Mexican Tile Floors Professional Care
Installation Cleaning and Restoration and Waxing
Remember how beautiful your Mexican Talavera or Saltillo Tile Floor looked when it was new? Is it dull and pitted from wear and tear over the years? Keith Clay Floors can bring back the original look of your Mexican tile floors. We are the professionals in Mexican Tile Restoration, Cleaning and Waxing Service in Dallas Ft. Worth Metroplex area.
Can My Floors Really Be Restored & Look Like New?
In most cases the answer is Yes. To be sure, we invite you call us, 972-463-6604, have a qualified member of our staff to come out and take a look at the floor you are asking about. With over 20 years experience, we can tell you right away what will work best for your floor to achieve the most beautiful results.
Keith Clay Floors understands that special care needs to be taken when stripping and applying wax to Mexican Tiles. We have professional equipment that's capable of bringing back the original look of your tiled floor. This procedure is very delicate, and if it's not done properly, it can cause serious damage to the tile. We have superior craftsmanship at reasonable prices when it comes to everything about your Mexican Tile Floor.
Keeping and maintaining your Saltillo Mexican tile beautiful is something Keith Clay is familiar with as well. Whether you have a modern home, a country French-style residence, or love the Mediterranean style, Saltillo tile can continue to make your home look great. Although the tile is a little more effort, many homeowners and decorators feel that it is well worth it for the beauty it brings to any room. Damp mopping on a regular basis is what we recommend to keep your floor looking gorgeous. Keith Clay Floors can sit down and discuss a regular maintenance plan that will extend the life of your floor.
What About Using A Sealant?
Today's sealants do make cleaning and caring for Saltillo tile easier than ever before. The tile is inexpensive and many homeowners like the all-natural products that go into the tile-making process. At a time when we are surrounded by chemicals, it is nice to bring a natural product into the home.
Traditionally, Saltillo tiles are left unglazed, although some manufacturers sell them pre-treated or pre-sealed in order to increase their durability. Keith Clay Floors can help to evaluate your next course of action in maintaining your Saltillo Tile Floor and in keeping it in optimum condition.
Keith Clay Floors recommends what the manufacturer's directions should be followed to help insure that whatever process of cleaning or treatment you decide to use can achieve the results that are hoping to achieve. If there's any cleaning to be done on an existing floor, we will need to have that done beforehand. If you're needing a really deep-cleaning the manufacturer's instructions should be followed. The sealer should be applied after cleaning or staining and it should be compatible with the stain. As to how many coats of each product, again -- we would recommend that we follow the manufacturer's instructions to extend the life of the floor.
What is a Real Mexican Tile Floor? Some Look Really Different?
Mexican tile, also known as Spanish tile, is a broad term used to describe a number of tile materials on the market, ranging from Saltillo to hand made ceramic tiles sporting traditional Spanish and Mexican designs. Regardless of the type of tile you choose, you can count on Mexican tile to add a warm, pastoral, south of the border flair to any space in which you have it installed.
Saltillo tile is by far the most common of the Mexican and Spanish tiles found on the market. It is made from raw clay traditionally pressed by hand, and has an earthy, rough, almost terra cotta look to it. Depending on the firing, Saltillo tiles range from deep yellow to deep orange in color, and come in a large variety of tile shapes, everything from your basic square to hexagonal and more elaborate patterns.
Because of the nature of the clay and the more traditional form of production, these tiles are more porous than other ceramic tiles. As such, they should always be sealed with a quality sealant to protect them from stains and spills, which they would readily soak up if not protected. They will also need to be periodically re-sealed. Like with hardwood, refinishing, cleaning and sealing your Saltillo will revive the overall look of your floor, keeping it looking like new far past the time when other ceramics will have lost that newly installed look.
Is All Mexican Tile The Same?
In general, Saltillo tiles get their name from the town in Mexico where they were originally, and still are, manufactured. Most all these beautiful tiles have major imperfections like bug and animal prints which happened as the tiles cured in the sun. By placing these tiles in a prominent place in your home or business, they will be a great conversation starter and you will be able to enjoy the rustic feel of these imperfections, every day. There are several more common types of Mexican tiles, we will discuss each briefly.
Besides Saltillo, you may have seen "Painted" Tile. This other popular form of Mexican tiles on the market are decorative, and still hand made ceramic tiles. They come in a number of popular varieties, and each has their own distinct signature. Here's a few to consider if you want to add a little more color and flair to your tiling project.
Mission tiles are also a hand made tile, which are made by creating designs with pigmented marble dust overlaid on Portland cement. Named after the Spanish missions where such designs were popularly used, these beautiful mission tiles are traditionally made available in sets of four tiles that come together to create striking larger designs. These tiles are incredibly durable, and are almost impermeable to wear. These would be great additions to any tile floor or countertop because of their durability.
Talavera tiles are handmade tiles manufactured by painting designs onto ceramic tiles by hand, and then are subsequently glazed and fired. This firing and glazing of the Talavera makes it resistant to wear and water damage and is extremely cost efficient compared to other tile options. This cost factor makes it an excellent option for large rooms, countertops, bathrooms, backsplashes and pools and spas as well. If you're looking for a custom design, there are manufacturers out there who will custom design your Talavera tile so your tile project is truly one of a kind.
Regardless of your choice of Mexican tile, be it Saltillo, Mission, Talavera or other varieties, you can't beat these tiling options for creating a traditional, southwestern atmosphere in any room of your house. Our job is to keep them beautiful.
Call us today for an estimate on installing, cleaning or restoring the Mexican Tile in your home or business. Keith Clay Floors is happy to assist you with any questions you may still have about Saltillo tile in general. Call us today, you will be so glad you did.