Category Archives: Decorative Tile

Getting Your Home Ready for Entertaining During the Holidays

As the holidays quickly approach, guests and families may be descending on your home to share in holiday dinners and festivities. Of course you want your home to be as warm and inviting as possible. Besides your typical holiday decorating, there are many other ways to help get your home ready for the holidays. Here are a few suggestions..

  • Reduce the clutter. There will be inevitable cleaning that will have to happen once the guests leave, but you can help reduce the time spent cleaning by removing as much clutter as possible before the guests arrive.
  • Stash breakable items away if there will be a lot of children visiting. Nothing can make a holiday more awkward than when a guests child breaks that fragile heirloom you like to display.
  • Keep coffee table books or stylish photographic magazines handy for discussion topics when there’s a lull in the conversation.
  • Use throws over your couches and chairs to help protect from the occasional spills or food stains that always seem to happen. You can also treat fabric covered furniture with protective spray such as Scotchgard.
  • Dress up your front door. This will be the first experience they have as guests arrive at your home. Wreaths or other decorations can help create a warm environment right from the start.
  • Keep your home at a comfortable temperature. While most likely it will be impossible to please everyone on this point, keeping it cooler and having throws and sweaters available might be the right way to go.
  • Setting the lights a little softer sets a nice, calming mood during the holidays.
  • Taping down area rugs can help prevent slipping especially if you will have kids running around in social areas.
  • Provide cushions for folding chairs. Hard cold chairs won’t make guests feel very welcome.
  • Add holiday touches to halls and bathrooms. Using decorative soap, nice hand towels, and good smelling candles will add an air of comfort for guests.
  • Soft music is also a nice touch to add to the holiday spirit.

Presealed vs Unfinished Saltillo Tile

pre-sealed saltillo tile Saltillo tile is a durable, easy to clean flooring tile that originates from Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. Often used in homes that wish to achieve a Southwestern decor, the tile is long lasting and looks beautiful when installed properly. Since the tiles are created in an unglazed state, saltillo tile requires sealing to protect the tile since saltillo tile is naturally very porous and will absorb moisture easily.

However, before installation there are a couple of options as to whether or not to have the tile pre-sealed (which is not a %100 seal) or to install the tile in an unfinished state.

Our recommendation for most people is to work with pre-sealed tile. Basically, pre-sealing is either done by applying an oil/solvent sealer to the tile or a water base sealer to the tile prior to installation. It’s important to note that this does not create a finished product as further sealing and finishing will need to be done after installation.

So why use pre-sealed tiles? Well, first, the grouting will be easier and the drying time will be significantly reduced. And, as we mentioned before, saltillo tile is very absorbent and there is a lot of moisture involved with the installation process. Tiles are cut with a wet-saw, the mortar used to set the tile is mixed with water, and the grout is also mixed with water. This can cause discoloration and undesired results of the look of the tile.

Pre-sealed tile will also be easier for the do-it-yourself or less experience tile installer as the color is set once the tile is pre-sealed, so you know exactly what you are working with. Note that pre-sealed tile is not ‘pre-finished’ which is a different process altogether. We recommend to hold off on finishing the tile until one week after the tile and grout installation. This will allow the tile to cure and will also create a finish for the grout as well.

With all that said, there are still contractors and installers that want to work with unfinished tile. This tile comes un-glazed and does allow for some coloring flexibility after installation. However, we highly recommend sealing should be done by true sealing professionals with this method and tiles should be applied with grout release to avoid any grout staining.

Should you have further questions regarding the installation or purchase of saltillo tile, please feel free to call us at either of our two location: Phoenix: 602-954-6272 | Tucson: 520.622.4352. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our Design Studios

If you want to see great examples of saltillo tile flooring and decorative tiling, you can visit our design studios located in Phoenix, Arizona or our location in Tucson, Arizona. Each location features a tremendous variety of tiling and showcase various ways to utilize tiles for design. If you are in the Phoenix or Tucson area, we encourage to visit our studios which we are certain will inspire you and provide unique ideas on how our tiles can improve the look of your home.

Phoenix Location: 2036 W Greenway Rd, Phoenix AZ 85023 | Phone: (602)954-6272
Tucson Location: 1148 E Broadway, Tucson AZ 85719 | Phone: (520)622-4352

Please enjoy this gallery of photo’s taken at each of the locations:

Remodel your kitchen with decorative tiles!

For some of us who love to cook, we spend the majority of our time at home in our kitchen. Why not make your kitchen a stylish and decorative room that’s functional and easy to clean! Decorative tile is a perfect solution for kitchens. Sealed tile as a counter top is resistant to stain and wipe clean with ease. Tile on the wall and floors can also make your kitchen one of the best looking rooms in the house. Take a look at this slideshow that demonstrates how great tile can make your kitchen look!

Remodel Your Bathroom with Decorative Tile

Considering remodeling your bathroom? Decorative tile can help you create a bold atmosphere in your bathroom. Tile is perfect for the bathroom as it is water resistant, easy to clean, and is more durable and longer-lasting than other materials. Additionally, there are so many shapes and sizes, the design options are almost endless! Please enjoy this slideshow of tiled bathrooms.