Creating Cement Tile Molds and Pigments for Handmade Tiles: Part 2 of Our Look at ARTO Brick

Handmade products have always intrigued me. I appreciate the time, the effort and the passion that goes into creating something with little or no need for machinery. Our hands have always been our best tools, but when things need to be made in massive amounts, then machinery can play an important role in helping to meet the demands of impeding deadlines. 

ARTO's Normandy Cream cement tile board is getting ready for shipment. There are four textures in this combination: Travertine, Luna, Limestone and Standard (smooth).

Thus, when I recently toured the ARTO Brick and California Pavers factory complex in Gardena, CA, along with several architects and designers, I knew I would be in for a treat. Over the years, I have been on several tile manufacturing tours, but let me stress how excited I am for each and every tour. I’m literally on edge wondering what we’re going to see next. Let me put it to you this way – I’m the main character of the movie “Groundhog Day.” Yes friends, any previous tour I may have participated in gets wiped clean out of my memory! You may be wondering why that happens. “It’s just tile,” I’ve been told. Well, good point. With that theory, you can also say that a Pacer and Ferrari are “just cars,” right? And that’s when the highly animated arguments over engineering and craftsmanship start, and then, it happens. They get what I’m saying. And with that, let’s continue our look at how ARTO delivers on its promise of handmade quality and longevity. 

Custom Tile Molds

With the vast majority of raw materials sourced locally, each ARTO product is manufactured with concrete. Concrete’s lifespan can not only be measured in decades, but it can also be measured in centuries. You only need to refer to ancient European ruins to see how the properties of cement tile remain time-tested elements of any structure. 

Before the process of tile-making commences, molds must be made. There are several types of molds used at ARTO, including rubber, plastic and metal. Each mold has a specific purpose for the type of tile it will help produces.

For example, rubber molds are first created using carved wooden pieces where the rubber is vacuum-formed over the wood. These rubber molds offer a higher level of detail, flexibility, and they can be used repeatedly. 

These humble pieces of wood will soon contribute to the handmade tile-making process.

Wooden forms are carved out to the exact specification of the plastic mold that will form the tile.

These shapely tiles are the product of the wooden blocks and the rubber molds they helped create. 

The Chemistry Behind the Color

Our next stop on the tour included a peek into the science behind the coloring process of concrete tile. ARTO used the Davis Color Chameleon Liquid Color System for mixing the wide assortment of pigments needed for their concrete tiles. With this system's dded flexibility, they are able to offer dozens of color options for to their clients, including customization services for specific shades. Honestly, the possibilities seem nearly endless! 

These massive tanks hold the colors that will be mixed and used for creating the various shades of colors available in ARTO’s cement tile product line. 

Lastly, it should be noted that ARTO not only believes in sustainable practices, but they practice what they preach in an energy-efficient facility. For example, the vast majority of raw materials needed to produce their tiles are sourced locally. Also remember that each ARTO product is manufactured with concrete. Concrete’s lifespan can not only be measured in decades, but it can also be measured in centuries. 

In my next post, I’ll take you through the handmade tile-making process where you’ll see a dedicated team of well-trained professionals producing ARTO’s masterpieces, one piece at a time.

I know I gain a better appreciation of what goes into producing a handmade piece of tile, including those carried by Avente Tile and their extensive line of Cuban Heritage cement tiles. I'd love to hear your experience with handmade tile! Did you require custom colors, sizes or shapes? Were you pleased with the outcome?   

California Dreaming: A Profile on ARTO Brick and California Pavers

Los Angeles is a place where California history is still held sacred. Amongst the downtown skyscrapers and recently built Civic Center facilities, such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by architect Frank Gehry, you’ll find everything from Olvera Street (the birthplace of the city of Los Angeles, which started as Pueblo de La Reina De Los Angeles in 1781), to Union Station (built in 1939 in a modern, Art Deco, Mission/Spanish Revival architectural style), and everything in between.

Arto Alajian's signature on brick is proudly displayed at the ARTO's Brick and California Paver factory in Gardena, CA.

With history on their minds, I, as well as several architects and design professionals, recently toured the ARTO Brick and California Pavers factory complex in Gardena, CA. Along with the tour, an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Continuing Education Course, “The Beautiful Face of Concrete: Using Precast Tile, Pavers, and Wall Veneer for Historic Restoration and Renovation,” was offered.

The Company

ARTO Brick, which has been in operation since 1966, was founded by the company’s Armenian namesake, Arto Alajian. In his birthplace of Egypt, Arto got his start in the business world by helping his father as a shoe cobbler. Later, when the family moved to Lebanon, Arto continued honing his artistic talents with various mediums, including installation of tiles. Shortly after his arrival in the U.S., Arto found his calling producing a lightweight, thin brick veneer. 

ARTO's Antik tumbled brick veneer. Photo courtesy of ARTO.

Since the company’s inception, the product line has expanded to include the manufacturing of concrete and clay tiles, ceramic tiles, rustic pavers, brick veneers, pool coping, wall caps, pier caps, fountains, moldings, and balusters.

Forward now to more than 45 years later, and you’ll find unwavering commitment to craftsmanship within the inner workings of this Los Angeles gem.

Together with its ARTO Tile Studio, and the recently bought Western Quarry divisions, ARTO Brick has garnered a reputation for quality, good stewardship, and an environment where a family-like relationship is nurtured amongst the owners, their employees, the company’s dealers/retailers/distributors, as well as their customers, and those who look to ARTO for their expertise, such as architects, designers, and specifiers.

The Tile Art Studio

ARTO’s Tile Studio is “a division of the ARTO Family of companies who are dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the Old World craftsmanship distinguished by the rich tradition of California tile making and decoration which was perfected by both Malibu and Catalina Potteries in the early part of the 20th century,” the company says. It’s by adhering to these time-tested traditions that ARTO continues its growth, which has necessitated the expansion of its Gardena location.

Now, let’s take a look at what defines hand-crafted, hand-painted tiles by examining the process of silk-screening to glazing.

The Process: Cuerda Seca

The method of Silk Screening transfers an outlined image onto the tile. This process creates “a pattern and guide which our artisans use during the glaze application. This outline image acts a resist barrier known as Cuerda Seca," ARTO notes. In short, this barrier prevents various glaze colors that are used on the same tile from blending together during the kiln firing process.

Silk-screening transfers an outlined image onto the tiles. The outlined image now acts as barrier known as Cuerda Seca.

These silk-screened, or stenciled, tiles are now ready to go into the glazing room where they will be handled by tile artisans.

From the silk-screening area, the tiles are then sent to the skilled artisans where each piece is carefully glazed by hand, piece by piece. Through their expertise, these artisans take precision to a new level by not allowing any color to cross the barrier of the Cuerda Seca. It isn't until after the tiles are fired where their true beauty is revealed.

These Cuerda Seca tiles have been hand-glazed, one-by-one, by the artisans at ARTO. 

Using a bulb for delivering the proprietary mix of colors and components needed for each pigment, these tile artisans hand-glaze each piece with ease and perfection using the Cuerda Seca technique. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed the first part of my profile on ARTO. In my next couple of posts, I’ll be digging deeper into the inner workings of ARTO’s manufacturing process of cement tiles, brick pavers, and more.

Would you agree that seeing a creative process, such as handcrafted tiles, gives someone a deeper appreciation of the time and expertise involved in producing one tile? Which creative processes would you like to see featured in future posts?

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Editor's Note: If you enjoyed this post on the Cuerda Seca tile making process, you might also enjoy these posts that explain other tile making processes.

• How Relief Tiles are Made
• Making Cement Tile
• Making Hand Painted Tiles Video
• Making Hand Painted Field Tile

Spanish Tile as a Building Material

Ceramic tile use throughout Spain is prolific. Not only can it be seen on the floors and walls of Aragonese countryside homes, but ceramic tile also plays an integral role in the everyday functioning of many embellished palatial royal dwellings. It wasn’t until 2011 when I realized just how much of a role ceramic tile played, not only in the current day-to-day daily life of Spaniards, but the depth and complexity of historical value.

The Basilica Nuestra Senora del Pilar, as viewed from across the Ebro river, features vibrant blue, green, yellow, white and ceramic tile on its main dome, as well as its 10 smaller domes.

Last year, along with four members of the architecture and design (A&D) community, I was asked to join the second edition Tile of Spain’s “Reign in Spain A&D Tour.” Tile of Spain is the umbrella brand managed jointly by the Trade Commission of Spain in Miami, FL, and the Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturer’s Association (ASCER) in Valencia, Spain. The annual media tour to Spain coincided with Cevisama, the International Ceramic Tile and Bath Furnishings Show held in Valencia. 


The group of architects, interior designers and journalists, including myself, traveled to the cities of Zaragoza, Teruel and Valencia – admiring the Spanish architecture, culture, and culinary temptations – with Cevisama being our final destination. 


Shortly after our arrival to Spain, we were taken to Zaragoza, the capital of the region of Aragon. Located on the banks of the Ebro River, halfway between Madrid and Barcelona, Zaragoza hosted Expo Zaragoza in 2008, where the country showcased its commitment to water conservation, the preservation of the environment and its utilization of sustainable practices. Of course, ceramic tile and terracotta played an integral role in all of this.

The Spanish Pavilion on the grounds of the 2008 Water Expo features 750 terracotta pillars.

The Conference Center of Aragon utilizes 120,000 triangular pieces of ceramic tile on the exterior walls and roof lines.

Walking through the Plaza de la Seo in Zaragoza, we came upon two basilicas, the Cathedral of San Salvador (La Leo) and Nuestra Senora del Pilar. Without a doubt, ceramic tile played both an aesthetic and architectural role in both of these historical structures. The blues, greens and yellows are as vibrant as when they were first applied to the brick exterior of La Leo and to the many baroque domes of Basilica del Pilar.

The tower wall of Basilica of San Salvador (La Leo) features various shapes, colors and sizes of ceramic tile.

A detailed view of the wall shows the vibrancy of the colors and painstaking detail of this installation. 

In my next post, I’ll focus on Teruel (a World Heritage city designated by UNESCO). As a center for Mudejar art, a style influenced by Islamic tradition and more contemporary European architectural styles, the fortress-like city is characterized by extensive use of brick and glazed tiles within its architecture. In the meantime, you can check out the beautiful hand-painted ceramic Spanish tiles offered by Avente Tile.