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Terra cotta tile, maybe

13 years ago

We are tweaking our kitchen, an updating not a major overhaul, since we did a full remodel ten years ago. The thing we like the least is our porcelain floor in a rose tone, meant to imitate terra cotta we actually wanted. We were talked out of it on the basis of softness, absorbency and constant maitenance. We hate this floor though. It manages to look both too rustic and too modern, and has lots of rough texture to trap dirt.

We have regretted our decision for ten years now. Unfortunately the problems of Mexican terra cotta and Saltillo are real and still exist. I have investigated Italian terra cotta tiles and they seem to be somewhat better. Besides, we fell in love with them in Europe. I went around in all those historic buildings studying the floors everywhere I went. Unfortunately imported Italian tiles are very expensive indeed.

I would be willing to consider a porcelain tile if I could find one that is better than what we have. I would want it to look real enough to satisfy my longing for these beautiful tiles without making me a slave to my floor. And my husband in particular really dislikes a heavily textured, rustic surface, almost as much as I dislike a slick, modern appearance!

Rosefolly

Comments (3)

sayde
13 years ago
One thing your might consider is a hand made glazed quarry tile. We found some that are hand molded -- the glaze has a kind of texture to it and they have little divots and dimples. They are a good complement to the old wood of our kitchen cabinets. I wanted something that would look appropriate in our old house, but did not want wood and stone would not have seemed correct in our 1927 house. I saw a kitchen with tiles similar to these on a Historical Society house tour and then went in search of something similar. Our tiles are made by Seneca Tile, in Ohio, but there are several companies that offer glazed quarries, both machine and hand made.
holligator
13 years ago
I was just going to suggest Seneca quarry tiles, too! We just ordered Seneca tile for our backsplash, and I love the variation in the handmade look.

We started out looking for a Saltillo-type tile, considered porcelains for awhile, and ended up with travertine. It offered enough of the rustic look we needed, but it's almost completely maintenance-free.
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hi feisty68. thanks much for inquiring!!!! the answer to your question is an old maine expression: "slower than molasses going uphill in the winter." it seems that phrase is also the motto of new york contractors. the house is now freshly roofed. most of the window cut-outs are in the right place, but the porch columns look (in photo) unevenly spaced and.......ok, you get the drift. best (?) is response from contractor (who still owns the house) to one of my many questions. he texted back......."don't poke the bear!" good news is that half those terra cotta tiles are on site; the rest are in my car scheduled for friday departure to new york. am also bringing a giant supply of "molasses melter!"
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If you look at the Color Gallery on the Benjamin Moore Website, and search Chelsea Gray, and look under the "More Shades" link at the bottom, the following lighter colors are shown: 1611 Gray Tint 1472 Silver Chain 1474 Cape May Cobblestone 1475 Graystone 1471 Shoreline 1473 Gray Huskie round out the upper end of the strip. It's likely that Chelsea Gray is essentially one of the colors on the dark end of the strip with a different name. Try one of these. You could also go white and do White Dove, like you did in the other room.
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I ripped out around 4000 sq.ft of Saltillo tile in my last house. It was in half the downstairs public rooms, all the bathrooms and outside patio. It is not comfortable to live with in a house due to the wavy texture ... trip hazard, hard to roll an office chair, impossible for kids to build legos on, slippery in the bathrooms, looked dirty even when clean, etc. It is a very "bossy" design element and will limit everything else you might want to do.
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We rented a house while building this past year and the tile/grout in the laundry room and back hallway got quite dirty with our 3 dogs. I used the local Stanley Steamer and they did a great job cleaning the tile and grout, as well as the wall to wall carpets. The rental looked cleaner when we left, than when we moved in!
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rosefolly
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks! I'll check into those. They do look very good.

Rosefolly

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