Handmade Tile by Forrest Lesch-Middelton

Handmade Tile

by Forrest Lesch-Middelton

Handmade Tile is a contemporary guide for ceramic artists and anyone interested in custom tile installations—from making, designing, and decorating to designing your space and installation.

No matter how many years of experience you have as a ceramic artist or how many home-improvement projects you’ve tackled, nothing prepares you for the unique world of ceramic tile. From concept and design, through firing and installation, ceramic tiling is one of the few places in a home where art is permanently installed as a feature of a room.

In Handmade Tile, Forrest Lesch-Middelton shares everything he’s learned as the founder and owner of the custom tile business FLM Ceramics and Tile. From his years as a one-man operation to his current production facility, Forrest has seen it all and helps you every step of the way. Whether you want to make your own tile, or want to use artistic and custom-made tile in your home, this book has everything you need.

Key features of the book include:

  • Making Tile: key tools, rolling, cutting, extruding
  • Decorating: glazes, image transfer, cuerda seca, underglaze, slip
  • Designing Your Space: tile in context, choosing your tile, codes and standards
  • Installation: removing old tile, backing, preparing surfaces, setting, grouting

Galleries and interviews with today’s top workings artists in tile round out the package. Featured artists include Allison Bloom, Boris Aldridge, Disc Interiors, PV Tile, and more. 

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

Share
I received a copy of Handmade Tile through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Handmade Tile is not the sort of book I expected to come across when browsing art books one day. And yet it immediately caught my attention. There’s something so appealing, both about this book and about the idea of being able to craft one’s own tile.
This is a comprehensive guide designed for all skill levels. So whether or not you’ve ever done this before, as long as you have the desire to learn, then this is a book worth checking out. Forrest Lesch-Middelton’s writing is concise and easy to understand, making it perfect for beginners in particular.
There are a lot of positive things to say about this book. I was fascinated by the instructions, of course. But I also do appreciate the organization inside. The book is split into neat sections, such as how to make tile, decorating, designing a space with tiles, and even a gallery at the end (which featured some prominent artists in the field). It was exactly what I would have expected and hoped for.

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 November, 2019: Finished reading
  • 27 November, 2019: Reviewed