Saltillo Tile Pricing

Saltillo tile comes in a variety of prices. Some companies charge more than others, as it depends on whether you want a more extreme Mexican look with an authentic hand-made saltillo tile or a manufactured saltillo tile. Typically you will find the basic saltillo tile for around $1.49-1.99 per square foot. More expensive super or premium saltillo tile can be price anywhere from $2.00-2.50 per square foot. On extreme cases you can find saltillo tile on sale for as low as $.89 a sq. foot. Here is a saltillo tile company that offers fair prices. Surprisingly saltillo tiles are usually found to be cheaper than most porcelain tiles. Some of them are hand-crafted by skilled artisians, with some them manufactured in Mexico. Prices have gone down since wide-scale demand for saltillo tiles became apparent. Most saltillo tiles sold to the public are not dried in the not sun as they used to be, and most are not hand painted and crafted my authentic Mexican craftsman, but instead manufactured on widescale production.

Treatments and Installation of Saltillo Tile

Saltillo tile us actually very delicate, and must be treated properly and promptly if you want your tile to last. First of all, if you want to enhance your saltillo tile in any way, then there are some treatments you can give it before you grout it or install it. You may put some sort of surface cleaner such as any of the excellent line of products from Granite Gold, or paint thinner may work as well. This will clear away any dirt and grime and prepare the surface for further sealants or enhancements. If you wish, you can enhance the stones color by coating the saltillo tile with natural stone color enhancers, apply surface hardeners, or apply stone shine to give your tile that extra fantastical element. When you have finished applying any of the tile treatments or enhancers, finish up by applying a few potent coats of saltillo tile surface sealers. This will give the surface that shiny sheen and glossy look. If you don't the surface to look glossy, but rather keep it natural stone looking with a rough and almost powdery surface, then you could apply a penetrating sealer. Because saltillo tile is porous and soaks in liquids very well, then this option will work very well. The sealer will have the same effect as the surface sealer, but instead will leave your saltillo tile looking natural.

Can Saltillo Tile be used Anywhere?

Saltillo tile originated from the Mexican town of Saltillo, hence giving it the appropriate name. At first this attractively rough clay tile was used in and around the city, until it spread to the rest of the country. Eventually, saltillo tile became very well known and spread into the southwestern United States and beyond. Because of the nature of the clay used to make saltillo tile, these tiles are not resistant to frost and colder weather and are very porous. For these reasons saltillo tile should be used as a primarily indoor tile for houses in wetter and more temperate climates. In dry climates such as the American Southwest and Mexico, saltillo tile is very widely used as an outdoor tile. If you want to give that rustic, simple desert-like beauty to the outside of your home, it would be advisable to use a very strong sealant to prevent the elements from eroding and discoloring your saltillo tile prematurely.

What Saltillo Tile Can Add to your House

Saltillo tile. This type of tile is one of the most unique and visually stimulating hand-crafted tils available. Compared to the normal urban, modern, machine-manufactured look of normal tile, saltillo tile provides your home with that fresh, earthly feel. If fact, a home filled with saltillo tile flooring is known to give you a portal to your own little private desert. You get all the barren and stark beauty of the desert without the extreme heat and dust. If you're tired of the refined, elegant look of porcelain or other types of tile, or would just like to try something a little less tamed, then consider purchasing saltillo tile. If you looking for the exquisite, rustic look of the American Southwest, then saltillo tile is for you.

Some Saltillo Tile Facts

Saltillo tiles are a very illustrious and popular consumer product that was first manufactured in the city of Saltillo, Coahuila, in the country of Mexico. These hand-made tiles eventually gained popularity throughout Mexico and eventually into Southwestern United States. However, you will find saltillo tile in all parts of the United States and in some places across the world. Saltillo tile is made up of a very porous clay, which makes it very susceptible to water permeation. Once installed onto the floor, wall, sink, or any other place that you may want to put saltillo tile, it scuffs and staines very easily. For this reason after placing the tiles they should always be covered in a two to three good layers of some sort of sealant. This sealant is often what gives the saltillo tile that sheen and glossy quality. Saltillo tiles themselves are individually unique. Since they are usually hand-made, each tile may be cut and shaped differently, have various chips and craters, and have a wide range of color shades. Depending on how the clay and tile was heated and fired, each tile will range from a dark yellow to a deep and rich orange.

Saltillo Tile Types

Saltillo Tiles come in a variety of types. You can buy saltillo tiles for your floor, wall, sinks, and murals. This enables you to bring that Mexican beauty to all parts of your home. Saltillo floor tile is by far the most popular type of tile, and you will find this readily throughout Mexico and the southwestern United States. Saltillo floor tile is very attractive and beautiful to many people because of the variety and uniqueness of each individual tile, even among the "same" color tile. Each slight discoloration of floor tile gives your home that authentic look. It is also a trademark of saltillo floor tile to be chiped on the edges, have small craters, and also vary in thickness and shape. This does not mean the pieces are defective, but that they are truly authentic saltillo tiles. Wall tiles and sink saltillo tiles are also very popular among the Mexicans and American Southwest. They look much the same as floor tiles except that they often have Mexican designs and pictures on them from Mexican folk lore and stories.