Our Process
Machuca Tiles are handcrafted by our expert Filipino tile makers—all of whom are trained in the century-old techniques that have been preserved since 1903. Our artisans meticulously mold, pour, and press our signature tiles into perfection, turning every handmade Machuca tile into a masterpiece.
We’ve spent the last hundred years practicing, refining, and perfecting the craft of handmade cement tile manufacturing, treating our process as an evolving art form. We innovate to achieve eco-friendliness and sustainability without sacrificing the timeless quality that accompanies our name.
Step 1: Steel Tile Mold Creation
The patterns on our handmade cement tiles come from steel tile molds that we create ourselves. These molds are intricately constructed by hand, using generations-old techniques and modern materials. Each steel tile mold takes days to produce but lasts for decades at a time.
Step 2: Color Pigment Preparation
The vibrant colors that make up our cement tiles are composed of high-quality iron oxide pigments. These durable and striking pigments are precisely weighed, ground, and sieved before being sent to our tile making stations.
Step 3: Tile making
At the tile making station, water is added to a mixture of cement and the prepared pigments. The handmade steel patterned mold is then carefully placed inside the steel frame casing. The colorful liquid cement mixture is then hand-poured into the enclosed shapes of the steel mold to create our famous patterned cement tiles.
Step 4: Cement Tile Layering
Once all enclosed shapes of the steel tile mold have been filled, the tile mold is removed from the steel frame casing and further layers are added. The second layer is made up of dry fine sand, while the third layer (the base) is made up of high-quality Portland cement.
Step 5: Tile Pressing
After the cement base layer is added, the steel frame casing is sealed. From here, the entire steel frame is positioned underneath our manual tile press. Referred to as the barra (from the Spanish word for rod), the tile press machine uses centripetal force to compress all of the raw materials encased inside the steel casing into one solid cement tile.
Step 6: Tile Curing
Once the barra has been used to compress the tile, the steel frame casing is removed and the tile is left to cure for approximately 7 days. The cement tile does not undergo firing or baking.
Step 7: Quality Inspection and Packaging
After the tiles have been cured, they are washed and cleaned before being inspected for quality. Any cracks, chipping, discoloration, or erroneous production defects that do not pass our strict quality standards are separated and sent to our rejects stockpile. The tiles that pass are then either pre-waxed or pre-sealed before being packaged and released.
Eco-Friendly Tile Manufacturing
At Machuca Tile, we embrace the responsibility of eco-friendly and sustainable manufacturing. All of our handmade cement tiles are created using 100% natural materials, do not contain any lead, are non-flammable, are neither baked nor fired, and are 100% recyclable.
Our process allows us to create our iconic line of custom cement tiles, and fulfill our clients’ demand for unique designs. Visit our catalog to see the results of a hundred years of experience and improvement.