Where possible, it is an excellent design feature to incorporate tiles laid on edge, either as a detail within a paving scheme – for example, as an additional row or rows outlining a brick course, or to edge some paving slabs. In this project, I have used tiles as an infill to become a front door step/entrance.
Using engineering bricks to suit your colour preference – indeed, you may find tiles and bricks to match, but the choice will be limited at most Builders Merchants.
The first stage is to build the brick work course, ensuring that the work is very accurate both in levels across the length of the work but also from front to back of the bricks, as any slight inaccuracies will show as hollows or dips in the tile work.
I used engineering ‘creasing’ tiles – usually laid as the ‘starter’ row on a roof, as these are accurate in thickness and straightness. As they are fairly expensive, I cut or rather ‘break’ each tile in half lengthways by a technique shown to me by an aged craftsman, impossible to describe in words! (It involves kneeling down, holding a tile firmly between your knees and tapping the centre – lengthways – of a tile against the corner of the captive tile, at the same time as pulling the tapped tile in two opposing directions outwards, in an attempt to split the held/tapped tile into half. If you can try that, maybe I can describe it in words!)
This split or halved tile, even if the break is not a clean 50 – 50, as long as one edge is intact, are then laid into a strong (1 – 4 mortar) carefully ensuring accurate levels and falls at all times. The mortar should be suitably wet/dry enough to support the tiles without slumping to avoid dips. Great care should be taken to ensure an accurate 90 degree layout from the brick work as any discrepancy will show up quite noticeably.
Once the work is solid, the area is pointed with a wet strong slurry mix of 1 – 3 cement and sand, carefully worked into the joints and brushed/sponged off (see Tricks of The Trade ref. Laying Cobbles) until the tiles are clean. For extra colour, use lanolin or new sheep skin (or any other suitable colour enhancer if you haven’t got a sheep handy) to polish the work.
(This particular feature is from my 1997 book, Garden Features Made Easy, a paperback published in-house. If you would like a free copy, just send P & P (2 x £1.00 stamps) the book being no longer available from bookshops. It is not a huge tome, so don’t think I’m being over generous!)
