Pratt & Larson is a handmade ceramic tile company based here in Portland, Oregon. We ordered all of our bathroom tile from them a few months back and they were kind enough to offer me a tour of their factory! It was so interesting to take a look at how they make each of their ceramics. They carry everything from subway tile in solid colours to hand-painted mosaics. Pratt & Larson tile is lovingly crafted to be unique and stand the test of time. They are definitely pricier than the big box store alternative, but they have an overflow section with hundreds of different tile options at a fraction of the original price. So if your worried that a higher quality tile like Pratt & Larson isn’t within your budget you can always check the overstock section to see if the style you want is available. It’s usually in smaller quantities, so if your working on a project like kitchen backsplash it’s a great place to look!
Subway tile and other popular styles are made by feeding a flat rectangle of clay through a machine that presses the shape onto it. Then each tile is hand separated and stacked on a rack to dry out. Any extra clay around the edges gets removed and reused for the next batch, so nothing goes to waste. You can see this process below!
For more delicate and intricate patterns they use a hand press that makes 1-2 tiles at a time. After placing two pieces of clay on the platform they pull the lever to lower the mould down and steam press the design onto the clay. How cute are these pineapple tiles?
The tiles are left to dry and then stacked onto shelves and rolled into this large furnace to be fired.
After being fired the first time the tiles are off to be painted! They have an unlimited colour selection so the sky is the limit. Below you can see what the tiles look like when they are first painted. The paint looks like it’s all one copper colour, but once it’s fired a second time the true colours are revealed. Each one of these are like tiny works of art!
Thanks to Pratt & Larson for giving me a behind-the-scenes tour of their facility!
Natasha says
They have some beautiful tile options! So gorgeous. Great post and thanks for sharing.
Megan Joy says
They have so many unique tiles that I would never have thought of. The handpainted ones are so beautiful!
melissa manos says
oh my gosh, I want to go visit them! we are in the process of picking our kitchen and guest bath tiles. Thank you for the inspiration!!!
Megan Joy says
Omg you totally should. They also have an overstock section at the back with tile at a deep discount. You can get some really beautiful options there especially if it’s for a smaller project.
Jenni says
Gah! Those tile colors are amazing. Just the sheer depth of color and beautiful finish. I’d have such a hard time selecting!
Megan Joy says
Same! We ended up going with pretty classic white tile and grey hex for our bathroom but they had so many gorgeous colours it was really hard to decide.
Erin @ Platings and Pairngs says
Look at all those beautiful colors! How cool that these tiles are produced locally!
Megan Joy says
Yes! It would really interesting to see how it all works and how much care at attention they put into each tile that they make.
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
How cool that you got to take a tour! They have such pretty tiles. I’ll have to keep them in mind for when we do some home remodeling over the next couple of years… we have a couple of spots we’ll need new tile, and I love their quality and colors!
Megan Joy says
They quality is so good and I love that it’s made locally. It’s fun how much tile can totally update a space without having to do a crazy renovation. Just a new backsplash can totally transform a space!
Mary says
That is so cool!! What a great experience. Those colors are so beautiful. We could certainly use some pretty tiles in our new home. I’ll have to remember this place when we’re ready to make some changes to our home.
Megan Joy says
For sure! It’s fun just to walk around their showroom. We got a lot of inspiration that way 🙂
Create/Enjoy says
Your photos are gorgeous! I toured that space too and was amazed to see how that incredible tile is made!