Which shaped terracotta tiles are listed for outdoor floors?
Shaped terracotta gives an outdoor floor a pattern built into the tile itself. Hexagono and Regenerado both come as 6x6 natural hexagons, Forma De Picket as a pointed 5x10 picket, and Forma De Ventilador as a 6 3/4x6 1/2 fan shape. Arabesco is an 8 3/4x8 arabesque, and Santo comes in the San Felipe shape at 8 3/4x11 3/4, one of the larger pieces here.
Star, cross and octagon pieces
Rustic Cotto comes in three geometric shapes listed for outdoor floors. The star and the cross each come in 4x4 and 6x6, and the octagon comes in 8x8. All three are natural red terracotta at 3/4 inch. The smaller 4x4 star and cross give a finer, busier pattern, and the 6x6 pieces a bolder one. Each of these Rustic Cotto pieces is also listed for interior floors and walls.
Rectangles, planks and chevron
For a plainer outdoor floor, terracotta also comes in rectangles and planks. The natural Rectangulo 3/4, Regenerado and Rustico come in 6x12, and Rustic Cotto and Regenerado come in a slimmer 3x12, the Regenerado piece cut as a parquet plank. Sunset comes in two larger rectangles, 5 7/8x11 13/16 and 8x15 3/4, and Sunrise is a slim 2 9/16x8 7/16 piece. Rustic Cotto adds a 4x12 chevron, a pointed plank for a zigzag floor. Regenerado also comes as a 6x6 hexagon, so one line covers a hexagon, a 6x12 rectangle and a 3x12 parquet plank in the same natural red clay.
How thick is outdoor terracotta?
Most outdoor terracotta here is 3/4 inch thick, including every Rustic Cotto, Regenerado, Hexagono, Santo, Arabesco and Forma De piece and the 5 7/8x11 13/16 Sunset. A few are thinner at 5/8 inch: Rustico in 6x12, Sunrise, and the larger 8x15 3/4 Sunset rectangle. The 3/4 inch group covers every shape on this page, while the 5/8 inch pieces are all rectangles.
How do the shapes compare in scale?
The outdoor terracotta here falls into three rough size groups. The smallest pieces are the 4x4 Rustic Cotto star and cross and the slim 2 9/16x8 7/16 Sunrise. The middle group holds the 6x6 hexagons, stars and crosses, the 6 3/4x6 1/2 fan, the 5x10 picket and the 6x12 and 3x12 rectangles. The largest pieces are the 8x8 octagon, the 8 3/4x8 arabesque, the 8 3/4x11 3/4 San Felipe tile and the 8x15 3/4 Sunset. Small pieces give an outdoor floor a fine, detailed texture, and the large ones a broader, simpler pattern.
Terracotta that runs from outside to inside
Most outdoor terracotta here is listed for indoor use too. Every tile except three is also listed for interior floors, interior walls and shower walls, so the same clay can cover a patio, a kitchen floor and a bathroom wall. The three exceptions, Sunrise, the Rustic Cotto 4x12 chevron and the 8x15 3/4 Sunset, are listed for outdoor floors and outdoor walls only. Terracotta chosen for indoor kitchens is in terracotta kitchen tiles.
Natural and rustic finishes, red and yellow clay
Nearly every tile here has a natural finish, the plain fired face of the clay. Rustico, listed in the same red, has a rustic finish instead and comes as a 6x12 rectangle at 5/8 inch. In color, all but one are listed as red, the warm brick and clay tone of fired terracotta, and that red varies from piece to piece in natural clay. Sunrise is the exception, listed as yellow, a lighter, sandier tone in a slim piece.
