We’ve poured the “ chipcrete†to bury the RFH tubing on our 16 x 25 addition. We had decided to lay some 12â€x 12†Mexican Clay tile on this as our finished floor. The designer is wringing her hands claiming that the pumpkin orange colour just won’t do. She says we should stain these with a green Olympic wood stain after installation, and then grout and seal them. Needless to say, we’ll tray some samples before committing to doing the whole floor. Has anybody tried this approach with Mexican clay?
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And here I thought you were going to say something how they wobble all around and are hard to register due to them laying out, drying in the sun.
The sealer will darken them a bit, but what the hell do I know about design..............
I've seen designers waving their arms, can't say I've ever seen them wringing their hands.
How bout rolling of the eyes?
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Having had a bad couple of weeks with interior designers, I wouldn't mind if you used their blood to slake the mix and darken it nicely....
;)
But to be serious, mexican tile is very porus and is commonly sealed with a linseed oil. Olympic stains are linseed oil based, by a happy coincidence, with pigmnet and thinner added, so there should be no problem. The sealing is normally done eithe to individual tiles before laying them, or to the whole floor after the installation. One reason the sealing is good is that it helps keep the mortar grout from sticking to the surfaces.
I would expect to use at least two coats, but I don't understand why GREEN for goodness sakes!
Maybe that's why I don't do colour
;)
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I can't advise on color. But, unglazed Mexican tile must be sealed if you want any chance of resisting stains. I would not use linseed oil, though, but a sealer made especially for sealing tile. I used one of the sealers from Tec (http://www.techspecialty.com) and liked it very much. They make several different kinds. Some are totally invisible, others darken ("enhance" they call it) the tile looking as if it were damp. I agree that the proper sequence is to lay the tile, then seal the faces (but not the edges) before grouting so the grout won't stain the tile. The whole thing can be sealed again after grouting and cleaning.
Ok, so I will give advice on color. With the terra cotta color, standard gray grout does not look good. I would suggest a tan or something in a red-orange, and not too dark. I have no idea what green stain will do to the color after the smell goes away.
Satillo tile is beautiful in its natural state. I agree with others that sealing, using a grout release solution, is a must. If the designer wants green tile, then have her buy green tile.
MES
Just be forwarned that sautillo tile is very soft, has frequent "lime pops" from poor quality control, and will scratch and gouge more than any other tile regardless of how it's sealed.
That said, I like it!
A partner and I once had a home sell in large part because we received a batch of sautillo that had toddler footprints in it (as well as a few dog footprints). After a discussion about throwing them out, we laid 'em. The lady just loved those footprints.....
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The salmon color will change to a natural cherry color (not the crap color they stain Sears furniture) with the sealer. You could get a can of stain and try a sample ... but the saltillo is very porous and will suck up the stain.
Animal footprints in the saltillo is considered a good luck sign. I think toddler footprints is a sign of a loose child.
Curious ... where are you and how much did the tile cost? Down here we can get the natural (uneven) tile for a little less than a buck a piece, and the super-saltillo (machine made and much more consistent) is about $1.25.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Edited 7/26/2004 9:27 pm ET by Ed Hilton
Ahoy Ed,
Thanks for your insight into my tile dillemmma. We are up on the shores of beautiful Georgian Bay of Lake Huron in Ontario. My tile supplier quoted me about $5.00 CDN/sq foot to supply tile, thinset and grout. I supply the sweat. Howbout filling your pick up with 400 sq feet of the stuff, and c'mon up, the Molson's fine
I'll pass. I considered driving across the border and buying mine from the factory ... it's about 4-5 hrs from here ... but the weight is a killer. Something on the order of 4 pounds per tile, so any savings would be quickly absorbed by fuel, trailer rental, and wear on the old Cheby.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
I'd guess Mexican clay can't be a lot different than the redish clay (terra cotta) we used in highschool art class. There we stained the unglazed clay (fired once (bisque)) with shoe polish, so I'd think stain would work.
I think the designer wants to use green because it is a complementary color to red (although if it is pumkin orange, blue would be a better complimentary color). Anyway, a complimentary color will tone down the orange (make it less intense), and the result will be browner than the original orange. Artists and wood finishers use complimentary colors or dyes to reduce intensity of a color all the time. Good to test it first, but it shouldn't look green when you're done.
spraying / sealing tiles ...
get a standard garden pump sprayer ...
works great. Now find a place to lay them all ...
and mist coat the whole deal a coupla times ...
I'd do it before hand ... just easier/ cleaner that way ...
especially with a colored stain.
takes longer to lay them out that to walk thru and spray ...
You can get very good control with the regular old cheapie sprayer ...
Jeff
Buck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Hang all designers I say. In times long ago we'd have built a big fire and roasted most nicely the wretches.
I color Saltillo tile with diluted, Olympic, solid color stains and also with Quikrete cement colorants. The latter is more limited in tones that you can achieve, but the clay seems to "take" the color more evenly. Blacks and grays don't look so good to me. I tape the tiles in quadrants and apply four different dilutions of each color I am considering. Saltillo is prevalent and widely available here in central Texas and does vary somewhat in quality. For purposes of coloring Saltillo, I prefer clay that is monotone and that doesn't have streaks of darker and lighter shades. If you haven't seen a lot of it, be aware that the tile are formed with both rounded and squared edges. I prefer the square, primarily because I can bring the Saltillo mortar, or grout, up higher (closer to the tile surface). I always preseal Saltillo before it's laid and try to do so in a shaded area. Once laid, you can apply additional coats of sealer; the more the better. High sheen sealers seem to show scratches worse than the flat, and this tile is definitely not suitable for houses with indoor dogs or rooms with exterior entryways that don't have good foot mats. That said, some people seem to prefer the look of a "tired and worn" Saltillo floor. Different strokes. Zbalk