Saltillo Tile - Comments
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Fantastic advice. I'm preparing a project and you've offered me lots of useful straight-forward info. Thanks for the effort. Just a little comment, if you have time, some photos would be good. Best of luck and thanks again
Sara Romera at July 18, 2007 04:59 PM
Posted by: Sara Romera at July 18, 2007 04:59 PMI'm glad you have found the information useful.
I do have pictures. I don't have time. Want to come help? ;~) I am clearing "my plate" as I type, so hope to make time for loading photos really soon.
Thanks for the suggestion, and nudge.
The Flooring Lady at July 18, 2007 05:21 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at July 18, 2007 05:21 PMMy home has sealed saltillo tiles outside. They are very slipery when wet. Do you recommend unsealed saltillo tiles for exterior use?
eve werner at July 25, 2007 12:50 PM
Posted by: eve werner at July 25, 2007 12:50 PMLet me start by saying Saltillo tile isn't ideal for exterior use in areas with extreme climates. It's extremely porous so hard to install and care for.
It's porosity makes it absorb any and all liquids readily, so even sealers are hard to apply and get a satisfactory result. A penetrating sealer or a film forming sealer, or coating is a pretty good solution though.
If you want an exterior tile, try a glazed, textured ceramic tile. The grout should still be sealed to keep it from absorbing water, oil, dirt, etc. The texture will help reduce the slippery-when-wet problem.
The Flooring Lady at July 26, 2007 10:12 AM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at July 26, 2007 10:12 AMHi...thanks for taking the time to put together the good info. I have quite a bit of saltillo in most of the home (albuquerque) and have been doing the vinegar/water and mop for years. about once a year i re-seal them. Behr wetlook does a good job. this time i want to do a better job on the cleaning. i have a small dual rotary scrubber that i have never used. any suggestions for scrubbing...soap? also, once it is re-sealed can i use the polisher part for maintenance. we would like a high gloss look this time. do you use some kind of paste or polish? i realize the saltillo is soft so would not put a lot of pressure while using the machine. hope you can give some advice. have someone coming in to help so time is of the essence thanks Ken
ken at August 4, 2007 01:10 PM
Posted by: ken at August 4, 2007 01:10 PMFirst a question back to you: Do you need better cleaning than the vinegar solution gives you, or you do you just want to try something different?
I hear you asking both how to clean better and how to reseal your floor. Am I hearing you correctly? If you are resealing, you want to remove the old sealer first, then clean well, and then after the tiles are completely and thoroughly dry you can put the new sealer on the tiles.
Use a chemical stripper and the rotary scrubber with a black or green pad to strip the old sealer and clean the tiles and grout. Rinse thoroughly and then let dry.
If you have the time, let the tiles dry over night. But if you want to get the job done fast, use fans to circulate the air and speed the drying; your dry climate there will increase the drying speed.
I hear good things about Aqua Mix products, and they do have a high sheen product. Glaze'n Seal and Charlotte Mexican Paver Sealer also get high marks from Saltillo tile installers and manufacturers.
Floor polish is the way to go with sealing the floor. Some manufacturers recommend using a penetrating sealer first and then the polish, others say the penetrating sealer is a waste of time and money because everything penetrates the tiles. 4-5 coats of the floor polish will do a good job of protecting your tiles.
As far as keeping your Saltillo tiles clean, I still recommend a mild solution of white vinegar and warm water, but borax and water or a microfiber mop and water work well too.
Given the wear-and-tear aspect of these tiles, you may want to think twice about using a high sheen finish because the difference between the worn and less-worn areas will be more pronounced.
The Flooring Lady at August 4, 2007 02:34 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at August 4, 2007 02:34 PMFYI Have had these Mexican tiles in my kitchen for twenty years and they have worn well. When we installed them I wanted them to be darker rather than orangy. I was told to apply transmission fluid on them several times before installation and it worked wonderfully!The oil helped keep the tiles from staining and I just use Murphy Oil soap to clean them.
Jan at August 4, 2007 06:32 PM
Posted by: Jan at August 4, 2007 06:32 PMI'd have never thought of using transmission fluid on the tiles. I'm glad to hear it's working well for you!
Murphy Oil soap is a well-recognized cleaning and conditioning product. In addition to it being popular with many people, it also has a contingency of people who think it's not a good product.
I have used it for years on wood floors and think the world of it. My feeling is if it works for you, keep on using it.
The Flooring Lady at August 5, 2007 10:14 AM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at August 5, 2007 10:14 AMhelp! I placed a rug in front of my kitchen sink -my entire home is Saltillo tile- the pad under the rug got wet and when I removed the rug the pad left stains on the saltillo. Any ideas as to what would remove this blackish "rubber" residue? Also, I am still unclear...how do I proceed to reseal & polish my floors? Do I strip first (I believe the product we used to seal was an "aguaseal" product. We purchased it from the distributer in Murphys, CA. Please respond soon!! Thank you so much! Barbara Parrott
Barbara Parrott at August 5, 2007 04:10 PM
Posted by: Barbara Parrott at August 5, 2007 04:10 PM
Oops! Don't you hate it when things like that happen?! For others reading this thread: avoid rubber-backed rugs on natural material floors (and maybe avoid them all together) because they will mar your flooring.
I'm going to hope the residue is only surface deep and that scrubbing with a green pad will lift it from your tiles. If that doesn't work, or doesn't work well enough, since you are already using Aqua products, you might even try their cleaning product.
While you are scrubbing the rubber residue off your tiles, clean the entire surface of each tile that's damaged so you can try sealing only those tiles. The traditional approach is to reseal the entire floor, but I'd go for just that small area first. And then go out to eat so the floor can dry without you stepping on it or dropping food or water on it. :~)
If all else fails, ask your distributor for more guidance.
The Flooring Lady at August 5, 2007 04:33 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at August 5, 2007 04:33 PMComment Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26
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