Built for high-traffic use
Cement / Encaustic carries a 4/5 wear rating - designed specifically for powder rooms, vestibules, statement floors. That means it holds up where you'll actually install it, not just under a lab dropper.
Tile · Cement / Encaustic
Cement / Encaustic.
Hand-pressed patterned tiles with deep saturated color.
- Starts at
- $12.99 / sq ft
- Durability
- 4/5
- Pet-friendly
- Yes
- Install
- Thinset / Mortar
OverviewWhy homeowners choose
Why homeowners choose
Cement / Encaustic.
Cement and encaustic tile are hand-pressed (not fired) tiles with the pattern formed by inlaid mineral pigments through the body. Saturated colors, hand-crafted irregularity, and a matte surface that wears in rather than wearing out. The signature tile of Moroccan riads, Parisian foyers, and modern statement floors.
Hand-pressed patterned tiles with deep saturated color.
Best for: Powder rooms, vestibules, statement floors. Pricing starts at $12.99 / sq ft, with full installed pricing typically in the $11.99 / sq ft installed range.
Get my installed price
See your Cement / Encaustic price – no visit required.
Answer 8 friendly questions and a local specialist calls you back with a price. A free in-home measure happens later – only if you decide to move forward.
Get a priceOr call (800) 555-FLOOR – we'd love to help.
Personalize this page
What matters most in your home?
We'll re-rank the benefits and FAQ below for Cement / Encaustic.
What you get
Cement / Encaustic benefits.
- 01
Saturated color comes from inlaid mineral pigment - reads deeper than printed glaze.
- 02
Hand-pressed irregularity reads as craft, not factory output.
- 03
Patinas with age - wear lines and small chips integrate into a richer surface over years.
- 04
Cement / Encaustic is rated 4/5 for wear - built for high-traffic use, ideal for powder rooms, vestibules, statement floors.
- 05
Pet-resistant: handles nails, accidents, and daily wear when paired with the right underlayment.
- 06
Designed for bathroom, kitchen.
- 07
Lifetime durability - porcelain and stone tile routinely outlast the structure they sit on.
Why customers pick Cement / Encaustic01 02 03 04
What you actually get when you choose this floor.
Pets and kids? No problem.
Pet claws, accidents, and the occasional dragged toy box are non-issues. Stain warranties on this material cover most household incidents, and damaged sections can be swapped without re-doing the room.
Honest pricing from $12.99 / sq ft
The installed range for tile typically lands in $11.99 / sq ft installed, depending on prep, tear-out, and pattern. Your quote breaks every line out - no last-minute "subfloor surprises."
Backed for the life of the floor
Every Cement / Encaustic job includes our lifetime workmanship warranty plus the manufacturer's wear/finish coverage. If something goes wrong, we send a crew - no debate over whether it's a workmanship issue or a product issue.
What's includedAll-in pricing,
All-in pricing,
no surprises.
- Furniture move (up to 200 lb / piece)
- Old floor demo and disposal
- Backer board or uncoupling membrane (Ditra)
- Waterproofing in wet areas
- Sanded grout, sealing, and silicone changes-of-plane
- Lifetime workmanship warranty + manufacturer warranty
What can bump the priceHonest add-ons,
Honest add-ons,
priced up front.
- Tile size > 18×18 (large-format setting)
- +$2 / sq ft labor
- Schluter waterproofing system
- +$3–$5 / sq ft
- Pattern, mosaic, or shower niche
- +25–40% labor
- Demo of existing tile/concrete
- +$2–$4 / sq ft
Cement / Encaustic vs printed porcelain (pattern)Where it wins.
Where it wins.
Where it doesn't.
Wins at
- True material depth
- Authentic craft read
- Patinas beautifully
Trade-offs vs printed porcelain (pattern)
- Requires sealing on install and reseal every 2 yrs
- Higher cost
- Etches with acidic spills
Lifetime
75–100+ years
expected lifespan
Outlasts most appliances, kitchens, and roofs. Recovers ~70% at resale and effectively zero replacement cost over decades.
Three homes where this shines
Busy household with kids and pets
Two dogs, a toddler, and a finished basement playroom. You need a floor that survives juice spills, claw marks, and the occasional accident - and still looks great when guests come over. Cement / Encaustic handles all of that.
Refreshing the bathroom
You're not ready to renovate the whole house, but the bathroom is looking tired. Cement / Encaustic drops in over your existing subfloor in 1–3 days, and the room photographs ten years younger before the baseboards are even back on.
Forever floor for a forever home
Cement / Encaustic is what you install when you don't plan to replace the floor again. Premium materials, longer warranty, higher resale impact. The $11.99 / sq ft installed feels expensive on day one and cheap by year fifteen.
"
Encaustic in the powder room - guests audibly react when they open the door. Best $1,800 we ever spent on this house.
- Sara M. - Brooklyn, NY
Yes, but…The questions everyone asks
The questions everyone asks
before they sign.
Will cement tile stain in a kitchen?+
If not sealed properly, yes. We pre-seal before install, post-seal after grout, and recommend reseal every 24 months. With that schedule, cement tile in a kitchen ages beautifully.
Is the color truly permanent?+
The pigment runs about 3 mm into the body - the floor can be lightly resurfaced and the pattern returns. It's the only patterned tile with that property.
Won't Cement / Encaustic feel cheap or look fake up close?+
Modern manufacturing has closed almost all of that gap. Premium SKUs in this tier use real-wood scans, multi-pass texture, and beveled edges - at conversational distance, most homeowners can't tell. Ask for our top three samples in this category and compare them on your own floor before deciding.
How disruptive is the install?+
Most Cement / Encaustic jobs finish in 1–3 days per floor. Whole-home installs average 4–7 working days. We sequence rooms so you always have a kitchen and at least one bathroom in service.
What if I don't love it once it's down?+
We bring up to 8 samples to your Free In-home Estimate so you can see the planks/tiles in your own light before we order material. After install, our workmanship warranty covers any defect for the life of the floor - no fine print.
How it goes in
Cement / Encaustic installation.
Install method: Thinset / Mortar. Every job includes subfloor prep, moisture testing, acclimation, and haul-away.
- 01
Subfloor decoupled with uncoupling membrane (Ditra) or backerboard.
- 02
Waterproofing applied in wet areas and lap-tested before tile sets.
- 03
Tile back-buttered and combed into modified thin-set; spacers verify joint width.
- 04
Grout applied 24 hrs later, sealed at 72 hrs for stain resistance.
Keep it looking new
Cement / Encaustic care.
- Sweep or dry-mop to keep grit off the grout joints.
- Mop with warm water and a pH-neutral cleaner; rinse to prevent residue.
- Reseal natural-stone and porous grout annually.
- Use only pH-neutral cleaners. Never use vinegar, ammonia, or generic tile-and-grout cleaners on cement tile.
In stock
Shop cement / encaustic in stock
In-stock SKUs that match this look - ship in 5–7 days, install this week.
- Cement / Encaustic starts at $12.99 / sq ft for material, with full installed pricing in the $11.99 / sq ft installed range depending on subfloor prep, room size, and tear-out. Every quote includes our lifetime workmanship warranty.
- Yes - it's one of our top picks for bathroom, kitchen. Best for: Powder rooms, vestibules, statement floors. Durability rating 4/5.
- Yes. Cement / Encaustic stands up well to pet nails, accidents, and daily wear when paired with the right underlayment and finish.
- Cement / Encaustic is installed via thinset / mortar. Our crews handle subfloor prep, moisture testing, acclimation, and haul-away of the old floor.
Free In-home Estimate · book in 60 seconds
See Cement / Encaustic in your light - in your home.
A local flooring specialist comes to you with hand-picked cement / encaustic samples, laser-precise measurements, and a written, all-inclusive price the same day. Zero pressure, zero obligation.
- Up to 18 samples in your home's actual light
- Laser-precise measurements - locked in writing
- Same-day, all-inclusive installed price
Ready when you areSee Cement / Encaustic
See Cement / Encaustic
in your home.
Book Free In-home Estimate shipped to your door, or get a real installed price online in minutes - no visit required.
Installed nationwide
Cement / Encaustic crews in 30+ metros.
Same warranty, same all-inclusive pricing, every ZIP. Find your local team:
- New York, NY
- Boston, MA
- Newark, NJ
- Trenton, NJ
- Princeton, NJ
- Cherry Hill, NJ
- Morristown, NJ
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Harrisburg, PA
- Lancaster, PA
- Allentown, PA
Cement / Encaustic · The Simpli-3
How cement / encaustic gets installed.
- 01
Pick a time
Choose a window that fits your week. Mornings, evenings, weekends - your call.
- 02
We bring real samples to you
A local specialist arrives with hand-picked samples so you can see them in your light.
- 03
Flawless install - often next day
One vetted crew. Furniture moved, dust contained, cleanup included.
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