What makes a quality Delft Blue tile? In short: the design should be embedded in the ceramic rather than printed on top of it, the tile should be fully water-resistant, and the maker should be honest about what the tile can and cannot do. In this article we explain how our tiles are made and how that compares to other techniques.
How are our tiles made?
Every tile is produced with sublimation printing. The artwork is transferred into the ceramic surface using heat and pressure, so the design becomes part of the tile itself instead of sitting on top as a layer of ink. That has three practical benefits:
- Embedded durability: the design cannot peel, chip or fade, even in humid spaces.
- Photorealistic detail: sublimation reproduces intricate, photo-quality imagery, which is exactly what makes our personalised photo tiles possible.
- Seamless finish: because the design sits inside the ceramic, the surface stays smooth.
Why not UV printing?
Many cheaper tiles are made with UV printing, where water-based ink is printed on top of the ceramic. Straight out of the box they can look similar to ours. The difference shows over time: when a UV-printed tile comes into contact with water or moisture, the image fades. Since tiles naturally end up in kitchens and bathrooms, we think that's a dealbreaker. Screen printing has the same fundamental limitation: the design sits on the surface and is more prone to fading and chipping. Hand-painted Delftware is a beautiful craft in its own right, but it cannot deliver photorealistic detail or consistent larger runs.
Want the full comparison? Read our guide: Buying Delft Blue Tiles? Here's What to Look For.
Honest about the limits
Quality also means clear expectations. Our tiles are fully water-resistant, which makes them suitable for bathrooms, kitchen backsplashes and other humid spaces. They are decorative ceramic tiles, not construction materials: they are not fully scratch-resistant, so if you install them permanently in a tiled wall, use non-sanded grout to avoid scratching the surface, and avoid abrasive cleaners and prolonged direct sunlight.
Built to last, by design
Durability is our idea of sustainability. A tile that stays beautiful for generations never needs replacing. On top of that, we produce made to order (so nothing is produced unnecessarily and no stock is ever destroyed) and we use recyclable, ethically sourced packaging materials.
See for yourself
Curious how this looks in practice? Browse all designs, read the five questions we get asked most, or check our independent reviews on Trustpilot.
