" wrote in
m:

Han wrote:
" wrote in
m:

Not to argue, but are you sure they are glazed? Don't look glazed
in the photo. Terra cotta tile is very soft, so you should be able
to sand the scratches with fine grit. I would put a clear glossy
varnish if you want them to look glazed - it will help conceal fine
scratches and keep water out. If you're in a cold climate, sealer
might help preserve them from water freeze/thaw.

They didn't look glazed to me either, but they do look scratched now.
Not sure how to repair that. I would suggest that they either be
left alone, or replaced.

OP probably has considered that .. suggesting simplest alternative.

As far as water freeze/thaw is concerned, most houses in Holland used
to have terracotta tiles for roofing. They last almost forever, and
in Holland it can get (occasionally) down to 0F. Winter is an almost
constant freeze-thaw.

The tiles on a windowsill will collect snow, some melt, some seepage
through porous tile, then freeze and crack. Maybe.

It probably does indeed depend on the particular material and the firing
of the ceramic/brick like material. The material in the OP's picture
should be unaffected, if it is anywhere similar to what I think it is.


Of course, your terra cotta may be different from the Dutch variety.
The Dutch word for this kind of rooftile is "dakpan" (roof pan), and
a google search for "dakpannen" (the plural) should give you plenty
material.

I've sanded harder ceramic stuff. Terra cotta is generally a lot
softer than other clays. Most I've seen is Mexican, but I'm no
authority. I've used latex stucco patch to fill defects in masonry
(concrete block). It would be pretty easy to use it to fill in the
broken tile and then paint with a little craft acryllic paint to match
the tile. Ours isn't exposed to freezing, but there is no sign of
different surface once painted.

I used terra cotta as a generic term. Brick is close as well, I thin.
These clays apparently can be prepared/fired in many different ways to
make them more suitable for particular purposes. I have no idea for
instance why some roofing "tiles" in Holland are eiher red, bright red,
blue-grey, look like glazed, etc. They all seem to last for decades if
not longer. They are NOT slate, which is too expensive (transport) and
difficult to handle.

--
Best regards
Han
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