What
is the finish on the Mexican hand made wall tiles,
matt or gloss?
The
hand made tiles are glossy in appearance. The intense
orange, red, special blue and green have a white glaze
with colour applied over the top. I would describe
these colours as glossy and glassy.
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Are the hand made
tiles suitable for outside?
The
tiles are not frost proof. If water gets into the
glaze and freezes, it will expand and the glaze will
eventually flake off. Which is ok if the look you
want is romantic decay. I have included a photo of
some weathered tiles I saw in Mexico. Despite being
in the Tropics the altitude means occasionally it
freezes. You can however tile to an external house
wall, as the heat emanating from the house would stop
them freezing.
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Are
the tiles suitable for using behind a cooker and a
fireplace surround?
The
tiles are heat proof and are suitable for both tiling
behind a cooker and around a fireplace.
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Can
the tiles be used in bathrooms, showers and kitchens?
Yes
this is fine.
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Are
the hand made tiles suitable to use on the floor?
The
tiles are not hard fired and they would start to crack
under the pressure of footfall. They are manufactured
as wall tiles.
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What
do you mean the tiles have a crackle?
If
you look at an individual Mexican tile in a certain
light and angle a maze of tiny cracks in the glaze
is visible. It is more obvious in some colours than
others. If you would like to enhance the crackle then
you can use a contrasting grout colour. For example
grey grout with Mexican white tiles.
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What colours does
the grout come in and where can I buy it?
The
grout comes in five different colours last time I
looked. White, Limestone, Sandstone, Grey and Charcoal.
You can buy in from most DIY shop.
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What grout would
you recommend?
The
tiles are irregular in shape and size so you will
need ideally to use a wide joint grout such as Ardurit
C11.
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What
are the differences between laying industrial tiles
and hand made tiles?
The
tiles are hand made and have small irregularities
in their shape and size. As the tiles are often slightly
cupped. When you lay the tiles, as well as spreading
adhesive on the wall with a notched trowel, butter
the back with a tab of adhesive. This ensures that
there is a strong contact between the tile and the
surface. We recommend leaving a 3 -5mm grout gap.
It is best to lay the tiles by eye. We use the cardboard
from the box that the tiles come in to support the
tiles as the adhesive dries. It is the perfect thickness.
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How do I work
out a random pattern for laying my Mexican tiles?
Random patterns are the hardest to achieve and rarely
look random. However if you would like to create
a predominately green pattern with splashes of blue.
Find a table or floor and layout out your pattern.
It is easiest to do it as a percentage. For example
90% green and 10% blue and apply this amount to your
tile quantities.
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Why are different
coloured Mexican tiles different prices?
The
price of the tiles is dependant on the colour of the
glaze. Firstly some glazes are more expense. Secondly
the colours are harder to achieve and therefore there
is more waste and hence a higher price.
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Can I collect
the tiles?
You
can collect the tiles from our shop in London, which
is open on Sundays 9am to 3pm or by appointment any
other day of the week. We have a warehouse in Bristol
where the tiles can also be collected. We come and
go from the warehouse so it is important that you
make an appointment to see us.
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Do
you stock Mexican decorative hand made ceramic wall
tiles?
We
stock a small range of patterned tiles. Decorative tiles
We are more than happy to answer any other questions
by phone or email.
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