Are you trying to match a tile color you have already found or installed? Or are you trying to find a tile color that matches a color you've selected?

Are you tearing your hair out yet?

I may be able to help, and offer a service to try to match your tile. I am often but not always successful - or successful enough to avoid having to re-tile an entire room for the lack of a handful of tiles. Read on for more information.

There are many reasons why matching tile is difficult / almost impossible:

Manufacturers often don't label their tile so you know who made the tile or what the style and color are. Further, most tile is made outside the U.S., so U.S. customers have a complex research project.
Tile colors are fashion items and may only be on the market for a few years.
Even if the tile color is still being manufactured and you find out how to get it, tile colors vary from batch to batch.
Tile glazes are proprietary, and even if formulas were available, tiles with these glazes would need to be fired exactly the same way on the same kind of clay to get the same results.
Glaze formulation is a specialized chemistry job that most manufacturers will not do for smaller orders (or even bigger ones), since much testing and experimentation is required, as well as specialized knowledge and chemical ingredients.

So - what to do?

1. I can see if I can come close with the glazes I have or some combinations. I have many more glaze colors than you will typically find from other manufacturers, and am willing to do some experimentation, even for small orders. I'll let you know quickly if I can or cannot do the job for you.

A. If you want a color “something like” and I am able to get you a sample or two of my stock glazes that satisfy your requirements in one sample mailing, there is no charge. Multiple mailings of stock samples will be at $10 per mailing, up to 5 total samples. After that, let’s talk.

B. If you want a pretty-much dead-on match that is not among my stock glaze colors, I charge $80 up front for the matching service, which I will only charge once I see your sample and agree to try to match it. That service includes up to 3 sample mailings (regular mail) to you and a return of your sample if you request it. The remaining charge is to cover my time, materials, and noodling capabilities. I do not guarantee I can achieve your target but will work to get you an answer one way or another as fast as possible. If you order tiles from me, that cost will be additional, and may vary from my standard prices if materials and methods are different.

C. Be aware that the time required for multiple tests can be extensive. From making raw clay samples, drying them, firing them, glazing, and re-firing, the process takes several weeks even for the first pass.

2. You can try to find handmade or high-volume manufacturers via internet search engines. Handmade tile makers would be more likely to have unusual or bright shades, and might be more willing to try to match a color than the big companies. There are many talented artist-chemists out there.

3. Talk to tile distributors - especially the high-end ones - and see if they have any leads.

4. If you have need of only a few tiles for an existing installation, see if you can remove some tiles from hidden or less-obvious areas and use those.

5. Go to the Tile Heritage Foundation website for some options. This non-profit organization in California may be able to help you find resources, investigate historical tiles, etc. ( www.TileHeritage.org).

I hope this is of some help. Don't hesitate to contact me if I can help, or if you only wish someone could.