Cement-tile artisans use colorful pigments to form hundreds of designs. The tiles have been popular for nearly 200 years as a beautiful and affordable building material, but today, they can cost over 10 times as much as some ceramic subway tiles. And despite the premium, many workshops have struggled to stay in business. Now, the price for their main ingredient has skyrocketed, aggravated by supply-chain issues and shortages. So, what's made cement tiles more expensive? And can new trends sustain this traditional craft?
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 Cement tiles start out like cake batter.
00:06 For artisans to complete the transformation,
00:11 they must bury their art in cement.
00:14 Nearly 200 years ago, cement tiles were popular
00:19 because they were affordable.
00:22 But today, the price for their main ingredient
00:24 has skyrocketed,
00:25 aggravated by supply chain issues and shortages.
00:29 Cement tiles can cost $30 per square foot,
00:32 over 10 times what some ceramic subway tiles cost.
00:36 But despite the premium,
00:38 their popularity across the globe has only increased,
00:41 even while many workshops
00:43 are struggling to stay in business.
00:45 So what's made cement tiles so expensive?
00:50 And can new trends sustain this traditional craft?
00:52 Every morning at this workshop in Morocco,
00:57 artisans settle in, surrounded by tiles.
01:00 The craft is still manual.
01:05 Each tile is touched by human hands.
01:27 The beginning of that art is pigment making.
01:30 From five pigments,
01:31 Abdel Rafia can produce hundreds of colors,
01:34 and it's his favorite part of the process.
01:36 He says the materials for some colors,
01:55 like green and blue, are more expensive,
01:57 so they increase the final price of a tile.
02:00 Abdel Rafia measures out each pigment
02:04 and combines it with cement, marble powder, and water,
02:06 turning together a colorful glob of liquid cement.
02:15 This mixture is what gives cement tiles
02:23 their characteristic matte surface.
02:25 A finished tile looks like one solid block,
02:33 but it's actually layered,
02:34 and artisans make each one upside down.
02:39 The liquid cement goes first,
02:42 filling in the gaps of this copper mold.
02:44 More complicated designs,
02:49 like those with lots of colors or really tight patterns,
02:52 take longer to make, increasing the price per tile.
02:55 When the design is simpler,
03:09 artisans can produce twice as many tiles.
03:12 They work quickly, but it takes a beginner a while
03:15 to learn how to add the proper amount of cement.
03:18 And the tool they use is surprisingly simple,
03:22 just a funnel with a stick to control the flow.
03:24 If too much or too little is added
03:28 or a design is poured incorrectly, the tile is rejected.
03:31 Depending on the design,
03:41 artisans produce 50 to 90 tiles a day,
03:44 enough to fill about two to three kitchen backsplashes.
03:48 That's a much lower volume than ceramic tiles,
03:51 where hundreds are fired together in large kilns.
03:54 Cement tiles are made one at a time.
03:57 Once a design is poured, tilemakers bury their art
04:17 in a layer of sand and cement.
04:19 (dramatic music)
04:22 While these experienced artisans don't often make a mistake,
04:30 the manual nature of each step means
04:32 that there's always the possibility of ruining a tile.
04:36 (speaking in foreign language)
04:39 (speaking in foreign language)
04:43 (speaking in foreign language)
05:11 Once the parfait of cement is full and level,
05:14 it's time to press.
05:15 It's a crucial step that only takes a second.
05:24 (speaking in foreign language)
05:36 (speaking in foreign language)
05:40 The design is absorbed into the tile,
05:46 so it won't rub off or wear like a painted pattern.
05:49 Healing up a tile looks easy,
05:52 but right now it's soft and moist, like a cake.
05:55 Poor handling or outright dropping would ruin it.
05:59 (speaking in foreign language)
06:04 (speaking in foreign language)
06:08 It will take several days of drying
06:22 before Abdourafia can sell his tiles.
06:24 Some workshops cover cement tiles in water
06:27 and dry them for up to a month.
06:29 But Abdourafia's method, which he says uses less water,
06:33 requires just a few spritzes
06:35 before the tiles dry in the sun for up to four days.
06:38 From this workshop, one tile costs $1.50 to $3,
06:47 or about $50 to $70 per square meter.
06:51 (speaking in foreign language)
06:55 (speaking in foreign language)
06:59 (speaking in foreign language)
07:03 (speaking in foreign language)
07:07 That's because it's not just interior designers
07:31 who want cement.
07:33 The price is heavily tied to the volume of construction
07:36 because it's used to make concrete.
07:38 In the US, the producer price index for cement
07:41 has more than tripled since 1990.
07:44 Outside of recessions,
07:45 the price of cement has typically gone up.
07:48 Now supply chain disruptions and shortages
07:50 are pressuring it even more.
07:53 The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine
07:55 slowed cement production and distribution.
07:58 When construction demand rebounded,
08:00 many builders said there wasn't enough
08:02 for the projects they had planned.
08:03 And in 2023, some countries experienced
08:07 a double-digit percent increase in cement prices.
08:10 Despite the cost of materials
08:14 and competition from cheaper tiles,
08:16 Abdourafia says the craft is growing.
08:19 (speaking in foreign language)
08:24 (speaking in foreign language)
08:28 (speaking in foreign language)
08:31 (speaking in foreign language)
08:35 After the tiles hardened,
08:59 workers shipped them to customers all around the world.
09:01 Abdourafia says his sales
09:04 are about half domestic, half international,
09:07 catering to the growing demand for handmade tiles,
09:10 which have become an increasingly common sight on Instagram
09:13 and in interior design.
09:15 Google Trends shows a steady climb in interest
09:17 in the topic since 2011,
09:19 and the market size could nearly double by 2032,
09:22 according to Data Horizon Research.
09:25 - More and more, I think people are drawn to things
09:28 that have character.
09:30 Everything went through a stage
09:32 where everything was just like white,
09:34 and the interiors were very boring.
09:36 There's an appreciation now for less synthetic,
09:39 less mass-manufactured things,
09:41 but I don't think it's a trend
09:43 because cement tile is actually a traditional tile method.
09:47 Architecturally, I think they're timeless.
09:50 - Kate co-founded Concrete Collaborative in 2004.
09:54 Many of its designs are created by artists it partners with,
09:57 like this one from designer Caroline Z. Hurley.
10:00 - I like kind of playing with different textures,
10:05 patterns, colors, to see what we can create.
10:08 And a lot of people really love the designers or artists
10:11 that we'll collaborate with.
10:12 They almost feel like they're getting a piece
10:14 of Alex Purvis' art by using her tile.
10:18 - Kate says cement tiles are great
10:20 for creating a bold design statement in your home.
10:22 Thousands of miles away,
10:25 her customers appreciate cement tiles
10:27 for the same reason as Opto-Rafia.
10:30,
10:58 - Every single piece is made by hand,
11:00 so it has a natural variation.
11:04 It's perfectly imperfect.
11:06 - Because cement tiles are handmade
11:08 and can develop a patina,
11:10 some customers worry that installing
11:12 or maintaining them is difficult.
11:14 But Kate says it's actually similar
11:16 to any tile installation.
11:17 - I'm gonna do this sample just to have an idea.
11:28 So the way we're gonna use is doing like this,
11:32 just to cover the whole area.
11:35 And this is how this works.
11:39 So you see, when you push it up
11:44 and you hit with the hammer,
11:47 this glue is really, really good.
11:51 You can wait like two hours
11:53 and it's gonna be dry, ready to add the grout.
11:57 - After deciding on the spacing,
11:59 he spreads out a glue and presses each tile into place.
12:02 - First of all, what we do,
12:05 we just measure the space we need
12:07 and prepare all tiles.
12:09 In this case, we use this kind of spacer,
12:13 which is 316.
12:14 We have to make sure everything goes straight,
12:19 has to be everything at the same spacer.
12:25 (gentle music)
12:27 - After cleaning off the grout,
12:37 he waits for everything to dry,
12:39 then seals the tiles once more.
12:41 - Sometimes with synthetic finishes,
12:46 it can make a space feel really cold.
12:48 So the beauty of anything that has a little bit of life
12:51 to it that does patina over time,
12:54 a lot of high-end clients really have an appreciation
12:56 for that because they don't want their spaces
12:59 to feel sterile.
13:00 You know, something can last a really long time
13:03 and have kind of like a life over time.
13:05 - The fact that each tile isn't perfect
13:10 is part of the charm,
13:12 but it also means that the craft relies
13:14 on the artisans who make each tile by hand.
13:17 And not every workshop is as successful as Abdurafi's.
13:22 Some artisans, like Syed Hussein in Egypt,
13:24 worry they won't be able to pass on this tradition.
13:27 In the 1990s, competition from ceramic
13:43 and marble tiles hurt his business.
13:46 Now the raw materials are more expensive
13:49 and it's difficult to find workers.
13:51 He's kept his workshop open by focusing on cheaper designs,
13:55 but he's one of the few tile makers left in Egypt.
13:58 Abdurafi is hopeful that in Morocco,
14:20 the craft will continue to not only survive, but thrive.
14:25 - I think this craft will face a lot of challenges in the future.
14:28 It needs people to support it,
14:32 because it's not a pure craft.
14:37 It needs people to support it with ideas,
14:39 to support it with...
14:42 to support it with...
14:44 A lot of people need to support it
14:46 to grow and develop.
14:48 For example,
14:51 people who are passionate about this craft
14:54 and who give their best to keep it going,
14:59 you can save money.
15:00 And those who give their best
15:03 are the people we work with.
15:06 I don't think of it as a job,
15:08 but as a hobby.
15:11 I love this craft.
15:15 And I don't think of it as a hobby.
15:20 I don't think of it as a hobby.
15:24 I love it.
15:26 I love it.
15:28 I love it.
15:30 I love it.
15:32 I love it.
15:34 I love it.
15:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]