1980s Southwestern Style Yesterday
hacienda living today
Judd & Diane are our customers who installed 12×12 Mexican Saltillo tile in Lake Havasu, Arizona.
Q: Judd, what prompted this remodel?
⇒ Diane and I started considering using Saltillo tile on our back patio when we first purchased this house. It was decorated in the “southwestern” style of the mid-eighties in pastel pink and seafoam green. We loved the floorplan and the view, so we bought it knowing we would transform it ourselves.
Our target was a more ‘hacienda’ style of southwestern design. Little by little, we made improvements with an eye toward that final goal.
Design Challenges
layout of square tiles along angles
Q: What were the major design challenges you faced during this project?
⇒ When we changed out the flooring, we chose porcelain wood plank flooring, thinking an old hacienda would have wood floors, but real wood flooring is not advised in our super arid climate.
When it came to the patios, we decided the outdoor living areas should be Saltillo tile. (12×12 Mexican Saltillo tile in Arizona is very popular.) We have two patios, a small front patio and a large back patio. The front patio is about 100 square feet, and the rear is about 550 square feet.
Our contractor, Daniel, is a young and ambitious guy who installed the tiles for us for a very reasonable price. We discussed with him and his crew how the layout should go. Daniel suggested that the edges should be full tiles, and because of the weird shape of the patio, this would put the wedge cuts on the inside rather than along the edge.
Why 12×12 Mexican Saltillo Tile in Arizona?
traditional flooring for the southwest
Q: Why did you choose 12×12 Mexican Saltillo Tile flooring in Lake Havasu, Arizona?
⇒ We initially purchased some Saltillo tiles from the local home improvement store and discovered we would have to seal them before they could be installed. This became a huge project for Diane, but she managed to get them all done.
Pro Tip: Learn Why You Should Buy Sealed Saltillo Tile.
We really liked the look of the tiles on the front patio, and we were unsure about doing the back because of the highly labor-intensive job of pre-sealing the tile. So, while contemplating this, we got an estimate to re-do the cool deck coating, which was already in place on the back patio and around the pool. The estimate was almost $8,000!
This pushed us to consider reducing the area that would need to be recoated by installing Saltillo tiles on the covered portion of the patio.
Not being able to buy the tiles locally, I got online and found Rustico Tile and Stone. In browsing the website, I discovered they had sealed tiles available at a fraction of the cost of the tiles available locally.
I made an inquiry to Rustico Tile & Stone and promptly received some samples. An estimate of my material with shipping was more than reasonable. I let my contractor know I had ordered the material and would expect it in a couple of weeks. He said he had a slot in his schedule my job would fill perfectly. The order arrived within a week on a semi-box trailer. The driver was most accommodating and placed the pallets on my flatbed trailer so that I could move them up to the house near the job site.
Q: What do you love most about the 12×12 Mexican Saltillo tile flooring choice?
⇒ We love the look and feel of the Saltillo tiles on the patio; they are much richer looking than just a concrete or boring cool deck.
Setting and grouting the tile took four days. After Daniel left, we cleaned and sealed the tile twice to seal the grout and ensure the tiles were sealed. The biggest job was moving all the potted plants and furniture back after the job was done.
♦ Learn about more unique characteristics in our Ultimate Guide to Saltillo Tile Flooring.
Final Thoughts
buying Saltillo tile online
Q: How was your experience working with the team at Rustico Tile?
⇒ When I found Rustico Tile by searching online, I discovered they had pre-sealed 12×12 Mexican Saltillo tile, and better still, they were less expensive than what I had paid for the unsealed tile locally. Short story (too late), the entire job was very affordable, even with the shipping.
Note: Judd & Diane reached out to our team at Rustico Tile in mid-March 2020. We sent a price estimate. Then, they ordered samples. Their final order was shipped & delivered in late March.
♦ Check out other Saltillo Tile Colors.
A little about Judd & Diane.
⇒ Diane and I are real estate brokers in California and Arizona, and we have renovated or “flipped,” as the term is currently in vogue, over 100 homes. We have owned this home in Lake Havasu for eight years now and have made many improvements to the property over those years. Diane has a great sense of design. She can visualize a project in her head, and it is up to me to interpret her design and reduce it to a drawing our contractor can understand and execute. She planned the design of this patio, and it came out perfectly.
Shelley and Melanie were great to work with and the tile was delivered in just a week from the day I ordered it. I highly recommend this company for anyone considering this type of home improvement.
Judd & Diane
12×12 Mexican Saltillo Tile in Arizona
