try it!)
- Glazers hand-spraying the famous Heath tile colors
- A massive kiln designed to be both efficient and environmentally-friendly
- Scores of gorgeous finished tiles in all shapes and color combinations heading to the packaging department
Heath has been a steadfast fixture of the ceramic tile industry for decades. The recent interest in tile evidenced by homeowners and the commercial industry alike in the last 5+ years has been embraced by Heath and kept them busy. They’ve been adding everything from new tile shapes, sizes, and colors to their product line, not to mention a foray into beautiful and handcrafted non-tile home goods.
Thank you Heath Ceramics!
All of us at Alden Miller Interiors are big fans of using tile in our residential design projects. One of our favorite examples is the colorful Heath hexagon tile mosaic we created in a bathroom in our Palo Alto project (see a photo in the slideshow). We are so glad to have Heath in the market and look forward to seeing what new products they dream up next.
