This small monochromatic tile is made out of different types of clay which turns easily into ceramic at low temperatures.

The nature of this material allows the use of abrasive stones in the polishing process, ranging in size from fine to large grains.

Prior to the use of polishing techniques, a fine dust of either limestone or feldspar was used to give the tiles their characteristic color and durability.
Miguel Nolla, originally from Valencia, applied geometric designs to the tiles. His most famous designs are squares, hexagons and octagons measuring from 19 to 100mm.
The firm Nolla became one of the most award-winning and highly competitive tile manufacturer. Apart from the technical achievements, Nolla's polychromatic baking process was also important. The advantage of this process is that it allowed the rapid laying of the tiles and easy alignment of the geometric formations. This process was used by Nolla until the end of the 19th century.
Even though Nolla tiles have since been replaced by hydraulic mosaic tiles, this has not diminished their aesthetic value unlike what happened with terrazzo tile. Terrazzo, a mass produced plain tile, developed to replace hydraulic tiles, instead provoked a revival in the use of the older hydraulic tile.

Exterior pavement of the Casa Batlló	Nolla pavement with glossy finish	Kitchen in a private residence

Laying of individual tiles	Pavement with matte finish