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..knowing that many here have 'been there, done that' I thought to ask for feedback from anyone who has stamped onto a ceramic tile and what ink-pads were most successful. What colouring products were used for best results? Also, can you also successful EMBOSS onto a ceramic tile?
..knowing that many here have 'been there, done that' I thought to ask for feedback from anyone who has stamped onto a ceramic tile and what ink-pads were most successful. What colouring products were used for best results? Also, can you also successful EMBOSS onto a ceramic tile?
Thank you in advance
I would recommend Staz-on ink. It is specifically designed for glossy, smooth surfaces.
I can't comment on embossing on tile from experience (but that won't stop me from speculating), but I would imagine with the correct ink, embossing can be done. If the ink adheres well to the surface and the powder adheres to the ink, it should work well. I would think that you would want to seal an embossed tile with something. I'm sure there will be people who have embossed on tile who can speak to the process and the level of success...
I embossed glossy tiles several years ago as Christmas presents. They turned out really pretty, but they don't hold up very well. The embossing can get knocked off fairly easily. They last longer if you don't use hot cups on them, but overall I'd just use them as decorations. Here's one that I did:
As sevenkidscollegefund said, you need Stazon for a glossy surface like a ceramic tile, nothing else is going to stick/dry on there. You can experiment by having some rubbing alcohol to hand - providing your tile has no cracks or imperfections in the glaze, you can just wipe off your stamping with a rag or cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol and then you can just stamp again. If there are any imperfections in the glaze, the ink won't wipe off without leaving traces in those areas so just check over your tile before you start to play.
MSBetsy's embossed tile is beautiful! Like she said, the embossing pops off the surface pretty easily though. I haven't tried it on a tile but I've tried it on glass which is a similar slick surface and you do have to be careful how you handle it so for an item like a coaster that's intended for use rather than decoration, it's probably not a great solution.
Once you have the ink on the tile can you color on it, and what do you use to color? I am thinking of coloring in the image. TIA.
I guess there are a couple of choices.
You can get ceramic paints that you can 'cure' in a domestic oven - you could try those.
The other option is doable but can be a little tricky! You'll need alcohol-based permanent pens (Copic, Sharpie, CD markers etc) or bottled alcohol ink for it to stick to the coaster. The reason it's tricky is that you have to be careful not to go over the stamped lines as the two solvents won't mix - your colour will just smear your Stazon if you go over the stamped image. If you stay inside the lines though you'll be OK!
I have also had success using StampinUp craft ink then baking the tiles at 250 degrees for 20-30 min and when cool, spraying three coats of a Krylon sealer, letting each coat dry well. (I use matte finish) This way they stand up to any use. So far, this method has worked great for me.
__________________ "A mistake is simply another way of doing things." Katharine Graham
I embossed glossy tiles several years ago as Christmas presents. They turned out really pretty, but they don't hold up very well. The embossing can get knocked off fairly easily. They last longer if you don't use hot cups on them, but overall I'd just use them as decorations. Here's one that I did:
I use Stazon for the ink and the after it is dry, I color with bics or sharpies. I let it sit for a couple of days (or oyu can bake it) and then spray FINE COAT of sealer on. Let it dry and then seal it. If you do much at once, on the fine coat, the colors can run.
I'm making ceramic tile coasters for Christmas presents this year. I have found that the best tiles to use are Bottochino(sp?) Tumbled Marble Tiles. I bought mine at Lowes but you might be able to get something similiar where you live. Just make sure the tiles don't have an glaze on them. I used Stazon ink and colored mine with chalks. I had to seal mine with a sealer because the chalks would rub off and I used Krylon Matte Finish Sealer. Here is a link to what I'm making this year.
In the Splitcoast Resources there is a tutorial for Tile Coasters. It doesn't mention baking in the oven, which is what I learned.
Here is another tutorial @ Rubber Road Adventures. Their process calls for special "heat set" inks.
When we did this at stamp club, we used Stazon for stamping; heat the tiles for 20 minutes; colored with SU Classic ink; heat the tiles for 20 minutes again; sprayed with a fixative.
__________________
John 3:16
Last edited by GarnetJ; 11-16-2008 at 01:19 PM..
Reason: typo
I have not had previously had success with the glazed tiles. I tried to make a trivet but could only find a glazed tile in the larger tile sizes. I used craft inks and heat set it (350 degress for 20 minutes). It seemed fine but when I used the trivet for a hot dish and then wiped the spill off afterwards my design came off too. I will definitely have to try black Stazon and sharpies (I think the Stazon colors are ugly) on my remaining trivet that I have been storing for years!
However, I have had great success with unglazed tiles and craft inks by heat setting them. I have used them for hot things and wiped them off and the design stays on. I have tiles that I have used for years and they still look good.
I just did a Tile Stamping class and did TONS of experiementing before hand. Glossy tiles DON'T workout very well (trust me). Regardless of what you do the ink is kind of bubbley. Matte tiles are super easy to stamp on. I would recommend tiles that have a fairly smooth surface.
I used the standard Classic Stampin Up Black ink and Craft ink for the colors. If you do an outlined image and want to color it in you can stamp it in black and use your Craft reinkers with an Aqua Pen and color it in.
I recommend baking in oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes or so to set the ink. If you want them to actually last I would recommend sealing with a clear sealant. I found that Krylon (sp ?) made my image smear alittle. I prefer to use Rust-Oleum. Also, Rust-Oleum doen't make my tiles really glossy.
If you use chalks you will def. have to apply the sealer otherwise the chalk rubs right off. Good Luck
such a wealth of info here....love SCS! I have done many many coasters over the years and the only easy and lasting way I have found is to stamp on unglazed tiles (my favorite is also Botticino tumbled tiles, I think they are also called Travertine?) with StazOn and color in with either Fabrico markers (SU used to carry them)or the SU journaling pens (SU also used to carry them) or just use a craft refill (or smoosh the craft pad on a junk CD or slick paper plate as a palette) and use blender pen or AquaPen to apply the ink. The craft inks must be heatset (bake in the oven for 20 or 30 minutes at 300 degrees or so)
I loved it when we had StazOn in a variety of colors...so easy to do monochromatic colors that way! Picture Frosty (my favorite snowman ever!) stamped in Ultramarine Blue on the white tile...sooo pretty! Now I have to use only Black or Timber Brown StazOn neithor of which is that attractive!
Stamping with craft pads works fine as long as you heat set but more time consuming.
As someone already mentioned, be careful if spray sealing tiles done with STazOn ink as the StazOn doesn't like the spray sealers (at least not Krylon) and will run or bleed if you get too close or spray too heavily. Also, sealing the tiles will negate the absorbent quality of the tile (think "thirstystone coasters) so if I seal at all, I just do a VERY light spritz from at least arm's length away to protect the bare tile from spills and sloshes.
My current favorite tile is using the Cardinal from Christmas Cardinal and stamping in black StazOn then coloring in with craft reinkers and blender pens. So pretty!!!! And what a vibrant colorful bird! Jan
I could never understand why anyone would spray to seal the tiles. As stated above, sealing them negates the absorbing of any liquid (which is why I thought you used coasters). Of course, it also limits how they can be decorated. I just used Staz-On for the stamp and if I want to do any coloring, I used Sharpies. I never heat sealed mine either and they are still beautiful after 6 years. I have occasionally used mild cleaner on them also.
I am using alcohol inks on mine this Christmas and then will be stamping something with Staz-On. Might heat-set these.
My current favorite tile is using the Cardinal from Christmas Cardinal and stamping in black StazOn then coloring in with craft reinkers and blender pens. So pretty!!!! And what a vibrant colorful bird! Jan
I have a calendar picture of a beautiful red cardinal in the snow. Living in a hot place during Christmas I find this has a cooling effect too - it's on a cabinet door in my studio and I couldn't bear to take it down after Christmas last year, so it's a year-rounder cardinal How beautiful they would look on the tile and done with the reinkers; I can just imagine. Thanks for sharing..........
I recently stamped w/ black stazon on large glazed tiles and sprayed them and they didn't hold up at all. Now I need to re-do them and am really not sure what to do. Anyone have any ideas??
You don't really need a specific "brand" you just need to find a tile with the characteristics you are looking for.
If you are wanting to do "coasters" you need to find coaster sized tiles that are somewhat smooth, non-glossy and have a very limited protective coating. Almost all of them come from the factory with some type of coating for added strenghth but some have more than others. If they have an over emphasised texture (like deep line, gouges, or grooves) your stamped image will not penetrate into those spots which leaved your stamped image erratic. If there is too much protective coating on them they will not absorb the condensation from the cups that you place on them. I found the best place to get my tiles is at Lowe's and they are about $0.50 per tile, the Menards here does not carry anything like that.
You can stamp on the glossy tiles as well, however, these tile will not be suitable for "coasters" because they have no absorbing features. You also have to seal them with an acrylic sealers.
I recently stamped w/ black stazon on large glazed tiles and sprayed them and they didn't hold up at all. Now I need to re-do them and am really not sure what to do. Anyone have any ideas??
When you say they didn't hold up what do you mean? I am assuming that the ink is either rubbing or flaking off. Did you bake them in the oven before sealing? Glossy tiles are very tempermental and very hard to work with. One thing you could try (I haven't yet) is sealing them with Modge Podge after you bake them in the oven. You could also try lightly sanding them with some fine grit sand paper (only if you are going to modge podge seal) before stamping. That will give the ink something to set to (I think). The Modge Podge will fill in your sanding lines and should make them disappear.
Obviously, the two suggestions above are a little more time consuming than just stamping and I have to say I DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL WORK. These are on my list of things to try but just haven't had the time.
Old thread - I know but I am making some tile coasters and I stamp with Staz-On and I use just about every colouring medium SU! offers. For a lot of my tiles I have been using the Stampin' Write Markers. I bake the tiles but if I don't seal them with a sealer the coloured image will still wipe off.
Does anyone have tips or tricks for them so as not to use a sealer and negate the absorbent properties of the tile?
I know what some of you mean by wondering why someone would seal a coaster -- but remember that sometimes it isn't necessarily to absorb condensation or spills. . . sometimes you want to use a coaster just to protect the surface of a table or whatever from heat or actually from the bottom of a cup. Some ceramic cups have rough bottoms that do scratch wood.
But -- that said, an alternative is to mask off the edges of the coaster before you seal. If you leave between 1/4" to 1/2" around the edges unsealed, you can still protect your design and any liquid condensation will run to the unsealed edge and still be absorbed.
I've used Stazon to stamp tumbled tiles and pastels to color in and left them unsealed. Also, simply using alcohol ink in a polished stone style gives a nice background and you can then stamp a design without coloring.
I have been making some tile coasters as gifts and I'm no expert, but I do have some tips to share.
I have purchased the unglazed tiles at Menards and Home Depot. I found that some of them were covered with a fine powder-like dust. I washed them in plain water, and rinsed them well, and then left them to air dry. I leave them dry a day or two, if possible. I learned that if I put them back in the boxes they came in, they picked up more dust again, so I stopped storing them that way.
For most of my tiles I stamp with black StazOn ink. To my surprise the more detailed the stamped image was, the better. Again, allow them to dry for a day or two. I have been able to speed the ink drying process along, by using my heat gun on them. I found if the ink was not totally dry, it would smear when I was coloring them.
I color the images with Q-tips and more StazOn ink. I do pick up the color from the stamp pad, but I found my favorite way to color was to use re-inkers. I drop a drop of the reinker on an ice cream pail lid and then use Q-tips to color my image. I purchased a number of reinkers and just skipped buying the pads, since I don't think I will be stamping with most of the colors. I was able to make tints of colors by mixing the white reinker and colors. I would think that you might be able to mix two colors together, but I haven't actually tried that. I have also used makeup sponges to sponge a sky or other background color.
The tiles/ink are not very forgiving if you goof. I did try to remove a little smudge with StazOn cleaner, but I didn't have a great deal of success. I didn't work at it too much, because I was worried I might just make it a bigger problem. I totally messed up a couple and now I use them to practice different techniques.
I bake my tiles at 300 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes and then shut the oven off and let them cool in the oven. I add cork to the bottom with E-6000 glue and have also put the little furniture protector felt circles on top of the cork. My DH thinks that is overkill but I feel better knowing there is no way it will harm furniture.
I had my DH take some pictures but haven't had her home long enough to get her to get the pictures off the camera and uploaded to SCS. I don't know how well they will hold up, but the ones I have been using in my craft room are doing great and they have not even been heat set. I don't use sealers of any kind. I was told last week that they can also be colored with VersaCraft ink and chalk inks, but I haven't tried either method. This summer I plan to stamp tiles for an outdoor table that will be exposed to all kinds of weather. I can't wait to see how that works out.
I hope this helps you a little. I would love to see pictures of your finished tiles and I will try to get mine posted soon. Good luck!
I am making stamped tiles with stazon for a church craft fair. How do I clean the stazon stamped stamps? I used the stamp scrubber but the stamp still looks inked. Thanks for your help.
I am making stamped tiles with stazon for a church craft fair. How do I clean the stazon stamped stamps? I used the stamp scrubber but the stamp still looks inked. Thanks for your help.
There is a Stazon cleaner made specifically for Stazon ink. I bought mine at Michaels a long time ago, so I don't know if they are still carrying it, but you should be able to find it locally.
Is there a substitute these days for stazon inks? I hate the smell, find the pads dry really fast and not pleased with many of the colors. Has some company come up with a permanent ink that will work for stamping on tumbled tiles?
Memento Luxe pads might work, but I'm not at home to test them out. :(
I use Memento all the time, but am not familiar with the Lux pads. Will check that out too. Would be interested on you test, as I don't have any at this time.
They're a great mixed media ink, and they do dry permanently on canvas, painted surfaces, and fabric, so they might work out on stone. I'll make myself a note to try it when I get home.
They're a great mixed media ink, and they do dry permanently on canvas, painted surfaces, and fabric, so they might work out on stone. I'll make myself a note to try it when I get home.
Thanks a bunch. I suppose if they work on the tiles, they would also work on Shrink Plastic? Do they come in nice colors? I'm so excited to think I may have an alternative to Staz-on. I will get rid of all the pads and re-inkers I now own gladly.
How should I stamp onto a ceramic tile
