Mexican Tile Specialists

We specialize in the installation and care of authentic handcrafted Mexican Saltillo tile. It's what we do every day, and it shows. The partners, Jon Fogt and Al Balin, have over 40 years combined experience in installing, restoring, refinishing, improving, and repairing Mexican tile floors. We import our tile directly from Mexico to guarantee quality and availability. This is the genuine article; beautiful, distinctive, and authentic. We have developed installation, reconditioning, and maintenance procedures that are of the highest quality and are homeowner friendly.

Once the tile has been graded, we pre-seal the tile. Since the raw tiles are very porous, we spray the sealer on with special sprayers. This gives the tiles an even coat without swirl marks or sponge/roller lines. The number of coats and type of sealer used in this pre-seal process depend on the specific needs of your job. The pre-seal process also has a lot to do with the final tone of the floor. When the pre-seal process is completed, we box the tiles and they are ready to take to your job. Our installation procedure is unique in that we take into account the fact that each tile is handmade and thus not exactly alike.

Typically we install the tiles raw or with a penetrating sealer. We then stain the floor using a penetrating stain of a color of your choice. The most common colors range from a dark brown, giving a leathery look, to a white wash (also called pickling). This type of stain does not lay on top of the tile but penetrates the pores for a durable color which resists scratches and wear. We then seal the floor with, typically, four to five coats of sealer. This protects the floor and enhances the color of the stained tile.

Many times tiles can become cracked or broken. This can be from the settling of the houses' foundation, causing the tiles to crack along the settling line. We can cut these Mexican tiles out, place a crack isolation membrane over the foundation crack and set new tile from our warehouse with a flexible thinset mortar. This helps reduce the chance of the tile cracking again. When remodeling homes, walls are often moved, and kitchens cabinets are taken out and re-configured. This often leaves areas where there is no tile.