How to make mirror tiles yourself. Making mirror tiles

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The production of building and finishing materials is a rather profitable type. entrepreneurial activity. True, most often this requires impressive investments. But a small enterprise for the production mirror tiles may be an exception. To forge home business, it will not require huge costs, while you can always find consumers. This material is becoming more and more popular among buyers every year, thanks to its attractive design.
While this niche is not filled with a large number of competitors, there is an opportunity to think about how to open your own production of mirror tiles from scratch.

Technology for the manufacture of mirror tiles

Many entrepreneurs are engaged in the manufacture of tiles at home for the reason that the process of its production is extremely simple and does not require complex equipment. It is possible that some craftsmen already have everything they need.
The technology for the production of mirror tiles is as follows:

1. The mirror sheet on the large table is cut into individual tiles. Sizes can be different - it all depends on the preferences of the consumer.
2. The edges of the tiles are processed.
3. Tiles can be matted to special machine, but can be painted in one way or another.

If you have already dealt with glass cutters before, then you will not encounter any difficulties in the manufacturing process. Otherwise, you will either have to learn the basics of this skill, or hire specially trained personnel.

Special equipment for making mirror tiles

Even if you have planned a small home production of mirror tiles, it is still worth thinking about purchasing a certain set of machines and apparatus. So you can satisfy all the wishes of customers. All costs will soon pay off, since an exclusive product on the market costs a lot.
What is required here?

• Special table for cutting mirrors.
• Electric emery machine for processing the edges of tiles.
• Image compressor.
• Sandblasting chamber for matting tiles.

The set of equipment is minimal. Plus, it's inexpensive. If you buy equipment for the production of mirror tiles, new and completely ready for work, then it is quite possible to meet 200,000 rubles. You can save some money by purchasing used devices, or, for example, by making an emery machine yourself. In addition, if you buy already processed tiles, you simply won’t need some of the equipment. But, as practice shows, it is not economically feasible to buy ready-made raw materials.

Business profit

Even a small production of mirror tiles at home will soon break even. The main thing is to debug distribution channels. Working on a small scale, of course, you are unlikely to earn millions, but to ensure profitable business quite possible.
Sell ​​finished products to small construction shops and design studios. Another great option is to sell tiles through your own online store. If you produce high quality products, you will quickly acquire a circle of regular customers.
Even a beginner in this field can produce up to 200 m2 of tiles monthly. Mirrors, depending on the region, cost from 300 rubles / m 2. You can sell finished products already for 750 rubles / m 2. And this is the minimum. If you work to order according to original sketches, then this figure can be several times higher. It turns out that the net profit from the sale of finished tiles is more than 100% higher than its cost. We can say with confidence that do-it-yourself mini-production of mirror tiles is a profitable, highly profitable business.

In the design of the apartment, tiles play an important role. And among the variety of choices of this finishing material, you can select a mirror tile.

It is made from mirrors and such tiles are usually laid in the kitchen or in the bathroom. I won't say it's my idea. I just once lived in an apartment in the bathroom of which one wall was tiled with such tiles.
But not only in the kitchen and bathroom now use such tiles. It has found its application in the design of restaurants, shops and even shopping and entertainment complexes. After all, a mirror tile has all the properties of a mirror canvas. But decorating a room with tiles is much easier than with a whole canvas.

Even tiles do not need a perfectly flat surface, such as when laying large mirror. And large plots floors, walls and ceilings are also better to be tiled and it will not spoil the visual perception of the whole picture. It can be easily replaced with small area without touching the entire finish. These and other advantages make mirror tiles a popular commodity. It remains only to learn how to make it.
Today it is already easier to do this if you use the capabilities of modern tools, mirrors and machines that fit on desk. And I managed to master this technology on my own, having spent a lot of time and effort on it.

Now this project is already running, and quite successfully. He feeds my family and a few of my assistants who help me in my work. And the principle of this business is simple - you buy whole mirrors or waste from their production and cut them to the size of the tiles. Then grind the edge of the mirror and chamfer. Tiles can be made to order or in series.
You can create tiles with decorative effect when applied by sandblasting or chemical etching matte images. There are many such methods for decorating mirrors. And in the process of work, you may come up with some kind of your own way.

The tile is made, packed and ready for sale. As with any business, it is this last stage - the sale - that is the most difficult. There are many tiles you can make. One person can make a couple of thousand dollars worth of products in a month. And this is without much effort, working no more than five hours a day. But production volumes will initially depend on the volume of possible sales.
I started doing mirror tiles back in March 2004. And during this time I understood some things. And if someone decides to seriously engage in this business, then I will give some advice.

As it turned out later, in some cities people cannot even find a good glass cutter. During this time, I picked up a set good tool which has been tested in practice. I grind the mirror edge with a small machine made abroad. The heads for it are also imported. True, at first I did this work on homemade machine. Its design is not complicated and those who understand metalworking will be able to assemble it on their own.

Moreover, this equipment can be used to produce not only tiles, but also other products:
Small mirrors - up to 80 cm;
Doors, shelves, mirrors, glass for various cabinet furniture (cabinets, sideboards, TV stands). Can be made to order or can be small production;
For cars - rear-view mirrors. Both external and those that are inside the car. This is also a small but interesting market;
Glass processing in the repair of slot machines.

And for laying tiles, I also have my own technology, in which elegant appearance combined with durability. This technology uses two materials. With them you can build full cycle production, as well as sales and additional service.
In order to firmly get on your feet in this business, you need to study all the features of the local market and learn how to sell your product. Then it will be possible to find direct executors, and only deal with sales yourself, invent new ways of designing goods, as well as new goods that are in demand on the market.

And at the expense of profitability, I’ll say that mirror waste should be obtained no more than 350 rubles per square meter. At retail, I sell tiles for 1000 rubles, and I sell them in bulk to stores for 750 rubles per square meter.
In order to earn at least a thousand dollars on mirror tiles every month, you need to have several dozen points of sale for your products. To establish such a system, you need to do a lot of work and spend a lot of time. You can also earn extra income by laying your tiles. Then it will be possible to agree with a tiler who will work on your orders. In parallel, it will be possible to open a glass cutting workshop.

Mirror tiles are all the same finishing material, but thanks to the mirror surface, it can significantly enliven the interiors:

• business centers;
• office space;
• kitchens
• clubs and cafes:
• bathrooms, etc.

You can be sure that this material is quite popular, and its value on the market is significant. This suggests that trading this product can be profitable, which means that it is necessary to consider options for starting your own.

Despite the fact that the manufacturing process of such tiles is not very complicated, the range of this product on the market today is small. The specifics of production is focused on the fact that manufacturers of mirrors should take part in the manufacture, but they have their own peculiarities of work, and mirror tiles are piece goods. Large enterprises are rather inert, it is difficult for them to react to minor changes in the market. This is where the niche lies, which can be occupied by mastering the production of mirror tiles.

Organization of production

You need a space for organizing a workshop. An area of ​​​​at least 25-30 m2 will be required. It will be problematic to organize such production in an apartment, since the equipment is noisy and problems with neighbors cannot be avoided. But in the private sector, it is quite possible to establish the production of mirror tiles at home. In general, standard requirements are imposed on the premises: the presence of electricity, heat and water.

Equipment

You will need the following equipment for the production of mirror tiles:

1. Cutting table
2. Electric sander for tile processing. This machine can be purchased from ready-made, you can do it yourself or order its production by specialists. It all depends on your own skills and financial capabilities.
3. Compressor. It is intended for drawing the image on a surface of a tile. The technology for the production of mirror tiles requires the use of a compressor that provides a pressure of 3-4 atm.
4. Sandblasting chamber, which you can make yourself or buy ready-made with the necessary parameters.

It is possible to reduce investments by eliminating part of the production. For example, you can only deal with applying a pattern to an already finished mirror tile. Even in this case, if there original ideas, you can earn money on it.

Start production of mirror tiles if available skillful hands may with minimum investment. If you buy all the equipment for the production of mirror tiles ready-made, it is quite possible to keep within the amount of $2-3 thousand. You will also need space and attention to detail.

Benjamin asks:

Hello! I had such a problem. I am doing a renovation in the bathroom and really want to do it on the wall above the shelf mirror panel. But buying a mirror mosaic is very expensive. Friends suggested that do-it-yourself mirror tiles would cost several times cheaper, because it would be possible to save both on material and on the work of a tiler. Please tell me how to make it correctly and attach it to the wall. Thanks a lot in advance!

The expert answers:

Indeed, making a mirror tile with your own hands and fixing it will cost quite inexpensively. In addition, this is a rather exciting and interesting activity that almost everyone can do.

In order to make this type of tile, you need to purchase a piece of mirror (or parts of it), as well as a good glass cutter and a ruler. In this case, it is important not to make mistakes in the calculations. Therefore, when deciding what size of panel from this tile you want, consider the fact that it is desirable to purchase material with a margin, just in case. In this case, the thickness of the mirror should be no more than 3 mm. If you have pieces of mirrors, then, accordingly, their thickness should also be the same.

Making a tile consists in cutting a mirror into squares of the desired size. To do this, preliminary marking is done, the front of the mirror is pasted over with stationery tape (it is better to use masking tape), after which the material is placed on a flat hard surface and cut under the ruler with a glass cutter.

It is very important to choose the right glass cutter and cut the mirror. So, it is desirable to use a glass cutter with a diamond one - it will cut such material best. It is necessary to cut from the front side, then carefully break off the squares along the cut lines. After that, collect all the pieces on the table into a single panel.

Now you need to stick the resulting squares on the wall. To do this, you can use glue "liquid nails" - this is perfect option for such a solution. Just apply some glue to the wrong side of each mirror square and stick it to the wall. When the panel is ready, let it dry and grab for about a few hours.

And one more important point. So that over time the mirror tiles do not peel off from the wall, the space between the seams must be treated with grout, and covered with a colorless varnish on top. Or you can just use varnish without grouting first.

Just do everything carefully so that the front of the material does not get dirty. For these purposes, it is better not to remove the adhesive tape from them while gluing the tiles, if you also initially grout. Before varnishing, the adhesive tape is removed so that the edges and seams are processed with high quality. Once the polish is dry, remove the tape, wipe down the tile and enjoy your creation!

Mirror-coated cladding materials are becoming more and more popular. They are used for wall and ceiling decoration in shops, restaurants, hotels and private homes. The production of mirror tiles at home is only gaining momentum, and today we will understand the technological nuances of manufacturing a newfangled coating.

Scope of tiles

Production glass tiles at home - a relatively inexpensive "pleasure" that can bring real profits. Such material is purchased for decoration:

• bathrooms;
• showcases;
• showrooms;
• entertainment centers;
• foyer;
• office premises.

Cheap cladding visually makes the room more spacious and bright. Therefore, the design of ceilings, walls and floors with the help of mirror tiles is now at the peak of popularity.

Production methods

It should be noted right away that the production of tiles with mirror properties at home involves the use various kinds raw materials:

1. Sheets of mirror or glass. AT this case the material is cut into individual elements, after which a decorative layer is applied or matted using special equipment.
2. Glass breaker. Production of cullet tiles - a budget option production of the coating, since raw materials cost several times less than sheet mirrors.

In both cases, different equipment will be used for the production of glass tiles. To better understand the essence of the issue, consider each of the options in more detail.

Sheet material production

Technology for the production of facing coatings from sheet materials involves the following steps:

1. On a special table, the mirror is cut into individual elements;
2. Then the edges of the parts are carefully polished on the machine;
3. After that, the tile is either painted with special paints, or matting in a sandblasting chamber.

Making glass tiles at home involves using only good quality tools. The quality of the cutter and the corresponding machines will determine the aesthetic and functional parameters of the coating.

Equipment for the production of glass tiles

What equipment is required for the production of glass tiles? Unlike manufacturing tile materials on the cement base, for glass and mirror tiles you only need a couple special devices, namely:

• Cutting table. Equipment with a perfectly flat surface ensures high-quality cutting of sheet materials. To break the glass parts on the table there is a wooden edging, which greatly simplifies the entire procedure for processing tiles;
• glass cutter Production of glass tiles without fail involves the use of a cutter. In this case, glass cutters with a diamond roller are used, which create a beautiful and even cut. This significantly reduces the time for additional grinding of the edge of the parts;
• Grinding machine. Special equipment carries out rectilinear and curly grinding of parts of various configurations. For grinding, nozzles with a coarse-grained abrasive coating are used, and for polishing - with a finer one;
• Abrasive blast chamber. At the final stage, the production of glass facing tiles involves the application of decorative pattern or matte surface. In the second case, the desired effect is achieved through the use of a special gun, from which a jet of abrasive is released under pressure.

Production of glass cullet coating

Tile from broken glass- a budget option. To start the production process, it is enough to purchase:

• cullet;
• glass crusher;
• polyester resins;
• polymer dyes;
• matrices for molding.

What is the technology for making broken glass tiles? First of all, it is necessary to make a casting mass for molding. For this you should:

1. 1 kg of cullet, processed in a glass crusher, mixed with 50-70 g of polyester resins;
2. To prevent the formation of bubbles in the mixture, a vacuum unit is used;
3. The finished composition is poured into matrices and left for some time until completely solidified.

Technologically, the manufacture of broken glass tiles is much simpler than cutting sheet materials with decorative patterns. In addition, you can get raw materials literally at a bargain price at special cullet sales points. More details about all the advantages and features of the tile can be viewed on the video.

Top Producers

If the production of glass tiles does not appeal to you, and you just want to purchase an inexpensive coating, take a look at the list of the best manufacturers of mirror and glass products:

• Glass Service. Belarusian manufacturer mirror tiles uses beveling technology. It allows you to create parts with beveled edges, due to which the seams between the elements of the coating become almost invisible;
• StekloKom. The domestic manufacturer of mirror and glass tiles in the process of processing uses 3D engraving of coatings with the application of beautiful drawings and patterns, which, unlike paints, do not fade or fade;
• Coliseumgres. Floor materials are made using fusing technology and triplexing, which provide the coating with greater strength and durability.

The production of mirror coating is an inexpensive but profitable business for start-up entrepreneurs. In the production process, sheet glass cullet mixed with polyester resins can be used.