Athangudi tiles are handmade cement tiles from Chettinad, cured on glass in the sun rather than kiln-fired.
Athangudi tiles are handmade cement floor tiles from the village of Athangudi in the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu.
The making is entirely manual. Locally available sand, grey cement and oxide pigments are blended for a few hours into the exact colours. They are known for hand-poured geometric patterns in earthy oxide colours and a soft, almost wet sheen, and they have been laid in Chettinad mansions for over a century.
The cement base makes a cured Athangudi floor tough enough for foyers, living rooms and verandahs that take heavy footfall.
In a Hyderabad home, the tile earns its place as an accent floor that a room is built around, not a surface stretched wall to wall. A foyer, a pooja room floor, a balcony, a reading corner, or a single feature panel.
None is better in the abstract. Vitrified is the easy, uniform workhorse; plain cement is honest and economical; Athangudi is the one you choose when you want a floor that carries craft and a sense of place.