Traditional Saltillo tile is handmade from natural clay that is pressed into molds, air-dried, and kiln-fired, with each tile's position in the kiln creating subtle variations in color, texture, and surface character.

The warm buff, pink sand, and light clay tones — as well as the gentle firing gradients and chalky matte finish — are natural results of the firing process, making every tile unique while maintaining a cohesive overall appearance.

The soft mottling that runs across the faces comes from the same source: how the clay dried and where the flame reached it. There is no glaze on these tiles and no applied finish. What you see is the fired clay itself.

Cuadrado is the square, and it carries the widest size range in the collection — 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 8x8, 12x12 and 16x16. Small formats suit risers, niches and tight rooms; the 12x12 and 16x16 are what most full floors are built from.

Hexágono and Octágono both come in 8x8 and 12x12, and both break the grid in a way a square floor cannot. Rectángulo (6x12) runs in courses or a herringbone. Picket (4x12) gives an elongated pointed shape for borders, risers and running bands, and Concha (5.5x5.5) adds a scalloped shell profile for decorative fields.

Most formats here are offered in two grades. Regular is the traditional sort — the fullest expression of the material, with the widest spread of tone, texture and edge character from tile to tile. Super is the more closely sorted grade, with tighter dimensional consistency and a more even face.

Neither is better clay. The choice is how much movement you want underfoot: Regular for a floor that reads visibly handmade, Super where the layout is more exacting or the room is asking for calm. Picket, Estrella, Cruz and Concha are offered in Regular only.

An eight-point star interlocking with a small cross, both 5x5 — the pattern found in Spanish Colonial and Mission floors across the Southwest. Set together they resolve into a continuous interlocking field with no cut pieces through the body of the floor.

Neither shape lays without the other, so plan the two as a matched set rather than ordering them independently. Both are Regular grade. Send us your square footage and we will run the counts.

Every format in this collection is a straight edge. Joints close up cleanly, courses run true, and the same handmade clay reads considerably more composed than a pillowed profile would — which is what makes Saltillo work in a contemporary interior as readily as a hacienda.

Bullnose and bullnose corner pieces in 12x12 finish steps, hearths, thresholds, and any exposed edge where the raw paver profile would otherwise show.

Unglazed terracotta is absorbent. Left bare it takes on water, oil, wine, and grout pigment permanently, so sealing is part of the installation rather than a finishing touch.

Seal the pavers before grouting so the grout cannot stain the faces, then apply the finish coat once the floor is set and cured. A penetrating sealer holds the chalky matte look of the raw clay; a topical sealer builds a low sheen and a harder-wearing surface, and will deepen the buff and sand tones considerably — the entry at the top of this page is a sealed floor. High-traffic areas want resealing periodically, an entry or kitchen more often than a bedroom.