Decorating with Mexican Tile

In Mexico a few contrasting colors are used for decorating Mexican tiles including red, cobalt blue, terra cotta, orange, antique white and yellow. The colors are deep and warm, often painted over white background creating rustic look. The most common applications for reach and colorful Mexican tiles are kitchen back splash, bathroom wall, stair riser and fireplace mantels.

Choosing Mexican Tiles?

1. Mexican tile provides a beautiful, long lasting and almost maintenance free wall finishing. A part of interior home decor designs such as tabletops, floor accent inserts, baseboards, moldings and they have also commercial application.
2. We carry all sizes available through standard production such as 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 6x6, 2x4, 8x8, 12x12 as well as can develop easily custom tile shapes and sizes. Our talavera tile product line includes Mexican tile murals, solid color tiles and lead free pattern hand painted tiles.

Preparing the Wall

1. Mexican tile can be installed directly on drywall, plaster and durox. Green drywall has been specifically designed for use in bathrooms and talavera tiles are good choice for bath application.

Talavera Tile installation

1. Identify the wall center and use a carpenter's level to mark intersecting vertical and horizontal lines. Starting at the wall center above the vertical reference line apply adhesive avoiding covering the lines. Spread the adhesive with the notched side of trowel.
2. Begin laying tiles from the wall center vertically towards the wall ends raw by raw. Preferably the last tile at both ends of each row are of equal size.
3. Firmly press and at the same time givie it a slight twisting motion to assure adequate contact of mexican tile with the adhesive underneath. Since Mexican tile is hand they might slightly differ in size one from another. Don't use the spacers but instead lay the tiles about 1/4 inch apart to accommodate handmade tile size differences.
4. If you need to cut them use a water saw. Using a regular cutter might damage the tiles because most of them are not entirely flat.

Mexican Tile grouting

1. About 24 hours after the tiles have been installed you can begin grouting. Because of relatively wide spaces between mexican tiles it is recommended to use sanded grout which is much stronger than regular type.
2. For bathroom and kitchen applications use the grout including waterproofing agent or liquid silicon to seal the tile surface including spaces.
3. Apply grout on the surface at 45 degree angle in each direction. Press firmly assuring the grout fills up all spaces between each mexican tile deep by spreading the grout up and down. Clean the tile surface from any excess grout with a wet sponge and clear water and let it dry.
4. After 30 minute use dry cloth to remove any grout haze from the tile surface.

Finishing Mexican Tile installation

1. Let the grout dry for a day and again wipe away any grout haze left after initial mexican tile cleaning. For kitchen and bathroom walls use moisture resistant silicone caulking to seal all coroners, the same silicon should be used for sealing countertops, mexican tile counter and bathtubs.