San Juan Emerald 8x8

At Zia Tile, we have passion for all things Cement. San Juan Cements are perfect for bathrooms, showers, and flooring applications. Our marvelously matte Cements are also perfect for kitchen backsplashes, kitchen floors, powder rooms and outdoor patios. They are timeless, durable, and endlessly variable.

A short history of our San Juan Cements

The French and Catalans were the first to use the technique in the 1850's both in France and in Barcelona. The complex patterns used in the tiles are due to an interest in ancient cultures, most notably Moroccan art. As a result, the tiles spread throughout Europe as a high quality flooring material and then onto former European colonies in Latin America, North Africa, and Vietnam.

How Zia Tile manufactures our San Juan Cement.

We make Cements like our San Juan pattern by hand, one at a time, using mineral pigments, cement, a mold, and a hydraulic press. Because of the way in which they're made, each and every one of our San Juan cement tiles are unique and one of a kind. The individual patterns are made by applying separate pigments, one by one, in a handmade copper mold. The process is incredibly delicate, requiring skilled artisans with years of experience.

Why we love Cement

Our San Juan
Cement tiles are not fired in a kiln because there is no glaze layer on the surface of the tile. Instead, each tile has a pigment layer that is 2-3 millimeters thick, resulting in a tile that is incredibly durable, lasting well over a century.
Our tiles come in an endless array of patterns with 64 custom colors to choose from, from bold jewel tones, to monochromatic black and white.