Saltillo Floor Tile Installation and Maintenance

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How To Install Saltillo Floor TileSaltillo tiles are available for all your flooring needs. Clay Saltillo floor tile are easy to install and maintain, especially for those who want to get laminate flooring. Atlanta homeowners will love this type of floor. It will complete the total furnishing of your house or any commercial establishment you own. Your visitors will find it welcoming and you’ll love that fact that it is easy to clean your gleaming laminate flooring Atlanta consumers will opt to use it since it is simple to install and maintain. Atlanta hardwood floor is the best if you want to have that shiny, gleaming look you can even see your reflection in. Most professionals recommend that these Atlanta hardwood floors be installed in a grid.

In addition to the easy installation, the cost of maintenance for this kind of flooring is not expensive since it can be readily cleaned. If it is well maintained, it can last longer and you will be guaranteed a long lasting gleam. On the contrary, this type of floor can also pick up stains easily so you might just want to watch out for stains that may come from things that fall on the floor. Therefore, we should quickly clean up any messes the moment that something spills on your Saltillo floor. We can clean the tile with a damp cloth while using a mixture of water and vinegar. Since this type of flooring can get easily stained, installing it in your kitchen might be a bad idea.

Saltillo Floor Tiles Create Wonders in Home Decor

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By now, you may be planning to remodel your home. What a lot of things to renovate? Walls, ceiling, furniture and the floor. What about the tiles then? Surely, you may not be satisfied with the existing status of the tiles you already have on your floor. Designs, colors, textures and artistry of the tiles may seem old-fashioned to you. Of course, the greatest attention must be paid to the aesthetic value of the tiles. The charm of the home decor should be appealing to everybody since home is the only place that creates memories that lasts for a life time. If you simply do not understand of how to apply home decor designs that aesthetically appeal to everyone, just read on. At the end, you’ll get a clear idea of it.

A floor tiled with Saltillo

When it comes to talk about handmade Mexican Saltillo tiles, there’s a story behind each and every piece of them. The most intriguing fact about them is the way how they’re made. As you know, each piece of Saltillo tiles is molded and fired by the hands of craftsmen. So, in each piece, the hard work, sweat and artistic feeling they bear in their hearts are visible. All the love for the production, customary patterns and even the rhythm of their heartbeat are engraved in the tiles that come as the final product. From the moment of kneading soil up to the moment the tile is taken out from the kiln, the hard labor of the workers is counted so much. So, each piece of them have their own tearful story hidden within.

These are the factors one must consider in buying Saltillo tiles. Apart from the quality and durability, two of the following factors highly affect the great impact they create in any home decor style.

  • Color

One of the most popular varieties of tiles is Saltillo. They come in three prominent naturally-occurred colors. These colors are a result of variations in temperature inside the kiln. Terracotta, manganese and antique Saltillo are three different finishes that come in three different colors of their own. Saltillo tiles create a warm, hearty feeling in the hearts of customers increasing the overall purchase of the product. All the toiling, sweating and dedication of the workers may be the reason for the success of Saltillo tiles.

Perhaps, you may not be happy about the natural color of handmade clay floor tiles. In that case, you can enhance it by applying a sealer you prefer most. Tiles lay foundation for the success of any home decor style. The process of sealing them by hand enables the customers to create marvelous designs that appeal to everybody at home.

  • Texture

Saltillo tiles do not have a smooth texture. They’re a bit rough due to the handmade finish and the surface is rather bumpy.  Saltillo tiles are really special since that particular kind of soil is found only in Saltillo, Mexico. If you have selected Saltillo tiles to give a finish to your floor, that’s the best decision you’ve taken. Although the texture is a bit bumpy, Saltillo tile is attractive and looks almost natural. Its rustic look could be an additional plus to this brand.

Here are some common mistakes occurred in the installation of tiles. Since it’s rather a tough job, such things may happen to a craftsman. Anyway, if you consider to install Saltillo tiles, mind not to do these errors.  

  • Be careful in spraying sealers to the tiles.

Avoid spraying too much sealer on the sides of the tile. When you seal Saltillo tiles, you must be careful to spare the sides of the tiles which seat well to the other tiles. If these sides are washed with sealer, it will be very hard to grout.

  • Sweep the surface clean before spraying sealer

Wipe and clean the surface of all the tiles before spraying sealer. Dirty surfaces badly affect the spraying process in two ways. Firstly. dirt accumulated on the tile surface will make blemishes after sealing. On the other hand, clean surface of the tile is ideal to create a firm bond between the sealer and tile. Well cleaned surfaces will be smooth after the process of sealing.

  • Care for the uneven backs

Saltillo tiles are not all even. There may be many pieces of tile which are not equal in height. In order to maintain the uniformity and level of the floor, an extra layer of thin set must be used. Never ignore these uneven parts when installing. Such a floor will be ugly-looking with lots of spots on it.

  • Never install Saltillo tiles in a hurry

Never take a bulk area to tile at one time. Always divide the floor into smaller portions. The better way is to make those portions smaller in size. All these happen because Saltillo tiles gets dry very quickly. The best portion to work at a time is 4-5 feet in length.

  • Allow sufficient time for the tiles to settle

After the hard spell of work, you may be quite curious to see the final finish of the new floor. But patience is the best thing. You have to wait at least 24 hours before you expose the tiles to light. And wait a minimum of 72 hours before letting others to step on the floor. Anyway, mind not to allow lots of traffic on the floor until it settle very well.

  • Smooth out the tiles in the opposite direction

Take a sponge and smooth out the tiles in the opposite direction. Never wipe it in the same direction you laid them. If you do it the wrong way, grouting will seem ugly and untidy.

So, did you see how much care you should take to get a grand final finish for your tiled floor? If you neglect caring for the Saltillo tiled floor, you will have to regret. After all, Saltillo is a kind of hard-earned tiles. So, you have to protect their quality and shine. even though there’s a wide range of tiles in the market, Mexican Saltillo tiles have cut a figure among them all. If you maintain them in the correct way, you’ll be a proud owner of an excellent floor studded with brilliant handmade Mexican Saltillo floor tiles.

Advantages of Copper Bathroom Sinks

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Nowadays copper bathroom sinks have become quite famous. Most home owners prefer to install copper sinks to bathrooms due to the immense benefits they offer. Some may say that copper sinks mean a lot of maintenance and they are not economical to the pocket of the customer. But, it’s not the truth. Copper sinks need a normal attention and a few tips to keep in mind. Proper use of the sink and paying attention to the patina can keep it shiny and clean forever.

An elegant copper bathroom sink design
  • Copper bathroom sinks are attractive

Copper is a valuable metal. Using bathroom equipment made of copper is another way of giving a glorious finish to your home. It’s like an ornament to the whole house. The fine glow of copper illuminates the entire bathroom and makes the bathing area very attractive. Using a copper bathroom sink is a rare luxury since it’s a little expensive. So, it’s like a decorative item with all its carved designs.

  • No stains and no scratches

Copper being a living metal re-patinas with the age. Even if staining takes place, they automatically vanish in the natural renovation process. Similarly, scratches are recovered in a few days when the patina repairs itself. For instance, if you happen to stain the sink with a bit of toothpaste, you don’t have to worry about that. In a few days the stain will be no more.

  • Low risk of microbial infections

Copper has an antimicrobial element. It kills germs and keeps your bathroom safe and sound. If you need to keep it a sanitary area you must use a copper bathroom sink in it. The immense germ-killing power of copper destroys any micro-organism in several hours.

  • The wide range of designs

There’s a style for each and every person to choose between. Availability of such a lot of styles is a plus point. Carved sink designs are very common these days. They come in various shapes and sizes. Square shaped, round shaped and oblong-shaped ones are more familiar among the folks.

A Mexican hammered copper sinks is a pretty, little celebrity to any bathroom. They are excellent, hand-made products anybody could trust. When you buy a copper bathroom sink, you must go in for Mexican hand hammered products. They are good-looking, comfortable and economical.

Leather Sofa Choices in The Long Beach Area

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Looking for a leather sofa can be a daunting task, specially if your needs and requirements are very specific. A few parameters you need to consider when shopping around:

  • Is it natural leather or synthetic?
    We all know that natural leather is the best choice for most of our needs.
  • Is it the color exactly what you are looking for?
    Something you have to be very careful because you want a piece a furniture that blends in your room accordingly to your main home decor theme.
  • Is it the size what will fit in your room?
    Even when you might like a big piece of sofa, your room will dictate the final space you have for the sofa.
  • Is it under budget?
    Of course that is what shopping around is for, isn’t it?
  • Is it made in the USA or is it imported?
    Generally speaking the ones made in the USA will have better craftsmanship and durability, but also fit into the higher price range.

Another important factor to consider is to look up for leather sofa on sale, which will save you a few hundred dollars, specially if you can find something within your budget and does not compromise too much your requirements. If you live in the Long Beach or LA area there are a few options to consider, but Caravana Furniture has proven to be an one-stop furniture store for most of your home furniture needs. Caravana Furniture is located at 238 E. 10Th St. Long Beach, CA 90813 and serving the counties of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Orange and the Valley in general.

Handmade High Temperature Wood Fired Terracotta Clay Floor Tile

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This unique handmade clay terracotta floor tile is manufactured in only a few places in the world where the mineral content of the clay mixture and the use of wood firing at high temperatures create clay tiles that are imbued with an array of many colors and have a high resistance to wear. An example of this can be seen in the tiles from BarroNica Building Products (www.barronica.com).

As beautiful and as strong as the terracotta clay tile is, without proper installation and finishing, the true potential of this product cannot be achieved. Below, information is provided on the salient elements of a successful handmade terracotta clay tile installation. The finishing of this type of tile is covered in another article, “Handmade High Temperature Wood Fired Terracotta Clay Floor Tile – Finishing Guidelines”.

Surface on which tile is to be installed

Handmade high temperature wood fired terracotta clay floor tile should be installed on either a properly reinforced concrete slab or 3/4″ minimum thickness steel-reinforced (expanded metal lath) grout bed over a slip sheet over floor sheathing over wood or metal framing.

Wood Floor Installation

If the handmade clay floor tile installation is on a wood floor, the maximum floor deflection should be no greater than the floor joist span (in inches)/720 for joist spans up to 14′-0″, with the maximum floor deflection not exceeding 7/32″, using total floor dead load, including framing, grout bed, crack isolation membrane (if used), setting compound, and handmade terracotta tile. The steel-reinforced grout bed should be as per the Marble Institute of America’s Dimension Stone Design Manual, Volume 6, Chapter 13, Horizontal Surfaces, page 181, Detail 3 “MORTAR BED OVER WOOD SUBFLOOR”. Grout bed thickness should be a minimum of 3/4″. The isolation membrane should be a 30# minimum building paper.

Crack Isolation Membrane

If tile installation is to be on a slab that shows signs of significant cracking (wide enough in which a business card will fit), the use of a crack isolation membrane is suggested to minimize the chance of the slab’s crack being transmitted into the handmade clay floor tile.

Grout Joint Width

Determine the desired grout joint width prior to tile installation. Different tile patterns and tile sizes employ different grout joint widths in order to maximize the design impact of the overall tile installation.

Thinset Compound Tile Adhesive

Select a thinset compound that has been manufactured specifically for the application intended (interior application or exterior application). Thinset compound should be applied with 1/2″ “V” notched trowel to both the surface to receive the tile (slab or grout bed) and the back of the handmade terracotta clay tile. The thinset compound should cover 100% of both the surface to receive the tile and the back of the tile. The handmade terracotta clay tile shall be applied to the thinset-covered slab or grout bed on the wood subfloor such that the direction of the trowel marks on the back of the tile shall be perpendicular to the trowel marks on the floor. Move the set tile 1/8″-1/4″ back and forth to obtain full adhesion and to minimize any air pockets under the tile. Visually determine that the fully set tile is as level as possible with adjacent tiles. Since this is a handmade tile, it has dimensional and leveling variations from tile to tile.

Grouting Joints Between Tiles

Prior to grouting the joints between the tiles, decisions should be made on the color of the grout, the texture of the finished grout, and the amount of indentation of the grout joint, if any. Color charts are available from which grout color selection can be made. Grout texture can vary from a very smooth steel tooled finish to a very rough sack-rubbed finish. The grout can be finished so its full joint width is flush with adjacent tiles, it can be finished with a deep concave indentation, or anything in between.

The tile and its setting compound should be completely dry prior conducting any part of the joint grouting. Prior to the installation of any grout, the tile should receive a coat of grout release compound or at least one coat of the first coat of the selected tile finish. This protects the tile from discoloration due to grout getting on the face of the tile, either during grout installation or grout clean-up.

Once all joints have been grouted, allow the grout to fully dry prior to any additional finish coat application. When the grout joints are fully dry, apply one coat of the tile finishing material to the grout joints so the will have a covering similar to that of the tile that received the first protective finish coat prior to grouting.

Finishing

At this point, the fully grouted tile is ready for finish coat application.

Have A Look At Different Varieties Of Great Looking Floor Tiles

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Clay Floor Tile In A PatioWhich is the highly demandable product used in increasing the value of the place these days? Yes, you are thinking about the right alternative i.e. floor tiles which have become today as one of the widely-used and most in-demand materials among the people who have a deep desire to adorn their homes. These tiles provide their users a great chance to refurbish their household project in a unique manner. As compared to wall tiles, they are usually larger, thicker and more durable. They come in different shapes that include squares, rectangles, octagons, hexagons as well as Moorish, ogee and other shapes as well. Glazed or unglazed variety of these tiles is also in great demand. There is less chance to sleep on the unglazed tiles which wear shows less easily since the colour extends all the way though the tile.

Various flooring problems can be solved through ceramic floor tiles which are best known for their durability. They are easy to maintain and the users don’t have to worry about breathing all those toxic vinyl fumes. They represent a real value as compared to other natural type flooring materials like linoleum, cork, bamboo and wood. One main benefit of using these tiles is that you can install them under do-it-yourself scheme only using a few inexpensive tools. Some prominent five common types of tiles are given below. Pavers Pressed rather than extruded, pavers are usually unglazed. Resistant to water, these tiles are found in unique sizes and colours. They are generally available in 4 by 8 inches size which is commonly called brick pavers. Pavers, which come in very dense state, are called porcelain tiles.

Decorate your Bathroom Mexican Style

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http://hgtv.sndimg.com/HGTV/2006/08/18/islas_HerBath3_lg.jpgYour Mexican style bathroom is bold and colorful. It is inviting and makes you feel happy. You can have your Mexican style bathroom with just a few decorator items and bright bathroom towels all the way to a whole new vanity and new saltillo tile floors. Lets start with the whole bathroom remodel and work our way up to bathroom accessories Mexican style. The Mexican bathroom floor. Never carpet. Mexican saltillo tile or a glazed Mexican tile will give you the most authentic Mexican bathroom floor. Saltillo tile in a range of terracotta colors to manganese, a rich brown color. Saltillo tiles are made in a variety of shapes.

What you see most are squares, six, twelve and sixteen inch. Then there are rounded patterned ones. You can do your bathroom floor overall with one tile or you can create a tile rug using several shapes or sizes of tile.How to create your Mexican tile rug? Use the twelve or sixteen inch squares on the entire bathroom floor except where you are placing the rug. Then make a border using smaller tiles. These can be broken pieces, colored tiles, patterned tiles or just the small saltillo tile.

Then fill the center with the six-inch Mexican saltillo tiles set on a diagonal. For inspiration go to http://www.tileartmosaic.com or look at the designs on area rugs. Mexican style bathroom walls. Paint or tile your walls in bright colors.(Keep in mind you still have to put on make up and want to complement your pretty skin when choosing your colors). A great way to get that Mexican style is to paint a bold stripe in a chili pepper red or Tucson teal at chair rail height all the way around the room. Paint a lighter color on top and another bold color on the bottom part of the wall. You can also use bright colored Mexican tiles for your stripe or paint or stencil Mexican style designs in your stripe.