Hydraulic Tiles in Old San Juan
Cement tiles in Ecléctika One of my favorite activities in San Juan is to take a tour sponsored by the Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawing Society. PRHBDS is an organization dedicated to recording and maintain the architectural and design history of the island. As part of their mission, they lead tours to highlight that patrimony. On a recent trip to the island I had the opportunity to take a tour that showed off the history of using “hydraulic tiles” in the houses of Old San Juan. Hydraulic Tiles , also known as cement or encaustic tiles, were developed in Catalonia in the 1850’s. The process represented a new way to produce durable floor tiles at affordable prices. Hydraulic tiles are made of two layers of cement, a base layer topped with a layer that has received coloring to produce vibrant and long-lasting patterns. What made them significantly less expensive that previous tiles is that are easy to mass produce. They do not need to be fired in a kiln. They are poured...