Handmade Tiles FAQ'S

Yes. Our Mexican tiles make the perfect backsplash for a kitchen or any other "semi wet" area. If you are looking for a unique design of handmade kitchen tiles then you have come to the right tile supplier.

Yes. Our Mexican tiles are great for bathrooms, bath surrounds, sink backsplashes, etc. In the case of high pressure showers, you do need to be careful due to the constant forceful wetting. We would advise using a tanking kit for all new shower jobs so that any leaking through small gaps in deteriorated grouting will not penetrate through to the wall. Tanking kits are widely available and are not very expensive.

Yes. Mexican handmade tiles are heat resistant and ideal for fireplace interiors and frontages.

Our tiles are best suited for inside jobs, however, the faded look of a weathered, tiled garden wall can be very attractive. The tiles are not frostproof and will deteriorate if used in extreme conditions where temperatures regularly fall below freezing.

Yes. All handmade tiles vary slightly and this is precisely why they look so lovely. The subtle variations in shade and the gently undulating finish of a handmade tile wall gives an exquisite impression of depth and character which is impossible to reproduce with mass produced tiles.

Our 10cm tiles are approximately 7mm thick. The 5cm inset tiles are about 6mm thick. If you are using the 5cm and 10cm tiles together in one collage you should lay the 10cm tiles first then use slightly more adhesive with the 5cm tiles to attain a relatively flat finish.

To clean our tiles you just need a mild non-abrasive cleaner. Don't use a heavy duty abrasive or gritty cleaner on any ceramic surface as this may well result in scratching.

Our tiles are not suitable for flooring and should only be used on walls or light use flat surfaces.

Any kind of flat surface such as bare plaster walls, plasterboard (drywall) or old tiles (if they are sound) should be fine. Tileboard is recommended for areas like showers or wet rooms as it provides a good waterproof layer behind the tiles. This is available at most decent hardware stores or builders supply outlets.

Again, this depends on the particular location and anticipated "wetness" of the wall. For kitchen and basin splashbacks most propietry grouts will be fine. For showers and wet rooms we recommend a waterproof, mould resistant fix and grout.

The usual width of grout (or gap between the tiles) for handmade Mexican tiles is around 3mm although this will vary as the tiles are not absolutely square. When fixing the tiles it is important to add or remove spacers as required to align the tiles as best you can. A perfect line will not be achieved and, in fact, is not wanted with handmade tiles. The aim is to approximate a regular grid but allow the tiles to ebb and flow over the gridlines naturally bringing life and irregularity to the project.

As above, it is not desireable or indeed possible to exactly align handmade tiles due to their individuality. You do need to mark the wall however with horizontal and vertical guidelines to prevent your tiles sloping or leaning across the whole width or height of the wall. Most tilers will use a horizontal batten for the first tile layer. Once your first (lowest) line of horizontal tiles is fixed, it is a relatively simple affair to keep the next line horizontal with the judicial use of tile spacers.

It is good practice to lay tile adhesive initially on the wall using a serated tile trowel over, say, half a square meter of wall. As handmade tiles vary slightly in thickness and may be convex or concave it is important to add a dab of adhesive to each corner and apply a small amount of localised pressure to attain a relatively flat finish.

Because the finished tiled area exudes quality, life and richness which is simply unattainable with factory produced tiles. Not one area will be exactly the same as another - a unique, satisfying collage of vibrant changing tones.