4 Simple Tips for Using Mexican Tile in New Construction or Remodeling Projects

Are you building a new home or remodeling an existing home? NOW is the time to start thinking about tile! You don’t want to compromise on your dream design because a harried contractor is running out of time!

Mexican Tile Designs has an enormous inventory of solid and decorative tile, trim tile, murals and sinks in stock, but if you are planning to use tile throughout your home perhaps including: a kitchen counter and backsplash, bathroom counters, backsplashes and tub/shower surrounds, stair risers, wainscoting, window trim, door trim or other decorative features; it is best to start planning well in advance.

Here are 4 simple tips:

1.   Not all tiles are created equal:

Mexican tile is hand made in small batches. Often times when we order tile throughout the year, there are slight variations in the color and finish. This can become a challenge when tiling a large area. There could be small variations in the tile if they do not come in the same batch shipment. Our advice is to order all of your tile for large areas at one time. This ensures consistency with the tiles.

2.     It is best to let your design “sink in”:

We’re not talking about the tile around your beautiful Mexican sink…we’re talking about the design. Give yourself plenty of time to do all the design planning necessary to fully realize your vision. Then once you come up with your design, you should take a little time to think about how it will look and feel. Environmental conditions like sunshine and seasons can change the appearance and mood of your design. Get advice from your contractor and the experts at Mexican Tile Designs. Our design staff has helped 100’s of homeowners, restaurants, five star hotels and even celebrities with their tiling projects.

3.   Delays cost money:

One of the biggest challenges contractors face is timing a project. Delays in materials can throw a wrench in the process and cost significant amounts of money and delays in your schedule. Make sure to order your tile well in advance of the date it is needed on-site. Work with your contractor to make sure the materials arrive when they need them. Better that your tile is at our warehouse ready to ship than waiting for our Mexico suppliers to make it.

4.   Order a few extra tile:

It is industry practice is to order 5-10% more tile than actual dimensions may require in order to accommodate cutting and any incidental breakage. This is especially true of Traditional red clay Talavera tile. When using ceramic tile, 2-5% extra is usually sufficient. It’s also a good ide to put a few tiles of each color and design safely aside in a cupboard or closet on the rare chance one later breaks. It may be hard to replicate that tile years or decades later!

Best of all, we offer significant discounts for multi-room or whole house projects! Call for details.

 Benefits of Planning Your Tile Installation 

*Ensure that the tile you want is available when you need it

*Save money on quantity discounts: additional discounts for whole house/multi-room orders!

*Save money with direct & pallet shipping

*Free expert design advice from our world-class experts in tile

Are you ready to begin? Call us today to start planning the home of your dreams! Phone toll free : 866-320-1628, email: info@mexicantiledesigns.com

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Mexican Tile = Global Tile

When you think “Mexican Tile”– it’s time to think globally!  Over the last one hundred years Mexican tile has grown beyond the early Aztec, Mayan and Majolican designs of the late 1800s and early 1900s to incorporate truly global designs.

Mexican Tile Designs now carries tiles with Tuscany, Arts and Crafts, Southwest, Art Deco, Modern, Celtic, Moorish and African influenced designs.  Look at these examples:

        

Mission                           Celtic                              Southwest

        

Spanish                         Moroccan                      Moorish

          

Modern                            Italian                          French

Arts & Crafts

Ancient designs have been interpreted with modern and even oriental flair as evidenced by the work of renowned Ceramic artists Ken Edwards and Gorky Gonzales.

             

Gorky Gonzalez                         Ken Edwards

We have a decorative tile in just the right color and design for your project.

In contrast to the monochromatic , bland look popular in the last few years as evidenced by fads of travertine and granite, these global tiles will bring color, creativity and vibrancy into your home.

Please give us a call for complimentary design help! 866-320-1628 or email: info@mexicandesigns.com and let us help you make your dream come true.

Ideas for Creating Spectacular Stair Risers using Mexican Tile

Give your staircase a New Year’s makeover! A staircase is just a way to go up and down unless you make them EXTRAORDINARY using decorative Mexican Tile on the risers (the vertical portion of each step).

Just look at these fabulous examples:

Stair risers using mixed Talavera Mexican Tile

 

Stair risers using Blue and White theme Mexican tile

 

Stair risers with each stair a different theme of Mexican Tile

You, too, can have a unique, colorful and exciting staircase! Yours can totally reflect your own tastes and creativity.

But where to start?

The cheerful, helpful team at Mexican Tile Designs can help. Just call us! 866-320-1628.

TIP: most stair risers accommodate a 6” tile, but remember that a 4” tile set “on diamond” is also 6”! Then you can cut solid color 4” tile into triangles to fill in the spaces between the decorative tile. Many stair risers are more narrow, where a 4” tile will fit just fine. If a 4” or 6” tile doesn’t fit your risers, Mexican Tile Designs also has custom sizes available, so you can order a size that fits perfectly.

Choose from three different lines of tile, each unique with a different price point so you are sure to find something that fits both your taste and your budget. If you have a lot of stairs, look for quantity discounts.

1. Traditional Talavera red clay Mexican Tile:  rustic, beautiful, less expensive, this tile has been used for centuries to bring Spanish influence, color and excitement to staircases, backsplashes, bathrooms and more. For stair risers, people often choose within a theme, such as: blue and white, fish, birds, or a mix.

Stair risers using a different theme of Mexican Tile on each riser

Perhaps you want each riser to be different and unique, or all the same. Here are two stairways where each riser is the same:

Stair Risers using a single design Mexican Tile 

Stair risers using a single theme Mexican Tile

2.  Especial Ceramic Mexican Tile: These white clay high-temperature fired ceramic tiles are a mid-price point and have a slightly more refined, consistent look than Traditional tiles. Choose from hundreds of gorgeous designs. Perhaps you’d like to alternate solid color Mexican Ceramic tile with decorative as in these striking stair cases, one alternating solid and decorative tiles, and one alternating solid and decorative risers:

Stair risers alternating tiles of decorative and solid color Mexican Tile 

Stair risers alternating steps of decorative and solid color Mexican Tile 

3.  Prima Premium Ceramic Mexican Tile: these exquisite raised-relief tiles instantly add incredible beauty to your home. Each tile is truly a work of art. Photos of these tiles, simply don’t do them justice, order a sample to see for yourself. Here are a just a taste of these tiles:

               

As you can see, the possibilities are endless!

You CAN have spectacular steps, whether it is two steps going into the kitchen or 15 steps going up to the bedrooms. Beautify your steps today!

Call us toll free to help! Mexican Tile Designs 866-459-4305.

Ideas for Using Mexican Tile in a Kitchen Backsplash

Whether you are building a new kitchen or remodeling your old kitchen, there’s nothing like the color, brilliance and beauty of authentic hand-painted Mexican tile to enhance a kitchen backsplash. A backsplash is the area right behind the sink. The area behind a counter is also referred to as the backsplash. It is an area that you see every time you use the sink or counter and often what you first see when you walk into the room. The right tile choice on the backsplash can easily brighten and add interest to the entire room. I want mine to be spectacular!

Mexican tile comes in so many gorgeous patterns and colors that it’s easy to create the kitchen backsplash that is uniquely your own. Here are some great examples I’ve found:

In the first example, a 6×6 raised relief Prima tiles were used join together into a pattern, while the second example uses a solid color tile with raised-relief decorative floral tiles interspersed to create a simple yet elegant linear design.

These next examples all use solid color tile with a decorative BORDER pattern to bring in color and excitement to the kitchen backsplash area:

      

       

As you can see, the border tile is often off-set with solid color complementary trim tile pieces. In all of these examples some of the shades of solid color tile are also set on “diamond” orientation, while others are set in “square” orientation.

In these last examples, a colorful, beautiful array of decorative Mexican tile is used to fill the entire backsplash area:

       

As you can, it all looks beautiful!  It’s hard to go wrong using Mexican tile.  To find your own unique and amazing kitchen design, first decide on the colors you LOVE.  Then choose solid color tile and decorative or border tiles that are in those colors.

If you want some help, Mexican Tile Designs offers free design help for their customers.  Start your project today by calling toll free 1-866-320-1628.

Using Mexican Tiles in pools and spas

When we were building our outdoor spa pool, it seemed that all pool tile was the same…boring! In fact, it seems like most pool tile is designed to blend in and few designs use colorful trim accents around the water line and stairs. We wanted something bright, beautiful and different! Searching around the web and during a visit to Mexico, we saw some beautiful examples of pool design using Mexican tile.

              

Perhaps, you’re thinking, “Mexican tile wouldn’t hold up in a pool!” Well, that’s true for the original colonial red clay Talavera tiles. But modern Mexican tile comes in high-temperature fired ceramic and if your contractor insists on using porcelain, not a problem. All our Especial and Prima designs are available in porcelain as well.

There are literally hundreds of tiles in all colors and designs to choose from. Personally, I like the 100% ceramic BORDER TILES in the Especial Line that link together such as these pictured below. All of these designs also come in Porcelain.

      

or even more bright and whimsical like these examples:

        

or alternate solid color tiles with your choice of decorative tile as in this example:

Another fun line of tile is the raised relief PRIMA TILE which also comes in ceramic or porcelain. Look at these examples of great Prima borders for use in pools and spas:

         

But don’t take my word for it, there are hundreds to choose from at http://www.mexicantiledesigns.com .  Use your imagination!

You can even intersperse decorative tiles into your pool decking to add color and interest.

A really fun idea is to put a Mexican tile MURAL on the pool wall or floor. Give swimmers something fun to explore underwater!  Imagine this one in on the bottom of your pool:

Finally, or maybe not finally, depending on your creative and imagination, many people use Mexican ceramic or porcelain tile on pool and patio walls such as in these great examples:

      

So don’t settle for a boring, typical and factory-looking pool! You can do it YOUR way with beautiful Mexican tile!

For design help, feel free to call us at 1-866-328-1628 or email: info@mexicantiledesigns.com

Gorky Gonzales Collectible Art Tiles

Mexican Tile Designs is extremely proud to carry an exclusive line of collectible Mexican art tile from the studio of renowned ceramicist, Gorky Gonzales Mexican Ceramic Art tiles.

These beautiful art tiles come in borders, solids and traditional Mexican designs of horses, Mexican cowboys, women, Day of the Dead, and other motifs.

Here is just a sampling!

Gorky Gonzales is a master ceramicist who won the National Award of Sciences and Arts in Mexico and has been featured in prestigious galleries around the world. Gorky has dedicated his life to the rescue and preservation of the traditional Majolica pottery technique and designs, which dates back to the 17th century.

Gorky studied ceramics in Mexico and then received a scholarship to study in Japan under the tutelage of Tsuji Seimei and Kei Finiwara, both considered Japanese National living treasures. You can see the Japanese influence in his work.

He returned to the central Highlands of Mexico where he, his wife Toshiko and son Gorky Jr. along with a group of skilled craftsman, devote themselves to creating some of the most beautiful and distinctive pottery and ceramics in the world.

Gorky Jr. has followed in his father’s footsteps– continuing and expanding this exquisite line of collectable ceramics and has honored Mexican Tile Designs with an exclusive collection of Gorky art tile, murals and sinks that will add an incredible and totally unique look to any decorating project.

Find our growing selection of Gorky tiles at www.mexicantiledesigns.com today!

Remodel your Shower with Mexican Tile!

There’s something about showering in a bright, beautiful shower that makes you want to sing and starts your day off right!  Hand-painted Mexican ceramic tiles from Mexican Tile Designs can help you affordably create a totally unique and gorgeous space that defines your bathroom.

Here are a couple of examples from the simple to the wild!

As you can see, you are only limited by your own imagination.  But if that does limit you, we at Mexican Tile Designs are happy to help you with a Mexican tile shower design!  Just give us a call toll free at 1.866.320.1628.

One way to begin is to choose your solid color Especial Mexican tile for the background.  Although, if you find a decorative Especial Mexican ceramic tile or Especial ceramic border tile you love, you can easily find a solid color or colors to match it.

At Mexican Tile Designs, all three of our hand-crafted, hand-painted ceramic Spanish tile lines are suitable for showers: Traditional rustic Mexican tile, Especial premium ceramic tile, and Prima raised-relief Malibu-style tile.

Take a look at our website and peruse all three hand-crafted tile lines, our huge selection of Mexican-style ceramic sinks, and our Mexican tile murals to get your own design ideas for creating a new, beautiful bathroom!

How to remodel your bathroom beginning with a Mexican sink.

On the last blog, we talked about how to remodel your bathroom choosing the Mexican Tile first, and then finding a sink to match.  This time, we reverse that process, using the sink as the centerpiece and the defining element for the whole room.

Mexican Tile Designs offers over 95 unique hand-painted Mexican style ceramic sink designs, in both solid colors, and simple to complex Mexican Talavera designs.

For example, let’s say you’re going for a traditional Mexican folk-art look.  You might start with a bird motif Mexican ceramic sink like this:

This sink is a fun place to start because it offers several colors and themes you can use to coordinate with tile. For example you might want to go REALLY bold with a solid red Mexican Prima Tile or yellow Especial Mexican tile countertop:

Or a very traditional cobalt blue Tradiitonal rustic Mexican tile or turquoise blue Especial Mexican tile.

Or a more subdued antique creamy white…or a pure white in any of the lines:

Next you can add a complimentary backsplash or border using decorative Especial Mexican tile, either a close match or something different but with a compatible look or color:

Or you could use a solid color strip backsplash in either 4″ x 4″ or a 2″x 4″ size.  Most of our decorative and solid color Mexican tiles come in all sizes.

Or mix it up!

This is just ONE sink, and ONE person’s ideas.

The possibilities are truly almost infinite.

Think up your own unique design and create a bathroom like no other!

Let your imagination run wild!

But, if you feel overwhelmed or have questions, we are always here to help!

Call us toll free at:  1.866.320.1628

www.mexicantiledesigns.com

Choosing Mexican Tile at the SOURCE

Andy, Rich and I are super excited to go to Mexico next week on a tile hunting expedition! We are flying into  Mexico to attend a  Mexican handicraft trade show.  We’ll spend four days there searching for the very best Mexican hand-painted tiles, sinks and murals to bring home to you. http://store.mexicantiledesigns.com/index.php?c=9 It will be a fun search!

After the show, we’ll drive to Guanajuato City, which will be our base. We are eager to explore this part of Mexico and sample all the food and handcrafts it has to offer!

Please watch this blog for more posts from our trip!