Custom
Saltillo International imports Saltillo Tiles from Mexico.
Not
All Saltillo Tiles are Created Equal
By: Charlotte MacIlraith
Saltillo
Tiles have been around for hundreds of years. Other tiles may
come and go but Saltillo tiles are here to stay. Those who [choose]
Saltillo tiles love it's handcrafted look and [varying] colors.
Saltillo
is named [after] the town in Mexico where it is made. It's very
unique clay is found almost exclusively on a high mesa in north
central Mexico to the west of Monterrey. The area around Saltillo
has the proper mix of clay and climate to create the perfect Saltillo
tile. The tiles are hand made by gifted artisans using the same
primitive methods that were brought from Spain hundreds of years
ago which produces one of world's most popular tiles.
Rustic by
design, the beauty and characteristics of these tiles [have] variations
in size color and texture. These natural clay tiles are not merely
sun dried (although sun drying is indeed one step in its production)
but they are also kiln fired. It is the way in which these handmade
tiles are stacked and positioned in the kiln that produces their
natural shading and range of colors. The "striping" is cause by
the drying process. The chips, cracks, lime "pops" and paw prints
are all-typical and only add to the natural beauty of this handcrafted
look. These small surface defects are all part of its charm thus
the demand for Saltillo [tiles] continue through the [centuries].
Saltillo
tiles are highly absorbent natural soft clay tiles. Thus they
are stain-able, so you can create any "colour" you want, not just
the typical 5 colors that has been offered for years. Saltillo
is said to be high-maintenance, but this is not true. All areas
of your home need to be maintained and with the proper maintenance,
your Saltillo tiles can look as beautiful as the day they were
installed for years to come. To me, there are no negative points
about a Saltillo [tiles]. Either you like them or you don't… but
don't let maintenance get in the way!
Most dealers
sell their Saltillo tiles "raw", meaning neither stained nor sealed,]
but recommend they be stained and sealed after installation-if
not before. [None-the-less, all Saltillo tiles must be sealed.
Should dealers only sell pre-sealed Saltillo tiles?]
One national
manufacturer, Custom Saltillo International, has changed all this.
CSI imports only the best Saltillo Tiles and is producing eight
standard colors of stained Saltillo Tiles along with their Saltillo
Tiles that are hand stained to colour-match any color. CSI imports
only the true Saltillo Tiles and hand stains them to colour-match
any color. Once stained they are then pre-sealed with Charlotte's
Saltillo Tile Sealer and shipped ready for installation. Once
installed and grouted the grout and tile need to be sealed with
2 to 3 more coats of Charlotte's Saltillo Tile Sealer and then
allowed to cure for 24 hours. At this point, 4 coats of Charlotte's
Floor Polish are applied over the sealer. Charlotte's Floor Polish
protects and prolongs the life of the sealer. Applying "Magic
Sliders" to the bottom of the furniture that will slide across
these tiles will prevent the furniture from chipping the tiles
and with proper maintenance, your new Custom Saltillo Tile floor
can look as beautiful as the day it was installed for years to
come. Really! Some people [choose] the natural look or a matte
look for outside as well as inside. Charlotte's Impregnator Sealer,
with a matte finish is guaranteed to last 10 years under ultra
violet light. Amazing!
As the years
have passed, Mexican tile manufactures have tried to improve on
the Saltillo tile. They created the "Super-Saltillo" tile that
is pressed and kiln fired. The Super-Saltillo tiles have rounded
corners and a denser surface. In Super-Saltillo all the clays
used in producing tiles go through a ball mill that crushes all
the pockets of lime into the clay of the body before pressing.
Although still categorized as a Saltillo tile, they are not produced
from the clays of the Saltillo valley. These clays come from Northwestern
Mexico near the town of Tecate, located between the US border
between Tijuana and Mexicali. So really they are not Saltillo
tiles at all. In fact they are not stain-able like a regular Saltillo
and do not seal [as well]. How they got the name Saltillo is beyond
me. They are [simply] not the same. Manufactures have even created
look-a-likes that are manufactured as glazed ceramic, unglazed
quarry or concrete tiles.
True Saltillo
tiles come in various sizes, the most popular being the 12x12.
They come in 4x4, 5x5, 8x8, 10x10 and 16x16 (these are very breakable
and when purchasing it is recommended that you purchase 25%-30%
over the square footage for the extra waste). They also come in
4x8, 8x8 & 12x12 Hexagon (six sided) and 8x8 & 12x12 Octagon &
dot combinations.
These versatile
tiles definitely have a look all of there own and their demand
and appreciation continues to increase for the beauty and uniqueness
of these hand made tiles and the Saltillo mystic seemly will continue
into the 21st century.
Custom Saltillo
International has their own in-house
artists that hand-paint any design you can imagine on a Saltillo
tile.
