Terra Tiles

Terra Tiles

Terra tiles are inexpensive floor tiles made from a mix of dirt, sand, and cement. Terra tiles were developed out of "rammed-earth" technology, where a soil-cement mix is poured into wall forms and tamped or compacted with hand or power tools to make very dense, strong walls. Terra tile mix is similar, but it is simply troweled into place without being compacted, and the tiles are cut with an over-size "cookie cutter". The idea was pioneered in California in the late 1970's, by David Easton, a rammed-earth contractor.

Through trial-and-error Easton developed a basic process for making terratiles, including some of what not to do-like trying to mix the very sticky mortar in a concrete truck, or trying to tamp it like the drier material used in rammed-earth walls. We learned about terratiles through articles by Easton (Popular Science, 1988) and by an associate of his, Magnus Berglund (Fine Homebuilding, 1985). In the course of tiling three homes, and recently an addition on to our own home, we have learned more about what not-to-do, as well as more of what really works to make truly beautiful, and very low-cost tile floors. Tom included the latest information on terra tiles in his book, Living Homes: Integrated Design and Construction.

We do not presently have any terra tiles classes scheduled, but please check back often for new listings.

PO Box 684
Silver Star, MT 59751
406-287-3605
E-mail Contact Page

How to Place Retail Orders

Order On-Line: Order on-line with your Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express. Simply click on the links to learn more about each product and enter the quantity you want in the little white boxes, then click the "Add to Order" button. You will be transferred to our secure payment service for the final check-out.

Order by mail or telephone: We accept checks and money orders payable in US dollars. Please use the on-line shopping basket to tally your order. Click the "Pay for Order On-line" button to calculate the postage, then print or copy the information and call or send it to us at the address above.

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We ship all USA orders via USPS Priority Mail, except as otherwise noted on the website. Express Mail shipping is available by special request.
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Customers outside the USA
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USA Customers We ship all USA orders via USPS Priority Mail, except as otherwise noted on the website. Express Mail shipping is available by special request.	International Customers outside the USA please click here for additional shipping information.