How to Make Lightweight Spanish Roof Tiles

Fill a 5-gallon bucket with water and mix in dry bonding clay until the powder begins to pile up on top of the surface. Stir the clay thoroughly and allow it to sit overnight.

Pour off any standing water in the bucket. Pull out handfuls of clay and flatten them onto a sheet of plastic in the sun. Wait for the clay to dry just enough that it is no longer sticky then cover it with towels to prevent further drying.

Sprinkle 1/4-cup of sand onto a wide, cloth-covered board. Pick up a cabbage-sized clump of clay and pound it onto the board repeatedly. Knead it afterward to remove any air pockets not removed by the pounding.

Find a long piece of scrap firewood cut from the rounded edge of a tree equal to the width of the planned tiles. This piece of wood should be flat on the bottom and curved on the top. Choose a piece that has a curve equal to the desired curve of the tiles.

Set the lump of clay onto the curved part of the wood and use a rolling pin to flatten it out to a uniform thickness of 1/2-inch. The thinner the clay, the lighter the final tile. Cut off any clay that extends beyond the edge of the board to give it a uniform shape. Add more clay until the entire board is covered then cut lines along the length of the board to separate the tiles. The size of the tiles is up to you but ensure that each of them is the same length as the others.

Allow the clay tiles to dry overnight then remove them from the board. Place the tiles in your fireplace or wood stove under the grate, if there is one, then build a fire. Stoke the fire, as necessary, to keep it burning all day. Remove the fired tiles from the ashes the next morning.