On this page
we will post questions asked of us regarding how our custom hand
painted murals are produced. We welcome your comments, questions,
and suggestions. contact us at: info@877arttile.com
Q: Are
your Murals repeated?
A: All of our
murals are commissioned pieces. No two are alike. If you like
one of the murals you see on our web page, we can do one like
it, but it won't be exact. We often use personalized objects
in our pieces like wine labels with the family name, cook books
with favorite recipes (Shawna's Secret Sauce)..etc. Family pets
are used a lot. One of our clients collects antique cars, he has more than 100 cars, so it was
hard to pick which ones to use. (That's him on the tractor and
the barn is real, too) We had one client ask us to "hide"
secret messages to his wife, which he surprised her with after
the mural was installed. On the
Bunny
Mural,
the wine bottle has a cap that was a wedding gift to the owners,
so it was included on the bottle; the lace was taken from some
antique lace they owned, the homeowners name appears on the bottle,
the owner makes "killer" blueberry muffins, so those
just HAD to be in the mural. Also, the bunny is a ceramic bunny sliced through, (notice it's missing a left foot) and mounted into the
mural with fishing line whiskers and a real ribbon tied around
it's neck.
Q: Can
a Mural be painted on tile that has already been installed?
A: No, we paint
with colored glaze. Glaze does not bond to any product until
it has gone through a firing process in a kiln. We heat the tiles
to approximately 1800 degrees, which is too hot for most homes.
Q: Do
you only do Murals?
A: If you want
a single deco tile, we can do that also. We can also highlight
relief tiles that are made by others, .
Q: Is
there any tile that can not be painted on?
A: Most all
tiles can be painted on. We had a few problems with pink glazed
tiles. Red is an unstable color, and presents some problems with
achieving the exact tone we are looking for from time to time,
and we experienced a slight fading of the under glaze one one
job. Also, soft, or inexpensive tiles could be more prone to
cracking or breaking under the stress of being re-fired, so we
recommend using higher quality tile as a base.
Q: Is
it expensive?
That depends
on how difficult or complex the design is. The range can be from
a few hundred to several thousand dollars. The typical backsplash
mural is 24"x36" and costs around $1600 plus the cost
of the tile.
Q: What
is the process to have a mural painted if I am not in the Bay
Area?
A: We can use
several ways to exchange information. our friendly and helpful
staff will be happy to assist you:
Usually, we recommend
you take the following steps:
1. Decide
which product you want to have the mural painted on:
You can chose
from the selections that we carry, or, if you find a tile in
your area, let us know which product it is. It is important that
we know what your choice is BEFORE you purchase, so we can determine
if it is suitable for painting.
2. Make
sure that you purchase enough product
You want to
have enough tile to complete the entire project, with a few tiles
left over. Your contractor can usually help you out on estimating
quantities.
3. Decide
what the scope of the project will be.
Some customers
simply want a few individual painted tiles place strategically
in spots. Some murals highlight an area over a sink, or stove
or an entryway. This is a good time to provide copies of elevation
blueprints, photos, etc, to get an overall feel for the room.
4. Try
to decide what you want as a "Theme"
You can browse
our studio pages for work we have done for other clients, or
clip idea pages from magazines, take photos, etc. Several years
ago, some clients were taking a drive on vacation in England.
They were so entranced with the countryside, they stopped and
took some photos. When they got home, they asked if we could
reproduce the photos on tiles they wanted to install in their
family room. We called the tiles "memory chips". The
best way, of course, is to spend some time with Cynthia Campanile,
our Senior Designer. Working directly with the artist helps tremendously
in making decisions, because she often begins sketching while
discussing the project, developing the theme as you go.
5. Provide
tile to the Studio
Once the theme
has been decided, and the sketch is approved, we need to have
the material delivered to our studio where Lois Parr, our artist
will begin the actual work. Once work begins, the typical mural
is finished, and ready for firing in about 2 to 3 days. The firing
process takes 2 days, so turn around time is usually about a
week for a small mural.