Heath tile is made using a manganese clay body, which means the clay beneath the glaze has an earthy brown tone. It’s a signature of Heath, and has been part of our craft since Edith Heath first began making pottery in the 1940s, with clay she sourced herself in central California. Our glaze palette is designed to interact with and bring out the beauty of the natural clay. The variation, texture, and subtly shifting colors that result from that interaction are intentional, and something we celebrate. Our tile palette consists of over 100 glazes that range from soft neutrals to bold, bright colors. Our tile specialists can guide you toward glaze selections, combinations, and installation patterns that work best for your project.

Variation and Heath Tile go hand-in-hand. We rate each of our glazes with a number, indicating its likelihood to exhibit a range of texture and tone. A low variation rating (1 or 2) means that the glaze is fairly consistent. Glazes with a high variation (3, 4, 5, or 5+) show very high tonal and hue shifts. These shifts can be from one tile to the next; they can also be within a single tile.

Our Tile Specialists can help you understand what to expect and how to make the most of its variation for your project. No matter high or low, all variation is worthy of celebration.

Most glazes are either matte or glossy. A small assortment are textured matte, unglazed, and glossy crackle finishes. The finish can have an impact on the installation — for instance, we recommend sealing textured matte, glossy crackle, and unglazed tiles, both before and after grouting.

A glaze's finish is inherent to its make-up; the result of chemistry and formulation. For that reason, it's not possible to change the finish of a glaze.

Thanks for asking. Since 1967, when Edith Heath, forever tinkering, began cutting shapes into extruded sheets of clay. This experiment became Heath Tile. Over the years, we’ve upgraded some machinery and continued improving the making process, however every single piece of our tile is made right here in San Francisco, California.