Easy to clean just a damp mop they are a statement so a lot of people use large area rugs to make them a little easier to decorate around

Lucky you! I grew up in a house with Saltillo tile and I still miss it. Very easy to care for but I know they recommend a strip/sealer every once in awhile. It was rarely done at our house and the floors always looked great. Check with your local Mexican tile store for advice. Where is the house?

Personally, I hate them. Uneven and a real trip hazard when wearing anything but running shoes. Awkward to decorate around unless you like brown, yellow, and orange tones.

Reba120, the house is in Southern California. I hear you on the decorating difficulties. I am not a gold, brown tone girl and my home now is beachy with blue/green colors. But I do love the look of saltillo tiles . . Timeless. If we buy this home I am going to need some help figuring out wall colors, etc., because I am not generally into those warmer tones. In this picture the fireplace has grayish stone, which seems to pull out the gray colored grout. . . . Hhmmmm. I see some nights browsing Houzz in my near future.

Thanks for the input folks.

We've owned a home w/saltillo tile for 12 years & love them. We have hardwoods in the bedrooms. Our saltillo is the smaller squares & looks so cool - old & beat-up & authentic, very charming. Easy to clean & they should be resealed periodically (don't think we've done so yet). We are renovating our home now & am looking at adding more grays to make the floors pop. We have a mix contemporary, vintage & traditional decor & oriental rugs look great with them. We added Mexican colors & accents in the kitchen.

You can do blues and greens with this tile no problem. I love them but they aren't for everyone. Being in so cal they are more common. I have them on my entry steps with a blue door. They are easy to clean.

They can be stained or dyed to a brown color which will mimic a wood floor. Just like a wood floor it would be a good idea to have them stripped, stained? and sealed before you move in.

Look up brown saltillo floors. The are actually very nice and considered in some homes an upgrade. Get used to them and textured tan walls in SOCAL.

I Read an article that Saltillo tiles will be a new trend as people move away from the cool gray tones.

My mom had Saltillo tile in here house, which was professionally decorated and featured in a magazine, and she had blue all over her house. It was all done French country, and it was beautiful! My parents lived there for years, and none of us every tripped on that floor! It's easy to take care of, and different from the same old flooring that everyone is using now.

They are a classic! They have withstood all of the trends, but are becoming the hot thing again. Lucky you to have them with all of the great patina!

I've had both hardwoods and Saltillo tile in different homes. The only thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the tile can be colder. It also has the opposite affect of wood- if you drop something on the tile more than likely the item will break, with wood if you drop something on it more than likely you'll put a dent in the wood. After yrs of going barefoot or wearing socks only on the tile, I developed some foot issues which the foot Dr says he sees all the time from not wearing shoes on the tile. You shouldn't have any issue using the colors you want to. Though the photo you show that fireplace is not working with the tile!

As said, just like hardwood, many cover with rugs for softness and/or style.

I have porcelain tiles which are a lighter shade than the tiles in the above pictures, but are very similar in size and spacing. The grout lines are a nightmare to keep clean looking. Does anyone have a suggestion other than re-coloring them with a colored sealer??

Thank you all for your comments. We did end up buying the house. The house is heated by radiant heat which goes under the floor so the tile is not cold! I am loving it but there are places where the former owner obviously replaced sections and for whatever reason chose a different grout AND sealer. We had it cleaned and sealed before moving in but I think it really needs to be stripped. In the meantime I am totally enjoying the fact that it doesn't show dirt. My previous home had maple hardwood floors that I was a slave to. This is much much easier to keep clean. Still debating paint colors but so glad to see that many feel blue goes!!

Congrats on your new home and that you are liking the tile. Sorry we responded so late-lol. And yes, radiant heat makes a HUGE difference.

Most of the major paint companies you can down load a photo of your room and "paint" your room with any colors you choose. Just remember that when you pick a color you want to get a sample and paint it on the wall as monitor color distortion can be a problem. And you want to see how it reacts with your flooring and natural light.

I had Saltillo floors in the library of a very traditional Cape Cod and they were stunning. We bought tile with a lot of yellow in them and they went with every color we used in the house. They still are my husband's favorite floors and every time we renovate or buy a new house he asks if we can have them again. Very easy to care for, improve with age and use, and, at least when we bought ours, were much less expensive than just about any other option. You can't go wrong!

RE: matching grout -- we had a slab leak in a hallway repaired, & a bunch of the saltillo was replaced. Our contractor tried 3 times to match the mortar stain (mortar instead of grout), but wasn't able to match it. But they didn't specialize in saltillo. During our renovation, we'll use someone who specializes in saltillo where we'll install new saltillo. In our place, the original floors must've been installed on different days, as the mortar stain color varies from area to area. That doesn't bother us a bit.

Sandra L

we just purchased a house with Saltillo tiles in all the downstairs. I love it! I painted all the walls a chalk white color. Still trying to figure out what to do with my kitchen cabinets and beams. Please share your decor pics as you progress! I'm considering using blue as my accent color as well.

Hi everyone! I just came upon this post. I am in process of building a house, and my long awaited Saltillo tile is being laid down now in the kitchen, dinette and side hallway area of my home. I love the look of it, but as I hope to spend many years in this home I am getting concerned about a few posts I see here saying it can be hard on your back? I actually do NOT have a great back and have had problems throughout the years. I am so worried about this that thinking of ripping off the tile they already put down and changing it, even though I really love it. Can anyone say the experience they have with this tile and if indeed it is hard in the back or a trip hazard? I also have little children. Thanks in advance for any advice!!

Sartist......all tiles are hard, and that could be an issue for some people, I suppose. I have a lot of tile, as well as wood, in my house, and I don't really think the hardness of either has bothered my back. (And I do have back issues, as well) My mom had Saltillo tiles in her house and I had them in a previous house, and none of us ever tripped on them. I really don't know why they would pose any more of a tripping hazard than any other flooring. Yours are going to be beautiful!

Don't go barefoot. Always wear shoes that have cushioning and support.

I had them in a California beach cottage. My interiors were beachy country French in blues, pinks, greens and yellows. The tiles just became sort of a neutral. Area rugs for sure - and seal them occasionally. I loved them!

I'm active but have a bad back from years of gymnastics. No problems in 13 years due to the saltillo tile we have in our main living areas & I'm barefoot except during winter. And no tripping issues. My first home was all hardwood & it felt about the same for my back, but of course hardwood is softer than any tile. We love having dark hardwoods in 4 bedrooms, but the saltillo sure doesn't show the dust & dirt as much. :)

Our 46 year old saltillo floors, shown here, were installed with the foundation. Furniture will be replaced soon.

Sartist, I’ve now lived in the house over two years. I absolutely love these floors for numerous reasons. I lived with hardwood floors before. I, too, have back issues. Here’s what I think:

The tile is most definitely harder surface to walk on, but I very rarely am on just the bare tile. In my kitchen I have those runners rugs/mats that are padded. I have large area rugs in the living areas. I don’t feel like these floors have been that much different in terms of my back than my hardwood was.

One thing that I should mention is this home has radiant heat, so the surface of the floor is not too cold. If temperature is a concern then you may want to reconsider the satillo tile (or lay down radiant heat before you put the tile down!)

Your tile is looking beautiful and I sure hope you feel comfortable keeping it. Amazingly enough, what others told me is true, the floor has just become a neutral color and works really well with a lot of colors. My house is gray walls and blue accents and the floor seems to just complement any other color. Good luck on your decision and keep us posted!

Sandra- Thank you for your opinion! I actually DO have radiant heating installed under these tiles and throughout my home. I definitely don’t want to go with a non tile option for my kitchen and dinette areas, but I am having hardwood throughout the rest of the main floor. So other than being like any other tile that I might have picked, I guess I would ask you what it’s been like as far as the uneven feel of the Saltillo. One of the things I love about it is the rounding and natural look, but I am hearing from some that the uneven surface can pose a trip hazard or be hard to walk on. Do you find that to be true? I am sorry you also have back issues but I take your opinion and experience very seriously because I think you can appreciate my concerns. Thank you again for taking the time to respond!

Sartist, my floor is very very uneven. I was worried about the tripping hazard as well and was actually expecting it. Never have My husband, my grandkids, my dog (!) nor myself tripped on the floor. It just hasn’t been an issue. In fact I just asked my husband his opinion and he said the only thing he has felt was an issue was when we push in chairs to the table sometimes they catch.

Thank you! I am going to keep them and enjoy them. I appreciate you helping me decide! Very excited! I will post a picture when they are finished ❤️

Sandra - here is the latest photo from my tile installer!

The floor is just beautiful! I know you’re going to enjoy them. Glad you went for it.

Here is a picture from today- the grout is in! Now we just need to seal it. I am loving it!

BEAUTIFUL!

It's so nice to see a color that isn't gray. Looks great.

@kjoy1 that is very pretty! I am actually doing my kitchen in a similar color. It’s called French vanilla but it’s more of a yellowish buttery color. I love it!

How do you fix different grout lines with this tile?

Here is the latest picture of my almost completed kitchen with the Saltillo tile.

Very pretty:)

I love Saltillo tiles and always have. Are these more of a regional SW part of the country thing? Or, are they also used in places like Florida? Just curious about the approximate cost per square foot for tiles only. Can you give ma a ballpark idea?

I am thinking about painting my cabinets to lighten up the room. Thoughts? Inspired by photo above. However, maybe gray. Trying to tie the kitchen in with the tv room. Maybe paint the chairs or get new ones and maybe some suggestions on some pendant lighting?

Hi. I would not do gray in your kitchen. What about a color closer to what sartost37 is doing on her cabinets? I think it would lovely with your room nearby.

Gavinhome4-. No to gray as it will not work with your island counter. What is the condition of your cabinets? Painting them will not give you as long of a life on the finish as factory finished ones will if that is a concern for you.

I think your kitchen cabinets look great but what is making it so flat ( which I think is more of an issue than lighting it up) looking is that you need colorful accessories including new chairs. Unless you are going for more of a monochromatic look then you need to bring in more texture to get visual interest. Also have you thought of removing those wood valances that connect the cabinets in front of the windows? And do you have under cabinet lighting?

I see a glimpse of your diningroom and it doesn't appear that it has the same "feel" as the kitchen?

I have a question about whether or not I should use baseboards for my floors... we are in the process of installing the Saltillo. Here’s a picture file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/11/01/D94E12C1-470A-4743-AB12-8B7B6F027BE9/20210125_125924.jpg

I am just wondering if I should use those boards at all?

Those floors are gorgeous and should just vacuum and mop easily!

Ty

So what is purpose of baseboards on saltillo?

Hi, I have another question. What product is used or recommended to color stain and seal the mortar used to grout my new saltillo floor? Will Mapei Grout Refresh Colorant and Sealer and Grout Paint work?