Quarry tiles — unglazed ceramic floor tiles in terracotta, red and buff tones — are found in Victorian and Edwardian homes, farmhouses, period churches and listed buildings. They are difficult to replace like-for-like, as original quarry tiles may no longer be manufactured in the same dimensions, colours or textures. Professional repair preserves the original floor.

What Are Quarry Tiles?

Quarry tiles are made from natural clay, extruded and fired at high temperature. Unlike glazed ceramic tiles, they have no surface coating — the colour runs through the body of the tile. They are extremely durable but can chip under impact, and cracking can occur from ground movement or frost.

Can Quarry Tiles Be Repaired?

Yes. Chips in quarry tiles are filled with colour-matched compound. The challenge is matching the natural, variable colour of aged quarry tiles — which differ significantly from the original fired colour due to decades of use, wax, oils and cleaning products accumulating in the porous surface.

An experienced technician working with natural earth pigments can achieve excellent results on most quarry tile colours. Results are better on plain tiles than on encaustic or patterned quarry tiles.

Listed Buildings

For listed buildings and conservation areas, we ensure that repair materials are sympathetic and reversible where required. We can provide documentation of materials used.