07/07/2026
A year ago, I created a custom collection of handcrafted concrete pencil tiles for a kitchen island that quickly became one of my favorite projects. Seeing the finished space, and how much my client loved it, made every hour of work worth it.
Now, I’ve been asked to recreate that exact same tile.
I thought this would be the easy part. After all, I had documented every step of the original process. I assumed I could simply follow the same recipe.
Concrete had other plans.
One of the greatest lessons this material has taught me is that no two batches are ever truly the same. The age of the cement, temperature, humidity (especially in Houston), and even subtle variations within the same materials can completely change the final result.
So we started over. Again and again.
Test batches. Unexpected failures. Pages of notes. Equipment adjustments. Small refinements. More experiments.
And finally, we got there.
The tile looks exactly like the original, but the process behind it is entirely different.
That’s the beauty of working with concrete. It’s not about memorizing a formula; it’s about understanding the material, respecting its unpredictability, and continuing to learn with every pour.
Now it’s time to begin production of more than 3,000 handcrafted concrete pencil tiles.
Wish us luck. 🤍
