Amy Shelton
08-16-2010, 10:00 AM
We have a customer who wants initials engraved onto tile and embedded in their driveway. I called Thermark, who said their ceramic marking product is not for outdoors, it will fade in 2-3 years, plus it wouldn't stand up to the abrasive conditions of a driveway. It must be frost-proof, not just frost-resistant.
What are my options for this?
I have some ideas:
1. Black granite, engrave to turn it white, then enhance with oil based white paint. But they want high contrast, to see it from the road, and I'm not sure if that will do it. The customer wants light-colored tile with dark letters. (Would white granite, after engraving, accept black paint? what kind is durable?)
2. Lasertile? I just submitted a question to them. It will have to withstand freezing temps, and I don't know if Lasertile has a porcelain composition. Also, will little gravels scratch the surface?
3. Stencil and sandblast, then paint (Is epoxy paint best for this? Would sandblasting work on a porcelain tile?)
4. Stencil and paint with a ceramic glaze, then fire in a kiln? (I don't have a kiln, but can sub it out to a friend)
5. CLTT - I believe I read it is not durable? I saw somewhere online that after pressing with a heat press, you can post-cure it it at 400F for 15 min. But would that make it tough enough to handle being in a driveway?
6. Engraving Quarry Tile -- I got a dark gray color on the red tile, but they want a tan color. When I engraved a tan quarry tile, it removed the top surface (I went 100power, 5 speed, raster) but it didn't burn a dark color. I tried color filling, using acrylic paint, and it didn't stay in the wide engraved areas.
I know there must be a way to do this. How do they put depth numbers on white tiles to use in pools?
Do you have any ideas? We're open to all suggestions!
THANKS!
Amy
What are my options for this?
I have some ideas:
1. Black granite, engrave to turn it white, then enhance with oil based white paint. But they want high contrast, to see it from the road, and I'm not sure if that will do it. The customer wants light-colored tile with dark letters. (Would white granite, after engraving, accept black paint? what kind is durable?)
2. Lasertile? I just submitted a question to them. It will have to withstand freezing temps, and I don't know if Lasertile has a porcelain composition. Also, will little gravels scratch the surface?
3. Stencil and sandblast, then paint (Is epoxy paint best for this? Would sandblasting work on a porcelain tile?)
4. Stencil and paint with a ceramic glaze, then fire in a kiln? (I don't have a kiln, but can sub it out to a friend)
5. CLTT - I believe I read it is not durable? I saw somewhere online that after pressing with a heat press, you can post-cure it it at 400F for 15 min. But would that make it tough enough to handle being in a driveway?
6. Engraving Quarry Tile -- I got a dark gray color on the red tile, but they want a tan color. When I engraved a tan quarry tile, it removed the top surface (I went 100power, 5 speed, raster) but it didn't burn a dark color. I tried color filling, using acrylic paint, and it didn't stay in the wide engraved areas.
I know there must be a way to do this. How do they put depth numbers on white tiles to use in pools?
Do you have any ideas? We're open to all suggestions!
THANKS!
Amy