This was a great project. Saltillo tiles are traditional handmade clay tiles from Mexico, formed by hand in molds, so no two are alike. That character is what makes them beautiful, and also what makes them a lot of work before they can even go down.
Saltillo is baked clay, and it’s very porous. Left untreated, it absorbs stains, dirt, and color from almost anything that touches it, including the grout used to install it. So the tiles have to be sealed before installation. We used an impregnator and sealant, and it took several applications before the tiles were ready to set. Sealing also makes a dramatic change in their appearance, darkening and enriching the color, and bringing out the warm, earthy tones that make Saltillo so distinctive.
The client had already installed the backer board, so once the tiles were sealed, we could move straight to layout.
Saltillo isn’t set with spacers. The tiles vary too much in size and shape for spacers to work, so you lay out grid lines or string lines and set each tile by eye against them, adjusting the joints as you go so the irregularities even out across the floor. In this case, the room was a bit askew, so I started from the most visible line, the wall opposite the entryway. That way the floor reads straight from the first place anyone sees it, and any variation in the room’s angles gets absorbed where it’s least noticeable.
The client chose a dark gray grout, and with the deep, enriched color of the sealed tile, the floor really popped. The contrast outlines each handmade tile and shows off the variation in shape and color that makes Saltillo special.
One more thing mattered to this client. They have children, and part of why they chose us is that we provide a background check with every proposal. It makes things easier, particularly when there’s construction going on, with other contractors and tools around. In this case, the homeowner was doing other projects too and had expensive tools on site. A background check meant one less thing to worry about.
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