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Stained Glass & Mosaics

Source for orange 1/4 ceramic tile

14 years ago

Hello new friends!

I am trying to find an online source of orange tile. By 'orange', I don't mean 'burnt' or 'tinged'--I mean solid, no-doubt-about-it orange. My project is to build a mosaic of the tiger 'Hobbes' from the comic strip 'Calvin & Hobbes'. You can see how a tiger would require true orange and not a watered down version.

My local Lowe's and Home Depot don't have any, and neither do their catalogs. I guess bright orange isn't a popular color for bathrooms and kitchens. :) I have tried specialty tile stores, but they are even more hoity-toity and less likely to have such a basic color.

I would prefer 1/4" ceramic tile in standard sizes such as 1", 4.25" or 6". I already have the other colors required in 1/4" ceramic. I am willing to try a different thickness / composition if it is the only thing available.

I would appreciate any recommendations for on-line or overlooked local places to find these orange tiles. I realize I will probably have to pay for box quantity and large shipping fees.

Thanks in advance, and I promise to take pix of my progress!

-hydropetunia

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Comments (10)

flagtruck
14 years ago
Wits End Mosaic Supply will have what you need and in every color imaginable. Good luck.
gardencrone
14 years ago
I talked to Lowe's about "brights" in ceramic tiles and there is a company called daltile or something like that which makes their inexpensive ceramic tiles in black and white which they stock. They can special order the brights and I went to the wholesalers show room and the colors are excellent, they have a great orange. However, the tiles are 4x4. The only color I didn't find was fushia....and that I am still looking for. :(
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emtnest
14 years ago
You might find some good blending colors here: http://www.directfrommexico.com/talavera-pottery--tiles.html
Their 4" tiles are $142 each with a 15 tile minimum. They pack them very well for shipping. If the link does not take you to the right page do a search for 4 inch tiles on their site.
gardencrone
14 years ago
I'm just asking for future reference...MT....is that really $142 for one 4" tile?? One tile? Just checking. I think I am going to wait until I am REALLY REALLY good at this mosaic thing before I try one of those....lol.
emtnest
14 years ago
oopsie... $1.42 one dollar and 42 cents...:)
gardencrone
14 years ago
Dear MT....thanks. I was just fantasizing about where I would use that kind of tile if I should ever be that wild/crazy/rich/goofy/confident to use it. I feel so much better. lol. You made me laugh tho and that is a good thing!
emtnest
14 years ago
How many tiles would you need of the orange if it were 4"?
hydropetunia
Original Author
14 years ago
Hi guys. Thanks for all of the help. I have been unable to find 1/4" ceramic orange tile.

The fellows at Lowe's were very helpful in attempting to find a supplier. I did not order at the time because the closest matches were 'orange burst' and 'mandarin', and I didn't trust the ancient computer displays to accurately display the color. They even said if I had the time they could order a sample of each color before placing an order. 'Orange burst' probably would have worked.

I purchased -glass- tile from a discount supplier found on eBay or amazon. The color was listed as 'coral' but looks orange to me. This will be my first use of glass tile. I have already started breaking it up.

I estimate I will need maybe 1.5 - 2 square feet for this project, so 13-18 4" tiles.

-hydropetunia
emtnest
14 years ago
I will go through my stash and see what I have and get back to you...
emtnest
14 years ago
Is this what you are looking for? My camera would not pick up the actual color so I worked with the saturation to get it as close to the tile as possible. They are 4"X4" and 1/4" thick. Email me at: grannyd50iam@yahoo.com

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