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Green Architecture & Building Products



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FireClay Tile

Source

Fireclay Tile, a sustainable California manufacturer of innovative ceramic tile, manufactures Debris Series Recycled Tile that contains more than 70 percent recycled materials with the addition of landfill-bound recycled porcelain. Working closely with the San Francisco and San Jose city recyclers, Fireclay Tile grinds porcelain waste into fine dust to reincorporate into its ceramic tile. Fireclay Tile has been incorporating similar local Bay Area recycled materials into its custom handmade ceramic tile for the past 15 years (as of January 2011) including recycled waste glass, recycled waste granite dust, and spent abrasive materials.

Manufactured in Northern California, Fireclay Tile’s recycled tile products include recycled waste glass made up of bag-house dust collected from Strategic Materials in San Leandro, recycled granite dust from Granite Rock, recycled spent abrasives leftover from cleaning the Hetch Hetchy water pipes that transport water to the City of San Francisco from Yosemite Valley, and recycled porcelain from San Francisco and San Jose. All products are handmade within Fireclay's day-lit, open air factory where the company reuses everything including clays, glazes and waste water. The result is a beautiful, unique ceramic clay terra cotta-colored stone body with a warm red-brown hue containing more post-consumer and pre-consumer waste than any other tile on the market.

The Debris Series features more than 112 glaze colors. Made in the USA.

About Fireclay Tile:

Founded in 1986 by its Chief Ceramicist, Paul Burns, Fireclay Tile makes the highest quality, most durable and aesthetic hand-made ceramic materials using “old world” methods that are unique, affordable, and “green.” The company is based in San Jose, CA where it manufactures and sells its products including Debris Series Recycled Tile, Vitrail Series Handmade Tile, Claymonde Ceramic Sheets, and now its Express Series Quickship Tile. Since inception, the company has been at the forefront of innovation in the ceramic industry, and today the company is proud to be sold nationally in more than 130 tile and eco-friendly showrooms and is used by some of the most well respected brands including Whole Foods Markets. In addition, all products are LEED compliant and contribute to LEED's construction credits. Fireclay Tile’s up-cycling and manufacturing efforts are also supported by a grant awarded by the California Department of Conservation. Fireclay Tile aims to be a triple-bottom line company and ensure we take the environment into account in every decision we make and offer all of our employees a fare wage and benefits.

 

FireClay Tile Oven

Fireclay Tile's Debris Series Recycled Tile contains 70 percent recycled content. FireClay Tile has been incorporating local San Francisco Bay Area recycled materials into its custom handmade ceramic tile for the past 15 years including recycled waste glass, recycled waste granite dust, and spent abrasive materials (as of January 2011). ©2011 FireClay Tile