Faience is a ceramic material of glazed terracotta that is used to clad buildings. Faience is handcrafted from start to finish to create beautiful and bespoke tiles for both traditional and cutting-edge projects.
Well known examples of faience cladding include ‘The Savoy Hotel’ or more recently Eric Parry’s design at The Holburne Museum in Bath. Many London underground stations are also decorated with faience cladding.
Faience tiles are not only durable, they can be formed in to intricate and detailed shapes, and glazed in a variety of colours that can be anything from matt to high gloss in their finish. The intrinsic creative potential and versatility of faience makes it an attractive material that architects are increasingly embracing.
Why choose Faience?
Due to its abundant raw material source, terracotta is a great sustainable choice.
Faience can be produced in virtually any colour, finish and shape making it one of the most versatile and creative building materials available.
Faience is hard wearing, low-maintenance and easy to clean.
Compared to stone, glazed terracotta is easier to handle and sets quickly.
When minor damage occurs, faience can be restored.
Due to variations in the colour and pattern of the glaze, faience can mimic other materials, such as granite or limestone.
Faience is ultimately a unique and bespoke product.
What to be aware of with using Faience
There is normally a considerable lead time required in the production of faience cladding, so this needs to be taken into consideration at planning stage. It is a lengthy process to undertake to reach the finished product, with many man hours behind each tile from the initial design process to manufacture.
Faience is more expensive than other types of cladding.
Glazed terracotta tiles may have slight shape and colour variation from piece to piece.
If you are looking for faience cladding contractors to slot into your construction plans, Varla can work around your requirements for the design and installation. Alternatively, we can guide you through the process, acting as the principal contractor for the entire cladding package.
Here are some recent examples of Faience cladding and roofing projects installed by Varla View All Projects +
