Slippery Rock Gazette

Bob Murrell 

M3 Technologies

Photos by Bob Murrell

Decorative Saltillo tile with the characteristic terracotta hue denoting high quality. The tiles in this residential floor had a beautiful range of colors from red-orange to cream.

Saltillo tile is a type of terracotta tile, originating from Saltillo, Mexico. Of course, nowadays it is manufactured in many locations in Mexico. There are also similar tiles, fired at higher temperatures, that come from Spain and Italy.

Saltillo clay is dug from the ground in its raw form.  Water is added to the clay in man-made pits in the ground. This starts the curing process. They are shaped by hand, pressing the quarried clay into a wooden frame or mold or by carving out pressed clay into the desired shape. Once the tiles are shaped they are dumped out of the mold onto sand and allowed to dry in the sun. After they have dried, they are fired in small caves/kilns to cure and harden. Saltillo tiles come in many sizes and shapes and sometimes have traces of the footprints of passing animals. If you find one of these, you know you have the real deal. 

True Saltillo tiles come in many colors and shapes. Most tiles come in reds, oranges, and yellows, but Saltillo tile that contains manganese (which is added during the clay’s wet form) and exhibits light, dark brown, and terracotta hues, is highly sought after. This manganese addition normally adds to the cost of the tiles. Antique Saltillo is hand-rubbed and sealed with manganese dioxide powder, creating tiles with many deep variations in terracotta color, light cream and golden tones, with excellent slip resistance. 

There are other varieties, such as Spanish Saltillo that don’t contain the lighter hues. These tiles are primitive and will often contain chips, cracks, and bumps. The important thing regarding Saltillo tiles is that each and every tile is different, and no two are exactly alike.

There are different levels of quality with Saltillo tiles. The most primitive are made with wood frames and simply poured or smashed into the frame, with a table or another surface to support the bottom of the tile. 

There are Saltillo tiles created with full bottom, wooden-framed molds, and even more refined tiles made using metal molds with much closer tolerances. Also, there are even differences with the clay used. Some tiles are considered more “clean” than others, meaning they have fewer impurities.

This restoration project had some 2,500 square feet of Saltillo tile in serious need of some TLC.

Vintage Saltillo tile floor before restoration. The white patches are salts left from using the wrong cleaner (probably acidic).

Once the tiles are cured they should be sealed. Whether to seal them before or after installation is a choice that should be considered. Some prefer the tiles pre-sealed with at least multiple applications of a penetrating impregnator/sealer so that clean up after install and grouting is made easier. Others prefer to install the tile and grout then seal everything at one time. In any case, it is highly recommended that the tiles are finally sealed with a topical sealer, preferably a water-based acrylic made for this application. Using a topical product will help to protect these porous tiles and give them that added look of depth. You can choose high gloss, satin, and even matte in this type of sealer. 

Using urethane or epoxy type sealers is not recommended as they are not restoration friendly when that process is eventually needed. And trust me, it will be needed at some point down the line.

Recently, an extensive Saltillo tile floor needed some restoration. This floor was well over 2,500 square feet. It was installed in the kitchen, den, hallways, bathrooms, basically everywhere on the ground level, and on an upper landing. 

The existing sealer was scratched up, worn out, and damaged in many locations throughout the floor. Where the kitchen table had been located was especially bad, as well as several other areas where the sealer had been significantly degraded by wear or chemical attack. 

It was decided that the floor would be cleaned and somewhat exfoliated as the original sealer needed to have some of its surface lightly removed. This was accomplished using Majestic Deep Cleaner in combination with a nylo-grit type hi-lo brush (about a 180 grit). A black stripping pad was also used to help achieve a consistent look of the tiles. This process cleaned the remaining sealer and grout very well while prepping the floors for the new sealer. 

There were some damaged areas that needed more attention as the sealer had been totally degraded. In several places, the tile was actually attacked by some type of cleaner that was used by the previous homeowner, probably in a futile attempt to rectify the issue. 

These areas were lightly abraded using diamond hand pads (220 and 400 grit).   

After the cleaning process was completed, two days of forced air (fan) was used to dry the floor. Once the floor was lightly abraded, cleaned, and dry, application of the sealer began. As previously stated, a water-based high-gloss acrylic was the sealer of choice. A lamb’s wool applicator was used, and at least three applications (coats) were applied. Several hours were given between applications. A few areas that had been abraded enough to expose the bare tile required even more coats to help make the floor look consistent.

Views of the extensive Saltillo tile floor after cleaning, restoration and sealing. The new owners specified a high-gloss, water-based acrylic sealer. The sealer was applied with a lambs-wool applicator.

The Saltillo tile restoration in this house turned out very nice. The new homeowner was very pleased. With proper maintenance consisting of frequent dust mopping, walk-off mats, and routine cleaning with Majestic No-Rinse pH Neutral Cleaner, this restoration should last at least another five years or so before an intensive cleaning and possibly some touch-up with more applications of sealer will be necessary.  

As always, I recommend submitting a test area to confirm both the results and the procedure prior to starting a stone or hard surface restoration or maintenance project. Also the best way to help ensure success is by partnering with a good distributor, like BB Industries, that knows the business. They can help with technical support, product purchase decisions, logistics, and other pertinent project information.

I pray you all stay safe and healthy.

Bob Murrell has worked in the natural stone industry for over 40 years and helped develop some of the main products and processes which revolutionized the restoration industry.