Tile 101: Glazed Breeze Blocks
No more spray painting! The most durable, colorful breeze blocks in the market
By Clay Imports
Breeze blocks are one of the most versatile materials available that not only enhances the overall look of all your projects but also offer privacy while allowing natural windflow to pass through. Their popularity is also linked to their customization: they can be cut, mixed with other breeze block designs, turned on their side for a solid masonry wall and even painted. Like all terracotta products, breeze block installations should be maintained; however, we saw a need for enhanced durability and additional customization options for breeze blocks. We experimented by applying our most popular tile glazes to our terracotta breeze blocks to create the ultimate design element: meet the Clay Imports Glazed Breeze Block.
- What’s a glaze?
- The first Glazed breeze block in the market
- Painted vs Glazed Breeze Blocks
- The Glazed Breeze Blocks
- More designs to come!
What’s a glaze?
Glazes are a protective coating for clay materials including tableware and tiles. Glazes are made up of a mixture of minerals and pigments in a coat of enamel or liquid glass that is applied on the surface of the tile and other ceramics. At our tile workshops, glazes are either applied by hand or with a spray applicator. After these glazed tiles are loaded into the kiln, the glaze and the body of the tile are then bonded together with super high temperatures. This gives as result a more durable product: the terracotta and clay are now protected from the exterior elements with a glass-like coating that’s embedded into the surface of the tile. To know more about the characteristics of glazed tiles, you can take a look at our article about glazed tiles.
Glazed tiles and breeze blocks are more durable than sealed or painted breeze blocks but have their own characteristics with wear, such as crazing, some color variations and patina. These characteristics are not defects, but rather a living proof that your breeze block is handmade.
The first Glazed Breeze block in the market
At Clay Imports, we are the first manufacturer that glazed terracotta tiles. But tiles are not the only terracotta product we offer; our breeze blocks are also well known and beloved. So we asked ourselves “What if we combine the durable characteristics of tile glaze and apply them to breeze blocks ?” and after a lot of experimentation, trial and error, we finally came up with a breakthrough material: Glazed Breeze Blocks!
Painted vs Glazed Breeze blocks
We believe that a successful design happens when form and function work in perfect harmony and these glazed breeze blocks are the perfect example of this principle. Breeze blocks are usually painted in order to add color as another layer of customization; and while paint can add a little protection from the elements, it is a tedious installation and not a permanent solution to avoid the hassle of maintaining the installation, specially on exterior projects.
Glazed Breeze Blocks provide more durability than a layer of paint; our glazing process requires them to be double fired to make sure the glazed is well bonded, thus making the glazed breeze block more water resistant than any other in the market. They also provide more diversity of color options; we produce breeze blocks in the same workshop as our tiles, making the glaze options for future glazed breeze blocks endless.
The Glazed Breeze blocks
Our Glazed Breeze block’s glazes feature the same handmade characteristics of our tiles, most blocks feature two glazed faces with terracotta visible within the perforations of the blocks, creating a two-toned effect.These variations in color, texture and sheen are not defects but rather a natural part of the product. We highly recommend ordering samples before making a final purchase to confirm and appreciate these natural variations.
We also recommend taking a look at our Clay Care products. These maintenance items have been carefully tested with our products, and they are designed to preserve your tiles and breeze blocks beauty, ensuring their longevity and durability.
Petalo
One of our most popular designs, Petalo is the perfect choice for a timeless, mid-century or Mexico modern look. These blocks can be layout one above the other to create a big circle design or can be used individually either by their own or combined with other styles of breeze blocks. If this is the first time you’ll be installing breeze blocks, Petalo is the right choice for you.
More designs to come!
We are excited to introduce these products and we are completely sure you’ll be so happy with their look once installed. Keep this article in your quick access: we’ll be developing more breeze blocks and more glaze options and we don’t want you to miss the chance to meet them first.
These breeze blocks can be installed like any other of our breeze blocks, so don’t forget to check our installation guide and our featured DIY projects using these blocks. And remember, if you have any questions or require more information, don't hesitate to reach out to us at contact@clayimports.com
