If you’re a frequenter of The Old Mushroom Farm accommodation or the right kind of nosy, you may have noticed the tiles… hand-crafted tiles in unique patterns line the shower floors in the Loft and Boutique Apartments. A curious TOMF visitor who peeks around corners may have come across ‘The Back Room’ and seen stockpiles of tiles stacked high. Crooks Concrete is what we’re leading to here- an artisanal producer of encaustic tiles based on The Old Mushroom Farm in the KNZ Midlands.
Crooks Concrete is founded and managed by the OG artisan, Nick Crooks, The Old Mushroom Farm owner /architect. Nick’s appreciation for European historical architecture led to his obsession with encaustic tiles. For years he pondered how cool it would be to make them himself (rather than import).
His opportunity came when he saw the old hydraulic press for sale. Driving through an industrial area of Pietermaritzburg, one he had scoured for treasure many times, he spotted the huge press outside a used machinery depo. Despite his searching, the press had been gathering dust there for years, and Nick bought it at a bargain. The massive thing was delivered to The Old Mushroom Farm on a crane truck and after replacing a few parts, the tile experimentation began.
Encaustic tiles originated in 19th-century Europe and are typical of the Mediterranean (think Moroccan baths or Italian villas). They are made of cement, rather than ceramic, and are cured, not fired. Their coloured surface is a 3mm layer integrated directly into the tile's +-1.5 cm thick body, rather than relying on surface glazes. As the tile wears down over centuries, the colour and design remains. Crooks Concrete employs a traditional method that hasn’t changed much over time, bringing this classic to Southern Africa.
Encaustic tiles are made by pouring a liquid 1st layer into a die, held by a heavy steel frame which essentially shapes the tile. None of these elements or tools came with the press. Nick figured out the gist of it from a few YouTube videos and got the necessary elements made by engineers based on his estimated specs.Â
Encaustic tiles are incredibly durable because they’re made of a special concrete mix which is hydraulically pressed under huge force, and left to cure in a humid environment for three weeks. But if an element is slightly ‘off’ in this process, if the mixture is too wet for example, the tile is a flop. We’ll be honest, the process of figuring out the ideal recipe was tedious. Our friend Andrew Makin from Alkaline Designs played a big role in fine-tuning the tile-making process, perfecting the mixture through many hours of prototyping.
The result is a solid 20 x 20cm tile, made right here in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, in an array of chalky tones which can be arranged in an infinitum of patterns and repeats. Crooks Concrete encaustic tiles have been used on floors, walls and decor indoors and out, and are a proudly South African take on their European ancestors.
Crafting encaustic cement tiles is a labour-intensive process done one tile at a time. Manufacturing individual units by hand introduces subtle differences in each tile. Crooks Concrete celebrates these variations, emblematic of the manual production process, as signs of the artisan’s hand rather than as defects.
When the tiles are laid out, the patterns one can create are endless. The triangle repeat patterns have a marvellous array of combination options, and the solid colour tiles have huge diversity with how they can be executed. Nick's daughter, Pip, has been involved in standardising colour recipes for Crooks Concrete, and designing repeat pattern layouts for client's and TOMF interior design.
If you’d like to inquire about purchasing Crooks Concrete tiles for your home or project, please email philippa@theoldmushroomfarm.co.za or DM @CrooksConcrete on Instagram. Make an appointment to visit the tile factory or to view the tiles in place at The Old Mushroom Farm Accommodation in the Karkloof. Crooks Concrete tiles are sold at R37/ tile which translates to R925/ square meter. Crooks Concrete encaustic tiles are made in the KZN Midlands, but we courier nationwide- get in touch for a delivery quote. For inspiration and colour references, browse our gallery on Facebook or Instagram.
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