New-old flooring: cement tiling on its way back

Why would you want to spend a lot of money on something you walk on? Many homeowners ask that question and answer it by limiting their floor-covering budgets. As a result, floors tend not to be the most attractive and decorative part of a home.But now the ground has shifted: handmade oriental carpets are in fashion in Europe, as well as luxury vinyl floor coverings. Another development is the return in popularity of cement floor tiles with colourful geometric patterns.Originally a cheap alternative to ceramic tiling, the ornate tiles are not cheap nowadays: they cost between $65 and 100 a square metre.“Cement tiles were used in the 1920s mostly to imitate more expensive materials,” explains Michael Maass who represents the Spanish tile company Pinar Miro in Germany. “Today, these types of tiles have their own special value.”Even today, cement-tile manufacturing is hardly automated in the factories.The process of making a tile is complicated. Patterns are applied with the help of tin stencils. The tiles’ strength is achieved by compacting the cement together and then drying it.All of this is done by hand, which makes it very expensive if paid according to European wage rates. That’s why most cement tiles sold in Europe are made in Morocco, Tunisia or India where labour costs are lower.Not everyone in creative home design was initially convinced that tiles are suitable for the modern home.One homeowner in the hip Berlin district of Friedrichshain recalls how he wanted tiling instead of wooden floorboards in an entrance area.“At first we balked at the idea,” says architect Marc Benjamin Drewes. “Then we saw some nice, old tiles in a hallway. It wasn’t just a functional way to design an entrance, it also had its own charm.”Today the home in Friedrichshain is covered to a large extent with tiles with a dark red pattern.“Traditionally, the edging of a tiled area is always done with another pattern,” explains Drewes. “But we didn’t do that. We didn’t want to look old fashioned. We wanted to give it another touch.”Since working on that home, Drewes has become a cement-tile fan and even uses them to decorate bedrooms.“We were completely taken by the feel of a tile,” he says. “They give flooring a subtle warmth that you don’t have with a ceramic-tile floor.”In contrast to glazed ceramic tiles, cement tiling has a matt look and a rough surface. That makes cement-tiled floors look rather cosy and a good match for parquet or floorboards. They used to be very popular and can often be found in old European homes.But then they went out of fashion along with ceiling mouldings and were often covered with linoleum.But now big tile manufacturers such as Italy’s Bisazza are investing large sums in cement tiles. Last year Bisazza launched a completely overhauled selection of cement tiles created by big-name designers such as Tom Dixon, Jaime Hayon and Paola Navone.They produced very modern looking tiles with abstract, graphic patterns that have little to do with traditional tiling design.Making tiles is not just costly; laying them can be too.“Tiles are quite heavy and they press down on the adhesive, which can lead to sacking,” says Sven Jaensch, a cement-tile layer and terrazzo specialist in Berlin. “You have to be careful with the tiles. They don’t allow for any mistakes.”