One of the new design trends in flooring is Encaustic Tile. In Victorian times they were very popular in the churches around England. The intricate patterns were a result of using multiple colors of clay rather than glaze to create intricate patterns. Usually only two colors, but often as many as 6 were used to created an inlaid look. 
Current day encaustic tiles are Cement tiles are made of concrete and the color in the pattern comes from mineral pigments which are mixed and poured into a mold.
So how do you take care of them? Because they are cement and as such can be very porous, we recommend applying a coating to keep out dirt and other substances. We recently did do at for a gorgeous floor at Flour Bakery in Cambridge. The area right in front of the register was so high traffic that management couldn’t keep it clean. BSR thoroughly cleaned the floor and then applied Microuard anti-slip coating in high gloss. The results speak for themselves.
