Concrete, handcrafted

Our deepest line, since 1973. Color through the body. Surface that patinas. A living finish in sizes from two inches square to three feet across.

Since
1973
Colors
Thirty Eight Samples
Run Size
Two Pieces Or Twenty Truckloads
Made In
Gardena, California

ARTO origin story

The kiln went out. The shop kept going.

We started in clay in 1966. The kiln went cold in 1973, and we picked up concrete. Half a century later, we still place every piece by hand.

ARTO opened in 1966 making clay brick veneers on a milk route in Venice, California. Then 1973 happened. The OPEC oil embargo sent firing costs through the roof and we needed a way to make tile that did not depend on a kiln. Concrete was the answer.

It has been the biggest line on the floor ever since. Tile and brick. Pavers and pool coping. Walls and floors. Indoors and out. Every piece placed in its mold by hand, pigmented with pure iron oxide that goes through the body, tested in freezing and thawing climates and proven in use.

The color goes all the way through. The surface stays porous. Concrete is a living finish. It patinas with the room around it, season by season, year by year. The tile you put down today is not the tile you will have in twenty years. That is exactly why people want it.

What's inside

Five ways to work in concrete

One material. Five tracks through the catalog. Each one runs deep on color, shape, and custom.

Artillo

Concrete Tile

Our signature line. Square edges with a natural undulating surface, in sizes from 2x2 up to 16x16, plus hexagons, diamonds, pickets, San Felipes, octagons, triangles, and the full Arabesque collection of patterned sets.

Super Artillo gives you the same character with pillowed edges and rounded corners. The traditional look, softened. If you have seen a handcrafted looking concrete floor that stopped you, it was probably ours.

See the Artillo collection

Thin brick veneer

Concrete Brick

Ten thin brick styles, all in concrete. Adobe, Antik, Artillo Brick, Bastogne, Newport, Norman, Standard, Swept, University, Villagio. Half inch to one inch thick, with corners and returns for every wall transition.

Full brick in concrete is back in the shop. Custom, for the right project. Same craft, different scale.

See the Thin Brick collection

Roman

Roman Tile and Pavers

Flat surfaces with crisp, square edges, for a more precise look and tighter grout joints. Sizes from 6x6 up to 36x36, plus hexagons, octagons, rounds, chevrons, diamonds, San Felipes, Durango and the Arabesque 8C pattern.

Roman Tile is one inch thick and mortar set, on walls and floors, indoors and out, including vehicular. Roman Paver is two inches thick and sand sets for patios, walkways, plazas and pool decks, and for driveways at 12x12 and smaller. Coping, curbing, bullnose, stairtreads and wall caps are all made to match.

See the Roman collection

Roman wall cladding

Wall Cladding

Relief panels and engraved tile for walls that do more than carry color. Roman 3D Impressions come in shapes like Compton, Buckle, Target, Corona, Compass Star, and Ring Fish, each one giving a wall sculpted dimension. Floways are three interlocking organic shapes that flow together. M3LD brings a brutalist relief in 20x20 panels. Echo lays down a flat engraved surface.

All concrete. Solid color, no texture, for walls that earn a second look.

See the Wall Cladding collection

California Pavers

Interlocking Pavers

When the application is a high traffic driveway, you need three inches of concrete underfoot. California Pavers come as interlocking shapes in 8 inch Hexagon, 3x18 Modular, and 6x8 Durango. Same colors and textures as the rest of the line.

Built to take vehicles. Looks like it belongs to the house, not the parking lot.

See the California Pavers collection

Custom is the standard

Two pieces or ten thousand

We started as a custom shop and we still run that way. Send a chip. Bring a swatch. Show us what you're building. We develop custom colors, custom shapes, and custom color matches, and run a sample before any production commitment.

  • Custom Color
  • Custom Shape
  • Historical Match
  • Color Match
  • Two Pieces
  • Two Pallets

The material

Built to outlast the install

The craft is in the maker's hands. The performance is in the concrete body. ARTO publishes CSI 3-Part specifications and installation guides so architects and designers can specify with confidence.

  • The mix

    Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

    Hand cast in our Gardena facility from durable, fiber-reinforced concrete. Every piece is cast by hand, so the face and the thickness vary across a run.

  • The color

    Concrete Color Palette

    Available in most of our concrete colors and textures. Thirty eight colors are stocked as samples. Some items may not be available in every color or texture.

  • The documentation

    Specs and Downloads

    Two CSI 3-Part master specifications cover concrete thin brick, one for wall veneer and one for flooring. Installation, sealing, efflorescence, and cleaning guides are in the technical library.

  • The application

    Interior and Exterior

    Walls and floors, indoors and out. Rated for pedestrian and vehicular use, and durable enough for freezing and thawing climates.

  • The industry

    Industry Standards

    Member of TCNA, NTCA, and CTDA. Custom products are available with project-specific testing on request.

  • The decision

    Sampling

    Always order a sample before you commit. What you see on a screen is not what your hand will know in the room. Samples ship from our Gardena facility.

Color and texture

Color you can feel

The palette runs deep. Earthy cottos. Gray washes. Ocean greens. Signature blends like Normandy Cream and Creme Fraiche. Every color is available in every texture.

Roman colors read lighter than Artillo by design. Custom colors on request.

  • Standard texture on ARTO concrete

    Standard

    Varies from item to item and does not need to be specified. Some items may feature rough or textured surfaces already, while others may have a smooth, flat surface.

  • Luna texture on ARTO concrete

    Luna

    Our most distressed texture, inspired by the craters, seas, valleys, and other topographical features of the moon's surface for the ultimate expression of rustic elegance.

  • Limestone texture on ARTO concrete

    Limestone

    An organic, weathered appearance that generally lightens the original color, a great option for pools and where extra slip resistance is desired.

  • Travertine texture on ARTO concrete

    Travertine

    Adds a rustic, pitted surface to any ARTO color, used to complement other materials or create your own distinctive appearance.

Vintage texture on ARTO concrete, a blend of all four textures

Vintage

A blend of Limestone, Luna, Standard and Travertine, mixed to create looks that run from distressed terracotta to natural stone. Standard is what you get if you do not specify. The other four are asked for.

Material truth

Rustic Elegance

Rough and refined at the same time. A handcrafted edge where no two pieces are exactly alike. A surface that ages with the room, in a palette of thirty eight colors.

It is not a marketing phrase. It is a material truth. Far from perfect, and that is the whole point.