Mexican Pavers

Pacific Carpet & Tile will provide maximum protection for your Mexican Pavers Flooring. After using the correct chemical products to strip, wipe clean, applying a penetrating-sealer and then a wet gloss sealer, your Mexican Pavers Flooring, will add beauty to your home.

Pacific Carpet & Tile is a company that provides impeccable service, on time, at a fair price. “We do the job right the first time. Allow us to give you a complete quote, before you decide.” We have excellent pricing. The application is completed in one or two days (depending on the floor size). Stripping the floor, wiping clean the floor, using a penetrating sealer and then using a wet glossy look sealer is doubled to insure a beautiful professional floor. YOUR OPTIONS.  “No quickie procedures”. No “shortcuts”.

Mexican pavers, whether for the inside or outside or even the driveway area, are beautiful tiles which are made from natural clays that create a rustic terra cota product. These tiles can be used on walls, floors, countertops and even outdoors. Mexican pavers date back hundreds of years and have been installed in almost every thinkable application.

Having been manufactured from natural raw materials, Mexican pavers continue to be one of the most relatable finished materials offered. Whether a designer is decorating your Spanish Estate or you are upgrading your first modest property, Mexican pavers serve as a wonderful tile that brings warmth and fashion to any environment.

There are several types of Mexican pavers, including Lincoln Pavers, Tecate Tiles and the most common… Saltillo Tiles. Lincoln Pavers and Tecate Tiles are derivatives of the original Saltillo tiles, manufactured in Saltillo, Mexico. The advantage that Pavers and Tecate Tiles bring, for the most part, is their uniformity and/or breaking strength. But just like good movies, you can’t beat the original!

Saltillo Tiles, in their natural form, offer rich and colorful variations ranging from a subtle reddish-orange to a wispy yellow. The sizes range from 4″x4″ to 18″x18″ and include various shapes and specialty trim pieces.

Over the years, consumers and companies have figured out how to modify Saltillo Tiles; breaking them into many pieces to create mosaics and staining them with a limited number of colors ranging from “white-wash” to “leather”.

We have the knowledge and products to expertly, restore, seal new or “old” mexican pavers.

THE TRUTH ABOUT SALTILLOS

Saltillos are handmade tiles from Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. (just south of Texas) They are rustic and have a lot of personality.  We would like you to know that Saltillos have the following characteristics.

• SALTILLOS have sandy backs sometimes (caused by dumping the wet tile from the mold onto the ground to sun dry before baking)
• SALTILLOS have chipped edges.
• SALTILLOS have lime pops (little criters).
• SALTILLOS are not the same size.
• SALTILLOS are not the same thickness.
• SALTILLOS are not perfectly flat.
• SALTILLOS are not all perfectly square.
• SALTILLOS have occasional animal prints (to get one of these you have to be lucky).
• SALTILLOS have occasional cracks on the surface.
• SALTILLOS are not all the same color (they even vary in shading in the same tile)
• SALTILLOS are prone to alkali (efflorescence) in the clay tile.  To minimize this problem they must be properly sealed and kept sealed.

SIMPLE PROCEDURES

Oil and other emollients will work their way through any sealer if left on the tile long enough. Grated cheese, potato chips, cooking oil, etc. should be wiped up or swept up regularly.Sweep more often than mop (the more you mop the quicker the qrout lines become discolored). When you mop use plain water and a capful of any neutral P.H. cleaner.  This type product disinfects your floor without dulling the finish.NOTE: always dry up any solution left standing after mopping or finishes will soften enabling dirt to stick easier to the grout and tile.A light maintenance program is recommended annually to maintain your floors finish.CHAIRS, TABLES AND RUGS Anything that will be sliding across the finish must have a felt foot or any other means of protection, caster, coaster, etc.No non slip sheets under area rugs are to be used because the rubber is primarily a petroleum based product and eventually it will leave stains on your tile.

Efflorescence Cleaning

Efflorescence is the white haze that appears on most types of outdoor paver applications, and includes Mexican Pavers. It is a natural occurring discharge and can not be prevented. Efflorescence comes directly from beneath the pavers and is a reaction to the build up of moisture and the materials used. The most efficient way of dealing with efflorescence is by using breathing type products, namely sealers. By using a breathable sealer you will allow the moisture and efflorescence to reach the surface, rather than being trapped. If it is trapped, the only way to get rid of it is for the floor to be stripped. So ensure that you only use breathing products on your Mexican Pavers.

Please contact us for the inspection and plan of removal for your Efflorescence Cleaning problem.  There are no shortcuts, or use of any standard acid cleaner.

PROCEDURES FOR THE RESTORATION

1. Tape and paper all exposed non-treatment areas for the procedures.
2. Use a special product to completely “strip” (all stripping requirements should be completed manually, to maintain the beauty of the pavers and avoid damage) the surface of the Mexican Pavers. This process is normally completed 2 different times (depending on the “build-up of the grime, it could take more effort). No residue can be left by the “old” sealing method. This includes the grout area.
3. Neutralize the floor with an organic washing system.
4. The surface area shall be completely clean and dry.
5. Allow treated surface area to dry, for 24 hours before the next procedure.
6. The next procedure is to apply the final sealing process on the Mexican Pavers. The sealing process can be a light, medium, or heavy wet looking surface. Each process requires from one layer to three plus layers. Allow 18 hours between each application of sealer for brightness.  Allow 6 hours before light foot traffic is allowed.

BEFORE AND AFTER USING THE HEAVY “WET LOOK”

WE CAN FURNISH ALL OF THE PRODUCTS WE — USE, FOR YOUR DIRECT MAINTENANCE OR RESTORATION PROGRAM.

Please contact us for a free inspection and professional quotation.