Ceramic Stains for Tile Making A Guide to Decorative Tiling
In traditional times, getting the desired colour on the surfaces to achieve aspired decoration was a challenge. But today, with the incessant development of modern stain technology, the job has become easier. With one of the best innovations to date, Ceramic Stains has allowed the formation of every colour of the rainbow in a niche of a time.
The contribution of Ceramic Stains in decorative tile making has been commendable. Let us know more about it.
Ceramic stains
Under the strict calcination process exposed to a high temperature, the transition elements are produced. Ceramic stains are a mixture of ceramic oxides and colouring metal oxides that are made in a workable state by melting, quenching, and finally grounding. Organic dyes are used to colour the same and simulate the fired colour.
The fine powder remains insoluble in the matrix without leading to a chemical and physical reaction. Due to the features like thermal stability, high-resistance, and apt particle size, it ensures high colour intensity.
What makes ceramic stains ideal for use in decorative tiling?
Ceramic stains offer many applications and use:
Identified as a consistent and stable colourant, one of the most pleasing properties of ceramic stains is that it never dissolves in the glaze melt like other colouring metal oxides.
Since commercial stains are less soluble in water, the colourants are found safer to be used compared to the raw metal oxides while decorating the tiles.
Ceramic stains permit repeatable and consistent results.
This compound can be obtained without much effort.
You can also fine-tune the colour selection and get the needed colour.
Due to the accessible dispersion, any type of colouration is possible.
The users can go through the list of oxides present in the ceramic stain. This helps them know how to achieve the colour and how to prevent negative effects too. Hence, before starting the tiling work, it is important to look at the reference notes, know the basic glaze structure, and gain information on how the stain is going to work.
It is also significant to know that the ceramic stains do not work with all firing conditions. They work for neutral, reduction atmospheres, and oxidation-firing atmospheres. As we know that ceramic stains contain colouring metal oxides with other compounds like opacifiers, alumina, silica, etc., and using the same in glaze bases can turn the glossy glaze to matte.
Wrapping up
Stains are ideal for creating a highly decorative work. Fired at a range of different temperatures, the stains can be chosen based on glaze chemistry, temperature conditions, and density, as per the layers of colours needed. Using ceramic stains means enhancing creativity, introducing yourself to a wide spectrum of colours, and exploring a plethora of painted effects on the tiles.