I need to buy a few thousand square feet of rectangular hand made
sealed saltillo tiles, approximately 18" x 12". (We were in a
relatively new home last week that used them. The tiles were
definitely authentic, because several had animal footprints in them.
Unfortunately, the builder has moved away and I can't ask him.)
I know that the rectangular saltillos of the size we're looking for
are somewhat unuusual. We're in San Diego and can easily travel into
Mexico to buy them if necessary (and cheaper).

GoogleSaltilloTile



Hello sdchap, 

After calling numerous local tile dealers, I was able to locate a
company that will special order your tile.
The company, Tanner Materials, is located at 10201 N. 19th Ave,
Phoenix, AZ,  85021-1909  Phone  602-943-9868   No other dealer with
whom I spoke knew of where to obtain 12”x18” Saltillo tile.

I  just spoke to Mr. Jim Tanner, who told me this would be a special
order, and it will take 12 weeks once the order is placed. The cost
will be roughly $2.69 per tile. If you were to pick them up in
Phoenix, I believe it would be roughly a 6 hour drive. (You pass a
wonderful In and Out Hamburgers in Indio, off of I-10, making it worth
your while!)

I also sent 3 e-mails to companies in Saltillo, Mexico to see if they
could supply you with tile. I have not had good luck getting responses
from this type of request, but if I do, I will post them.

About the pre-sealed issue: Mr. Tanner is not the only tile dealer
that told me buying pre-sealed is a bad idea. I called 8 tile dealers
in the Phoenix area, all of them told  me, unanimously “Do NOT buy
pre-sealed tile” .

Saltillo tile is very porous, and  will absorb water, both from the
grout, and the thinset mortar applied to the floor, under the tiles.
If the tiles are pre-sealed when installed, the water will not be able
to evaporate, and the earth salts will rise,  possibly leaving white
salt  stains, or efflorescence on the tile. (More on this below)  Some
tile makers do “seal” the tiles with a silicon impregnator, but this
is not considered a true sealer, and they will need to be sealed, the
same as tiles without the silicon.  Never the less, some dealers do
sell pre-sealed tile. The site below states that pre-sealed tile is a
time saver, and a convenience. My sources recommend against it.
http://www.ictmexico.com/saltfaqs.html#What%20are%20the%20advantages%20buying%20Saltillo%20tile%20pre


“Saltillo is often custom colored with a stain that can wear off or be
harmed. Saltillo is very porous and is sun dried instead of
fire-hardened like ceramic tiles. Efflorescence is common with
saltillo tile. Efflorescence is the wicking up of salts within the
tiles when unfinished tile gets wet”
http://www.baneclene.com/stonetech.html


Super vs. regular saltillo
Regular Saltillo has square edges and corners and is the best
selection for the person who likes the more rustic lookof handmade
clay tiles. It has lots of character or as we say, it is "perfectly
imperfect". Super Saltillo on the other hand has a smoother surface
rounded corners and edges, yet retains all the beauty and soft shading
of the natural clay colors. They are molded differently but fired in
the same kiln and are made of the same clay.
http://www.ictmexico.com/saltfaqs.html#What%20are%20the%20advantages%20buying%20Saltillo%20tile%20pre


The entire sealing process is covered, with pictures here:
http://ronhazelton.com/html/421a.html

Sealing saltillo tile:
http://www.steamwaynf.com/saltillo.htm

More on Saltillo tiles:
http://www.johnbridge.com/Saltillo%20Tiles.htm


Read about the paw prints here:
http://www.canadianhomeworkshop.com/saltillo_soul.html


I hope this works out for you. I, like tlspiegel-ga, love the look of
Saltillo tile. I have another type of rustic tile, and never want to
go back to carpet again, as my allergies greatly improved when we
tiled the house.

One aside, I saw paw prints for the first time in a Mexican restaurant
in Phoenix. I was told by our waitress that  they were  highly prized,
and purported to be lucky. A few years later, on a trip to Sonorita,
Mexico, I saw a family urging their dog to run over their freshly
poured tile “beds”. I then realized, that  “Lucky” may have been the
name of the family dog!
 
If any part of my answer is unclear, please request an answer
clarification, and I will respond.

Regards, crabcakes-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by crabcakes-ga on 04 Nov 2003 08:54 PST

Hello again sdchap,

One of the tile companies I called on your behalf has just returned my
call! Seems they had multiple problems due to the California
fires,which delayed their returning customer inquiry calls as quickly
as they would have liked to.

However, a very effervescent woman named Charlotte, from Custom
Saltillo called me this morning.You can reach her at 760-715-0717
http://www.customsaltillo.com/    and   http://www.mexicanpaver.com/

Charlotte is an expert on tile, and assures me they can get the tile
you want, in case Tanner does not pan out for you. You'll enjoy
speaking to her, as she is vivacious and friendly. She also referred
us to The Ceramic Tile Institute of America, the leading authority on
all things tile.
http://www.thetiledoctor.com/ctioa/index2.cfm

Thought I'd pass this on to you!

Regards, crabcakes-ga

Thank you Crabcakes! Comprehensive answer, with valuable additional
information. Now if only I could find the name of the source in Mexico
who makes the tiles that Tanner Materials would special order.... (I'm
a big believer of going to the source!) Thanks again!

Hi sdchap,

I have the squares and several of mine have the animal prints.  When
the person who was laying them down saw the animal prints he was ready
to discard those because he thought they were "defective"!   I quickly
retrieved them - they are considered to be good luck, and I have
several in my bathroom and a few scattered throughout the house. 
Snakeprint, coyote, etc.  :)

My entire house (except for 2 bedrooms) is Mexican Saltillo tiles and
I liked it so much I had it put down for the patio and front porch
areas.

I never glossed them (due to some being outside) and wanted them to
all be without any shine.   Every year I seal them with the sealer
that's used prior to laying them so the grout won't stick.

This weekend was my annual sealer weekend.  :)   The tiles are so easy
to maintain and being I live in the SouthWest they look quite natural.
 Also quite cool in the summer months.

I purchased mine at Home Depot, but they aren't rectangular they are
11 1/4".

Interestingly enough, when I purchased my older home - the gentleman
had put in new Berber carpet. Tearing up brand new carpeting -  I
started with the kitchen.  That led to the dining room, laundry room,
living room, hallway, bathroom, patio and then front porch.

Best regards,
tlspiegel

Thanks tlspiegel for the great comments. We plan to do Saltillos in
most of our new home as well, and after having seen how dramatic the
large rectangular ones look, I have my heart set on using
them--assuming they're not prohibitively expensive. I'm hoping someone
will respond who either lives or does business in Saltillo, Mexico. I
imagine it must be a simple matter to create stamps/molds/whatever to
make them 18 x 12. Thanks again and wish me luck!

Glad you are happy with the answer sdchap, and thank you for the tip.

Here is *A* source, Pisos Coloniales, in Saltillo, Mexico, given to me
by Mexican Tile Company, Phoenix. 602-954-6271. I spoke to Cindy, who
told me their source in Mexico. She gave me the impression that if I
contacted him, we would still need to go through Mexican Tile to make
a purchase. (There may be import restrictions, customs, etc.)

I in fact did contact him via his web page, but I have no response
yet.

Here is the English website in case you wish to try yourself:
http://www.pisoscoloniales.com.mx/


Other contact information:
Phone: +52 844 434.0208 &   +52 844 434.0506
Fax: +52 844 434.0268

Good luck with your flooring project!
crabcakes-ga