Antique Terracotta Texture

How did we find the Antique terracotta texture that is now our signature? From the very beginning of our project, we knew that we wanted to offer a unique and original product, carrying over the traditional vernacular of terracotta into a more modern and avant-garde design. Keeping this concept alive is what has led us to continuously investigate the possibilities of the geometry, shades and combinations offered by a sustainable material such as this. With the passage of time, this innovation is what has helped us to win recognition as neo-craftsmen.

Our mission at todobarro is to offer a product of excellent quality which is environmentally friendly, 100% handmade and able to stand out on its own merits. This is a distinction we have obtained by developing our Antique texture, which allows us to personalize our product and imitate those classic, old terracotta pavements which harken back to the old Andalusia of tradition and memory.

The strength of a genuine product

Respect for a material which carries such an extensive cultural history is what led us to pursue that peculiar beauty one finds in antique and distressed floors. Using our Antique texture, we bestow these characteristics typical of a vintage style onto new terracotta pieces which are handcrafted by our master craftsmen.

Because of our artisanal production process, our products display color variations and even burned parts, which are characteristics that we obtain through a natural firing process in traditional Arabic ovens, which makes each and every piece unique. These unique features are accompanied by pits and imperfections, all the result of an artisanal production process carried out by hand. These unique traits are then further enhanced by submitting the pieces to a controlled aging process that wears and smoothens their surface textures.

The two sides of each piece of terracotta

Industrial tiles are generally manufactured to be used on one side only. Here at todobarro, on the other hand, we take full advantage of the aesthetic possibilities offered by both sides of each piece of terracotta tile, conferring a unique personality to each and every surface.

• The front side of tiles with our Antique texture tiles features a surface that is smooth, suave and silky to the touch. With a uniform finish obtained from a prior smoothening process.
• The reverse side has natural pits and irregular imperfections which give each piece its own unique beauty, just like the traditional terracotta pavements of old Andalusia. This side allows for a greater level of differentiation.

Antique Texture: The Art of Aging Terracotta

Our Antique texture allows us to distress and smoothen the surfaces until they take on a silky feel to the touch, as if they had been installed decades ago. Despite this process, the reverse side of the tiles will maintain their irregularities, providing one of the unique characteristics of our products.

The aging process also serves as a form of quality control. Whenever a piece with micro-fissures imperceptible to the naked eye is introduced into our mixer, it will break upon collision with other pieces and can be rapidly discarded. We only use pieces which survive this process, allowing us to offer full guarantees to our customers.

By combining both sides in a random and scattered fashion, we can create a personalized and genuine effect which evokes days gone by and integrates perfectly with more avant-garde styles. It never ceases to amaze us how a material as humble as clay, used for centuries, can constantly open doors to yet more innovations.