How to pick the best Mexican/Spanish tile for decorative flooring

If you’re tired of your dull living room, bleak kitchen, uninviting patio, boring bathroom, or drab entryway, consider authentic Mexican tile your ticket to a new and improved way of living. With so many styles, colors, shapes and sizes to choose from, tile is the perfect way to completely refresh the appearance and ambiance of your home.

Authentic Mexican tile is an umbrella term for the wide variety of handcrafted decorative tiles created in Mexico.  Rustico Tile and Stone manufactures the four most popular types of Mexican tile: Saltillo tile, Talavera, Cantera, and Cement tile. Each type brings its own unique beauty and benefits to a space, and many people incorporate several different kinds of tile into their design to achieve the perfect look.

Ready to step up your interior design game? Read on to find out which type of Mexican tile is best for your next design project, as we explore some of their best and most popular uses.

Saltillo Tile

Saltillo Tile is the most popular Mexican tile.  Known as Terra Cotta, it is created from durable clay that is only available in the tile’s place of origin: Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. It is commonly used for flooring, as it is lovely, long lasting, and easy to clean. Popular spots to install Saltillo include kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, and outdoor patios. Tiles are available in many different shapes and sizes, and no two tiles are alike, adding to their rustic charm. Rustico Tile and Stone manufactures Saltillo tile in three styles: Traditional, Manganese, and Antique. In order to choose the best style of Saltillo tile for your project, consider the character of the space where you plan to install it.

Traditional Saltillo ranges in color from warm reds and oranges to golden yellow, making it an excellent choice for neutral rooms that need a pop of color.  Manganese Saltillo trends towards shades of light to dark brown and Terra Cotta, and its subtle black swirls add a marbled finish. This tile lends itself well to rooms that already have a lot of color or bright design elements. If you’re looking for an Old-World style of décor, consider Antique Saltillo, which comes in neutral, earthy Terra Cotta hues and has the appearance of reclaimed clay tile. This type of tile is particularly effective in outdoor and wet areas, as it is hand-textured for a non-slip surface.

Talavera Tile

TalaveraTile hails from Puebla, Mexico, and has a history dating back to the 16^th century, when it was primarily used for pottery. Rustico’s hand painted Talavera ceramic tile is both customizable and versatile. It is frequently installed along countertops or as a backsplash in kitchens, and makes a beautiful statement for bathroom walls, counters, and shower enclosures. Because of its bright coloring, Talavera tile creates a bold contrast when mixed with neutral colors in a room. It looks particularly stunning when arranged in a complex mural pattern on a wall, or installed on stair risers in bright or contrasting hues. For a modern design twist, choose an updated look, such as a geometric pattern, rather than a more traditional motif, such as a floral pattern.  

Cantera Stone

Cantera is the go-to tile for outdoor design. Mined in Mexico, it is the only stone that has properties of volcanic rock, so it is ideally suited to cutting and carving. Its durability makes it a popular choice for architectural elements such as fire places, stone fountains, outdoor water features, hand carved balustrade systems, columns, door and window surrounds, stone hoods, outdoor floor tiles, and much more. It is available in several different colors, and the one that’s best for you depends on your design preference: tan is a beautiful traditional choice, while white adds a more contemporary look.

Cement Tile

Cement tile is an updated alternative to older style encaustic tile. This durable, decorative tile is strong enough to be used both indoors and outdoors, and performs well in high traffic or wet areas, such as patios, pool surrounds, and bathrooms. Like Talavera tile, Cement tile is most frequently used as an accent, thought it also looks striking when installed across an entire floor or wall. It’s easy to maintain and clean with a sealed surface. With over 60 solid colors to choose from, and both ready-made and customizable patterns available, Rustico’s Cement tile is transforming indoor and outdoor spaces in the U.S. and beyond.

We hope these examples have given you some insight into choosing the best tile for your next interior design project. The possibilities are endless, and the results are priceless. Make every space count!

Source: Rustico Tile and Stone of Leander (near Austin), Texas

Rustico is the largest manufacturer and distributor for authentic, handmade saltillo tile in Mexico.  The company also serves as the leading national distributor for other specialty Mexican tile and stone including: Encaustic Cement Tile, Talavera, and Cantera Stone.  Rustico offers wholesale pricing and ships worldwide.

Decorative Tile Backsplash For Your Kitchen Masterpiece

Photo Via: WSJ

Since kitchen renovations are the core part of our business, we are always on the lookout for new trends to help make our kitchen designs as stunning as we can for our clients. So our course we are swooning over ourselves with some of the new trend in backsplash options presented by our sponsor Rustico Tile and Stone, a leading online retailer of natural stone tiles, at wholesale prices to boot. Brace yourself.


A growing trend in kitchen home décor is decorative tile used as backsplashes – bold, colorful, metallic, and beautiful!  Gone are the days of boring, monochromatic stone or ceramic blends.  Kitchens are making artistic statements with the use of colorful Cement Tiles, metallic Copper design tiles, and hand-painted Talavera tiles.  Rules are made to be broken and that’s easy to do with these fun backsplash ideas!

Cement Tile Photo: HGTV

You might ask - Why do I need a backsplash?  The wall in your kitchen behind the stove and along the counters needs to be covered with a protective barrier so it doesn’t get stained from spills and splatters.  A “good” backsplash serves as a prime ingredient into the mix of your kitchen décor and functions to protect your walls from damage.

Cement Tile Photo: Hooked on Houses

Form meets functions with Cement Tile.  Made from mineral pigmented cement, the options are endless with the ability to customize cement tile designs.  Each tile is hand-crafted, so if you don’t see the color scheme in a design that fits your needs, you can have it created in colors of your choice.  It’s really simple – as long as you have some time to wait for cement tiles be to custom produced, you can get exactly what you want.  There are designs to accommodate many home décor styles including modern, Mediterranean, vintage, and traditional.  A typical cement tile comes in an 8x8-inch size.  When installed, four tiles create a pattern measuring 16x16 inches.  Cement tiles come in a variety of sizes for backsplashes and are relatively easy to install.

Patchwork Cement Tile Photo: Rustico Tile and Stone

Patchwork Cement Tile Photo: Ideas For Interior

This patchwork cement tile pattern is a mixture of random tiles in a cohesive color palette.  Patchwork tiles are a growing trend in interior design.  Not only does cement tile add beauty to a kitchen, but it also provides a durable surface barrier to the wall.  Since cement tile can be sealed (recommended), it will withstand those unsightly splatters and is easy to clean.   

Photo: Rustico Tile and Stone

Consider adding some bling to your kitchen by mixing in metallic materials.  Whether you’re renovating a hacienda-style home or tweaking a Tuscan country estate, add a copper tile backsplash for a classical display.  Copper is also easily cleaned, very durable, and comes in several patina finishes.  And it ages like a fine wine!  The natural patina color of copper evolves as it is exposed to oxygen and ages.  If you don’t want the copper patina color to change, it can be waxed periodically or coated in epoxy.  Copper also heals itself.  If you accidentally scratch the tile, the components in this metal will repair the surface with time. 

Copper tile photo: Decozilla.com

Check out hammered copper for an old-world style home or mix copper with stainless steel appliances for a more modern look.  Pair a copper tile backsplash with a fabulous hammered copper farmhouse sink, and add inserts into the floor for an overall effect.  And just like cement tile, copper tiles come in a variety of sizes and options of design.  You’re sure to find a design and patina color that will be perfect for your backsplash.

Talavera Tile Photo: Remodelista

A kitchen backsplash doesn’t have to be created with square and rectangular shapes only.  Check out some decorative tiles shapes for an added touch of artistry in painted Talavera tiles.  This Cross pattern in Talavera embellishes a traditional style home and keeps things light and bright with the sunshine yellow colors.  Geometric shapes like hexagon or colonial are great for modern and upscale areas.  Or why not try some painted talavera tiles to create a mosaic pattern?  This bright talavera below is 4x4 inch in size and pairs well with the antique saltillo tile flooring and cantera stone counters and accents.  In contrast with the light colored walls and cabinets, the overall aesthetic is modern vintage.  Talavera tiles clean up easily with a quick wipe and since the paint is usually a gloss finish, there is no need to seal the tiles, only the grout lines.

Talavera Tile Photo: Rustico Tile and Stone

Once you’ve selected the perfect tile for your space, make sure to order 15-20% overage for waste, cuts and borders.  Small spaces like backsplashes use up waste in precise cuts.  Grout choices are endless and the grout color is just as important as your tile selection.  Choose a contrasting grout color to accentuate single tiles.  Or opt for a grout color similar to your tile color for a blended look.

What great inspiration and tile tips for your next kitchen project from the folks at Rustico Tile and Stone
Happy tile shopping as you tackle your kitchen project. Please feel free to share updates/photos of tiles purchased for your own project so we can feature them here or over on our Instagram page. Cheers to a great weekend everyone!