Mexican Tile Care and Installation

Mexican tiles are clay made, and hand glazed. Mexican tile, known also as Talavera tile, require care and maintenance to last for generations and radiate beauty to the surroundings. A tile installation will stand the passage of time getting an antique looking. Because the glaze and clay expand/shrink at different rates "crazing" happens, depending on temperature changes. The more variation in temperature the more "web appearance" will be shown. This effect can be minimized properly sealing the tile installation. We recommend to seal the entire area, including the tiles themselves.

Mexican Tile Installation

Mexican tile can be installed in any place. Bathrooms, showers and kitchens, are the obvious locations. Other places where Mexican tile can be placed are tabletops, baseboards and floor accents. Mexican tiles come in different sizes and wide ranges of colors that can work with any decor. Mexican tiles can be installed directly on plaster or dry wall using regular thinset mortar. In moist areas, Mexican tiles can be installed on green dry wall or on cement baker boards. In case of bathroom and kitchen installations, green drywall are used. They are designed to resist moisture but should not be exposed directly to water.

While laying out the Mexican tiles pattern, find the center of the wall and use carpenter’s level to mark the vertical and horizontal intersection. The first row of tiles should be dry fitted starting at the center and then working your way to the ends of wall. Adjust the vertical reference line continuously to make sure tiles match up on both row. Starting at the center, on one side of the reference line, carefully apply adhesive to a small area approximately 2' by 2' square. Care should be taken not to cover the lines. Carefully, spread the adhesive with the smooth side of notched trowel, and then go over it with the notched side so as to create grooves in the adhesive. Firmly place and press each Mexican tile in place and give it a twisting motion to make the tile have a good contact with the adhesive. To make sure the grout lines are consistent, place tile spacers on all four sides of each tile. In case you need to cut the tile to fit around fixture, use a ceramic tile saw cutter to make straight cuts.

Tile nipper may be used to cut irregular shaped tile or round fixtures. After installation allow the work to stand overnight, and grout tile the following day. Width of the grout line will determine whether to us a sanded or un-sanded grout. Remove all tile spacers and make sure you mix the grout as instructed by the manufacturer. If grouting on a wet area, a bathroom or kitchen, make sure the grout includes wet proofing agent. Wipe of any excess grout with sponge dipped in water. Allow the applied grout to dry for 30 minutes, then buff off any grout haze with a soft cloth. Again allow the grout to dry for a day and buff away any haze. In kitchen and bathrooms, apply mildew resistance silicone caulk to seal the edges of the tiles where it makes contact with the counter or top of the tab.

Care and maintenance of Mexican tiles

Dusty interior floors are cleaned by using a dry non-treated dust mop. Use sponge and warm water to regularly clean the tile surfaces. Oil and water based stains are removed by products like Stone Tech TM Professional oil and stain removers. This product makes the tile to be wear resistant and durable. After cleaning, rinse well with a mop and clean water. One can vacuum clean to remove any other remaining materials. Seal and protect the Mexican tiles from staining. Newly installed tiles are allowed to dry for 72 hours prior to applying sealer. Mexican tile installations have to be sealed including the tile itself. To achieve a natural looking exterior, several products are available in the market to repel water and chemicals that might damage or stain the Mexican tiles. Make sure you follow manufacturer’s instructions to the latter to avoid damages on the Mexican tiles.