Bat Access Tile Accessories from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd
At Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd, we make a range of high quality handmade clay roof tiles. Although some of the process has been automated, we still adhere to the basic rules of hand crafting our clay tiles in a time honoured way.
The process starts in the clay quarry were we source our clay. The excavated clay is then stored in our hoppers for about a year to weather.
Following this weathering process, the clay is taken on for processing. The raw clay is broken down into smaller pieces and water is added to create the correct moisture balance. The clay and water is then pulverised and mixed to an even consistency.
A conveyer belt then transports the clay to the rolling system where the clay is pressed into the requisite sized slabs ready for the next stage of the manufacturing process. The next stage is for the long ribbons of pressed clay to be cut with wire into the requisite sized tiles before going off to the makers.
The hand made process begins on our clay roof tiles
The makers add sand to the tiles to give them their unique colour. Differing levels of manganese oxide in the sand give the different levels of colour desired. Once the sand has been added to the surface of the clay hand made roof tile, the tile is placed into the mould and is pressed and any excess clay is cut off with a wire. Once this has been done, the punch is brought down to create any nibs, holes and our manufacturing identification marks. An impression of the makers hand is left in each and every tile, which is a unique indication that the tile has truly been hand made.
Special shaped hand made clay tiles and fittings
Any special shaped clay tiles and fittings are cut by hand with the use of profiles to achieve the desired shape. The clay piece is then placed over a former to give it its unique shape. The clay is patted and smoothed over the former with a smooth wooden pat like the sort used to shape butter. The newly shaped tiles are placed onto racks to dry for approximately seven to ten days. We expect a shrinkage of around five percent during this time.
The firing process of our hand made clay roof tiles
The tiles carefully checked for defects before they are loaded onto large racks ready to go into a pre-drier. The hand made clay tiles will stay in the pre-drier for about two days or until the moisture content has been reduced to less than one percent.
Once the clay tiles have been pre-dried, they are loaded into the kilns where they are baked for about a week. The tiles will often reach temperatures of around one thousand degrees centigrade. This time and temperature ensures that the tiles will remain very durable and be able to withsatand elements such as frost when they reach their final destination. On average, the hand made clay roof tiles will shrink by at least another seven percent during the firing process.
Once the firing process is done, our skilled craftsmen will inspect each and every one of the hand made tiles to ensure theree are no defects. Any twisted, cracked or warped clay roof tiles will be disguarded so that our customers can be guaranteed that only the finest quality hand made clay roof tiles find their way into our stocking yard ready for dispatch to building sites around the country.
Other Articles from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd
Bat Access Tile Accessories from Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd
Bats are a superb means of natural insect control. A single tiny little bat can eat literally thousands of mosquitoes and other bugs like moths, beetles and gnats every hour. Picture sitting in your garden, becoming more anaemic with every passing minute because of the swarms of blood sucking mosquitoes, the furry little bat is the night predator that will feast on these pests.
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Create the Perfect Blend with Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd
When it comes to choosing the right clay roof tiles for your property you'll want to get it right first time. The last thing you want is a colour or shade of tile that clashes with the brickwork or is out of step with closely neighbouring properties. This is where Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd come in. We have an amazing range of high quality handmade and machine made clay roof tiles that will make your building project just that little bit special.
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Why Choose the Heritage Range of Clay Roof Tiles
Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd are the leading supplier of high quality handmade and handcrafted clay roof tiles in the United Kingdom.
Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd have an enviable reputation for a high quality product range. Our clay roof tiles are manufactured using traditional skills coupled with modern kiln technology, the Heritage Tile range is second to none, offering old world character and charm, yet able to meet modern, contemporary requirements.
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Why We Use Clay Roof Tiles in Favour of Other Materials
We are frequently asked why we concentrate on clay roof tiles and not a wide range of other roofing materials. Quite simply, clay roof tiles are by far a superior product for successful and durable roofing projects than any other material. Many times we have heard of projects being undertaken with concrete tiles as a means of saving some money. This practice is false economy in our opinion as concrete tiles will not last anywhere near as long as clay roof tiles. Concrete tiles do have some positive points in common with clay roof tiles, but why compromise on the quality and durability that our genuine clay roof tiles bring to your building project?.
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Machine Made Clay Roof Tiles
Here at Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd, we make wide range of machine made clay roof tiles of large and small format, so that we can offer our customers our quality performance products at very competitive prices.
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The History of Clay Roof Tiles
Here at Heritage Clay Tiles Ltd, we pride ourselves in the quality of our outstanding clay products. We firmly believe that you could not buy a better clay roof tile anywhere else. We stand by our company strapline, 'Yesterdays Traditions, Todays Choices, Tomorrows Heritage'.
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Further Information
If you would like to know more or are interested in a quote we would be happy to help. Phone us on 01634 471 344, email us at sales@heritagetiles.co.uk and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
