Production of mirror tiles. Manufacturing of mirror tiles. How to start the production of mirror tiles
In the design of the apartment, tiles play an important role. And among the variety of choice of this finishing material, you can highlight the mirror tiles.
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, mirror tiles 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 a large mirror. And it is better to tile large areas of floors, walls and ceilings too, 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 opportunities modern instruments, 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 a tile with a decorative effect if you apply matte images using sandblasting or chemical etching. 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, this final stage– sale – 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 that's without special efforts 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 of good tools that I 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:
Mirrors small size- up to 80 cm;
Doors, shelves, mirrors, glass for various cabinet furniture (cabinets, sideboards, TV stands). It is possible to order, and it is possible for small production;
For cars - rear-view mirrors. Both external and those that are inside the car. This is also a small but interesting market;
Repair glass processing 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 a full cycle of production, as well as sales and additional services.
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 1,000 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 set up such a system, you need to do great job 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.
At one time we were engaged in interior decoration. And once a customer with imagination approached us and ordered the wall and ceiling to be finished with a mirror surface. We went to the glass factory, went to the mirror shop (it used to be easier to enter the territory), bought mirrors, talked to the workers, watched the production and realized that we could do it ourselves.
We worked on this project for the production of mirror tiles in the early nineties and knew absolutely nothing about the production of this type of product, except for one thing - we were convinced that it would be in demand and, in the end, we were not mistaken.
A lot of time was spent on studying the experience of specialized enterprises and working out the entire technological cycle. All necessary equipment we designed and assembled ourselves, although you can buy everything. Now this production is no longer our main occupation, but it is still profitable and brings good income (profit $ 3500-5000 per month, depending on demand), even taking into account the rather high wages personnel.
How to make such a tile?
The whole process consists in the fact that it is necessary to purchase ready-made mirror sheets or mirror scrap, or to master the application of a mirror layer on glass on your own. You decide. Next, you need to cut the purchased raw materials into tiles required size(150 x 150, etc.). To process the cut edges on an emery wheel and, if necessary, to add or fill a pattern. That's all. Profitability can be easily brought to 100% and higher due to work experience. And increase production volumes using special equipment. We copied the technology used in mirror factories. But, of course, I had to adapt what I saw for small businesses and taking into account the use available materials for the manufacture of equipment. We are convinced that this type of activity is available to anyone.
What is required for production?
To cut mirrors, you will need a table and a glass cutter. For side processing finished tiles an emery wheel is needed (better - a machine). And to stuff the pattern, you need a 2-3 A compressor. The pattern is stuffed by supplying sand under pressure to the glass surface. For this, a stencil is made (a piece of linoleum is also suitable). You can, of course, get by with paint, but a stuffed drawing still looks more elegant. For the compressor, we even tried a compressor from an industrial refrigerator, which is cheaper to get, and were satisfied with the work, however, it is more difficult to achieve high performance with it.
Work productivity
Of course, you won’t earn millions here, but you can provide for yourself own business quite possible. At first, I ONE made such tiles up to 150 sq.m. in a month. Then we were invited to decorate the premises with our products, which is an additional paid job. I don’t know what prices you have, but I buy mirrors for 350-400 rubles. per sq.m. and sell tiles for 750-800 rubles. per sq.m. Here also consider. I did not come up with the price - this is formed by the market.
Products, of course, are not cheap, but there is a buyer for it. And even people with average income willingly order 1.5-2 sq.m. for bathrooms. The mirror generally expands the volume of the room, and a strip along the bathtub made of such tiles makes a wonderful design.
Where is this tile used?
It is bought for finishing bathrooms, entrepreneurs order it for finishing trading floors, shop windows, building foyers, etc. There will be work, because the design of the room becomes really original, besides, they order not only the tile itself, but often ask them to decorate the room, which means they also pay for the work.
It is simply doomed to success: the demand for interior and design products is growing steadily even in times of crisis. Undoubted advantages: ease of manufacture, cost-effectiveness and modest investment requirements.
Areas of use
Mirror tiles are actively used in interior design of residential and commercial premises. Often it can be found in cafes and restaurants, as well as in places of entertainment to create the effect of an expanded space. Clothing stores use tiles as mirrors that look unique and stylish compared to competitors.
It is especially effective to finish the bathroom with mirror tiles: the room will add visual volume and become lighter. As popularity grew, all rooms began to be covered with material: from the hallway to the bedrooms. Unusual style can be created by completely decorating the room with mirror tiles - you get a kind of "house with reflections". The increase in volume is a key design advantage of the tile.
The widespread use indicates a high demand for the material. The consumers of mirror tiles are citizens with medium or high income levels. To financially burdened persons, such material may seem too expensive.
Making mirror tiles as a business has the following benefits:
- quick payback;
- profitability in the medium and long term;
- unpretentiousness in production;
- minimum investment.
In addition to these advantages, the production of material can be organized at home. A logical question arises: where to start?
What is necessary
In addition to the obvious workplace, manufacturing from scratch will require certain investments. Specific amounts can be found in the following table:
Total: about 8000 rubles. This is a ridiculous minimum, which includes the cheapest equipment and only 1 sq. m mirror sheet. If you take good and specialized equipment, then start-up capital should reach the mark of 300,000 rubles. It should be noted that the final figure did not include the rent of premises, as well as wages to employees. Supposed independent production at home. In addition, there are the following significant ways to save money:
- you can buy a mirror irregular shape, since the tiles do not have to be large;
- initially, you can use a compressor from an industrial refrigerator, which pleases affordable price but upsetting low power;
- you can not order a stencil, but make it yourself from a piece of linoleum.
As the business expands, efficient and dedicated equipment will be required. The most appropriate production technology is used in the plant. It can be borrowed and adapted to the conditions of a small business.
Most beginners make the material at home. The reason is simple: the process itself does not require large scale.
Production
The process can be characterized as follows:
The last stage depends on the consumer: he wants to have a tile with a pattern or not. Alternatively, you can also use ordinary glass on which a mirror layer is applied.
The sale of goods occurs through construction or finishing stores. You can also use your own points of sale, for example, an online store.
It will be easiest for people who have already encountered glass cutters. If a novice businessman is not familiar with this type of work, then he will have to comprehend the basics of skill or hire specially trained workers (which will also cost a pretty penny). Gradually, with the increase in production and work experience, the profitability of the business is calmly brought to high level. In the end, everything will depend on the desire and skill of the businessman himself.
About payback
Is it profitable or not to start production? It’s worth noting right away: it’s better not to expect millions from a business. At the same time, the production of mirror tiles pleases with reliable small incomes. The point after which the losses will no longer exceed the revenue is close to the very beginning of the activity.
Performance analysis showed that a professional is able to produce approximately 200 square meters. m tiles per month. Each finished unit costs from 300 rubles (it all depends on the region). Loyal customers and the uniqueness of each product will undoubtedly raise prices several times. On average, one tile will cost from 450 rubles, which gives monthly income in the amount of about 90,000 rubles. And this is the minimum. It follows that the mirror tile business is a profitable business that will bring the owner a pretty good profit in a very short time.
Date: 2012-07-01 17:30:17
Mirror tiles are a type of ceramic tiles. At its core, it is a mirror glass, which means that you need to work with it accordingly. It is worth noting that mirror tile installation do-it-yourself differs from the installation of ordinary ceramic glazed tiles. Particularly great difficulties arise with the cutting of this material. To cut ordinary tiles, a grinder with a special disc or a tile cutter is used. However, tile cutters do not allow special cuts to be made in tiles. In this case, the material may simply break.
For complex tile cuts, the most the right tool is Bulgarian. However, when using it, the edges of the material are beaten off, as a result, damaged areas are striking. Therefore, it is better to combine the advantages of a grinder and a tile cutter using both of these tools. At laying mirror tiles with your own hands, there will certainly be a need to cut it.
Using a tile cutter, place a flat object under the mirror tile, which will bring it closer to the knife blade. To perform this operation, you will have to adapt. Until you learn how to cut tiles, you may need to break a few nail files. Do not be upset - this is a common thing. Mirror tiles are best cut with a glass cutter, and diamond glass cutter will be the most optimal solution. It will allow you to cut the tile like ordinary glass.
Technology of laying mirror tiles
How is mirror tile installed? Like regular tiles. First get absolutely flat surface and apply tile adhesive or sealant to it. Experts recommend using 25 kg bags with this adhesive. One such bag is enough for about 3 square meters coatings.
Tile adhesive is a convenient and effective adhesive mixture that is not affected by fungus, water or frost. Apply such glue to the wall with a layer of 0.5-1 centimeter over the entire size of the tile. After that, the excess solution is removed with a notched trowel, forming a wave-like layer of glue. This laying method will give additional strength to the coating, since the adhesion effect is created due to the wavy layer. Even when the tile is not completely dry, it will be extremely difficult to tear it off the wall.
Install plastic crosses between adjacent elements. The size of the crosses should correspond to the gaps between the tiles. On sale you will find crosses for tiles 0.1-1 centimeter. When choosing them, it is important to consider the design of the entire room, since the thickness of the seams will immediately catch the eye. If it is too thick, then the mirror image will be broken into separate pictures, and a seam with a very small thickness will make it difficult to align between individual tiles if their walls are very uneven.
Installation of mirror tiles is similar to laying ceramic tiles.
The procedure for installing mirror tiles is the same as for laying ceramic tiles. However, it is important to remember that we are working with glass, which means that the shrinkage of elements rubber mallet must be done more carefully, otherwise you will simply break it. You can rub the seams with ordinary grout, however, when working in the bathroom, both grout and glue must be moisture resistant. You can use one sealant. Its main advantage is that over time it will become rubber and will not allow moisture to pass to the edges of the coating.
Some believe that mirror tiles do not withstand damp environments well enough and deteriorate over time. But its manufacturers convincingly assure that the mirror tile is resistant to moisture. Yes, and it seems reasonable that the mirror good quality moisture is not bad.
If you are afraid that over time the mirror tile will darken, then use natural sealant instead of tile adhesive for its installation. However, in this case, the laying technology will change somewhat: the tile will be glued to the wall. Any unevenness that may occur can be eliminated by adjusting the layer thickness.
